Vol. 18 No. 6 December 2019 ALEXIAD (!7+=3!G) $2.00 I did not watch the Breeder’s Cup this year. The California track month. As part of it I have had to pay $$$$ for home repairs, and I still where the races were held this year has a bad reputation. I have had don’t know if they will satisfy the Great Ghods of Home Care. So I it with watching horses die on the track. I have been attending the have had writing (and I have a new book almost done) take second or Standardbred races for several years and have not seen a fatality even third place. there. I think they are bred tougher. Sadly I was proved right about the chances of a fatality even though I really wanted to be wrong. A And speaking of insurance, I am now on Medicare. With a horse named Mongolian Groom was fatally injured during the generous supplemental policy, courtesy of the retirement system. running of the Classic. Having to change the health care coverage everyplace can get annoy- — Lisa ing, and there are so many doctors. Table of Contents All which has meant my state of mind has been depressed. There’s Editorial...... 1 nothing that seems to work, either. Reviewer’s Notes ...... 1 I got a copy of Gary Corby’s The Singer of Memphis (2016; After Munich...... 8 reviewed in Alexiad V. 16 #2) and got to thinking. Since the next one, Dizzy Afternoons ...... 5 Death on Delos (2017; reviewed in Alexiad V. 16 #5) came out, there Eclipse News...... 2 have been no more. And he quit updating his blog and Facebook page Volcano Observations ...... 3 then. There is no news of his death. What now? Worldcon News...... 8 Writing Issues ...... 4 I refer below to the shift in the membership of the Baker Street Irregulars. Perhaps more to the point is the shift in the Committee for Book Reviews the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, now the JTM Alexander/Salwen, The Suspect...... 4 Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. The founderers were scientific types JTM Carreyrou, Bad Blood ...... 3 from a representative group, including many SF writers. The current JTM Kowal, The Calculating Stars ...... 3 leading members are people known as skeptics. Perhaps not surprisingly, it has looked around itself and proclaimed Con Reports victory. For example, they are dismissive of claims of “flying saucer” LK Archon 43 ...... 5 sightings; yet, listening to Coast to Coast AM brings one across LK The Imaginarium Convention ...... 6 numbers of claimed sightings. Each group exists in its own self- referential sphere. Random Jottings ...... 2 And indeed, most of the skeptical websites I see are moribund, with few if any postings. About the most active is International Skeptics, Letters ...... 9 which took over the old James Randi Educational Foundation forum, Sue Burke, Lloyd Daub, Robert S. Kennedy, Timothy Lane, Hugh and even there skeptical comments tend to give way to insults, Lupus, Lloyd Penney, AL du Pisani, George W. Price, Joy V. discussions of favorite types of whiskey, and other trivia. Smith, Dale Speirs, Taras Wolansky In other venues, the Screw Loose Change blog (about a refutation of the notorious 9/11 Truther video “Loose Change”) has not had a Comments are by JTM or LTM posting in over a year. All the while the Truthers boast of unending successes (which never come to anything, so there’s that). Trivia: ...... 16 There seems to be an attitude of “Well, that’s been debunked, no reason to go any further.” Which was why when creationism resurged, Art: the skeptics lazily cited refutations of the early twentieth century Sheryl Birkhead ...... 9, 15 creationist George McCready Price, in response to new creationists Alexis A. Gilliland...... 3, 4, 10, 13, 14 with different approaches. Trinlay Khadro ...... 2 Similarly, the approach to the John F. Kennedy assassination has Marc Schirmeister ...... 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 shifted, with people not bothering with the physical evidence, but saying “cui bono?” and going from there. Second most popular is new Printed on December 17, 2019 Suppressed Witnesses. That reminds me of Boris Morros’s plaint that Deadline is February 1, 2020 there seem to have been dozens of people, including many young children, with O. Henry when he died. Reviewer’s Notes — Joe I made a foolish mistake and it has been haunting me for the past Page 2 December 2019 Alexiad

November-December 2019). where she rewrote several scripts, surviving a RANDOM JOTTINGS [If you look up who Henry Tandey VC was, revision of Harlan Ellison’s “The City on the by Joe you will understand.] Edge of Forever”. She found it more convenient to be an The Baker Street Irregulars are having their independent writer, working on a number of annual Sherlock Holmes’s Birthday BSI Week- other series, and even a STAR TREK novel, end on January 15-19, 2020. It looks to be a Vulcan’s Glory (1989). She was inducted into most interesting event, with dinners, reading of the American Screenwriters Association Hall papers, and general socializing. of Fame — twice! There has been a paradigm shift in the organization since its founding. When it was MONARCHICAL NEWS established, it was literary types, who in the spirit of the twenties played at the stories being René Murat Auberjonois died in Los real. Now, it’s fans specifically of the stories. Angeles on December 8, 2019. Born in New York City on June 1, 1940 to correspondent http://www.bsiweekend.com/ Ferdinand Auberjonois and Princess Laure Louise Napoléone Eugénie Caroline Murat, he In Arctic news, Borge Ousland and Mike was a descendant of the Bonaparte family and Buy my books. (All available on Horn have completed their Arctic winter ice of Joachim Murat, the Napoleonic King of Amazon.com for quite reasonable prices, trek, reaching their support ship the Lance at Naples. except the Hugo-nominated Heinlein’s Chil- midnight on December 7, with their support He also starred in Star Trek Deep Space dren, which can be bought from NESFA for a crew Bengt Rotmo and Aleksander Gamme, Nine, the movie version of M*A*S*H, and the reasonable price.) who brought them food, since they were out of TV films The Wild Wild West Revisited and supplies. Horn had reported of the sea ice, “[It] More Wild Wild West — among others. https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B01BMIC4M is not only shrinking in size, but it has also U?ref_=pe_1724030_132998070 become younger and thinner in recent years. YOU’RE SO VAIN — Advt. This causes the ice to break up and move a lot by Joe faster than it used to, which are two of the The latest installment of Norman Spinrad’s biggest challenges we have encountered so far.” There will be a solar eclipse on December book review column for Asimov’s, “On They had passed the North Pole in late October. 26, an annular eclipse visible in Saudi Arabia, Books”, has been taken down from the web- Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Oman, the Indian states of site, then reposted with an apology from the We are pleased to hear that Lois McMaster Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, the North- editor saying that Spinrad does not speak for Bujold will be named a Damon Knight Grand ern, North Central, and Eastern Provinces of the magazine. He had decried the shift to- Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Sri Lanka, West Sumatra, Riau, West Kaliman- wards fantasy and away from science fiction Writers of America. The presentation will be tan, North Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan in in the field. Anyone who had read his essays made at the 2020 SFWA Nebula Conference, Indonesia, Sarawak in Malaysia, Singapore, in the Patchin Review should have known. which is May 28-31, 2020. Davao Occidental in the Philippines, Guam, A file of the complete run of Charles and Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands. The Platt’s troublemaking, spirited, fanzine may be OBITS maximum eclipse will be 3 minutes 40 seconds found at the British TAFF site: at 1E N., 102E 18' E. in Riau Province, Indone- Strange cartoonist Gahan Wilson died sia. The eclipse is part of Saros 132, which https://taff.org.uk/ebooks.php?x=Patchin November 21, 2019 in Scottsdale, Arizona. began August 13, 1208 and will end September Born February 18, 1930 in Evanston, Illinois, 25, 2470. But Spinrad has had trouble selling of late. Wilson became known for his creepily funny It’s unfortunate, because he has something to cartoons in venues such as The Magazine of In other news, there was a transit of Mer- say about social issues. It’s odd to note that Fantasy & Science Fiction, National Lampoon, cury on November 11. Transits of Mercury though Bug Jack Barron (1969) was consid- and Playboy. I remember noticing how know- take place in May and November; the previous ered to have transgressed the bounds of de- ledgeable he showed himself about the Canon in one was May 9, 2016 and the next one will be cency (for sexual reasons), the sex in it is his Sherlock Holmes cartoons (admittedly the November 13, 2032. quite tame compared to, oh, say, what appears one where Holmes tells Professor Moriarty that The Curiosity Mars Rover observed a in I Will Fear No Evil (1970; NHOL G.166). they’ll have to keep their little relationshiop out transit of Mercury on June 3, 2014. Personally, I think the book is a striking pre- of Watson’s notice is, well, off) and I admired sentation of the pains of responsibility in the his cartoon series “Click” about boorish tourists There will be two solar eclipses in 2020. face of evil. “We can all be bought.” going to Mars. The first will be on June 21, an annular eclipse While health issues constrained his output, visible in the Republic of the Congo, the Dem- Oceania is at war with Eurasia. he still has a formidable body of work both in ocratic Republic of the Congo, the Central Oceania has always been at war with cartoons and writings. African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethio- Eurasia. pia, Eritrea, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, STAR TREK writer, story editor, and associ- Pakistan, India, China, and Taiwan. The I have been reading Frozen Hell (2019; ate producer Dorothy C. Fontana (often billed eclipse is part of Saros 137, which began May Wildside Press; $6.99 (Kindle)), the first draft as “D. C. Fontana”) died December 2, 2019 in 25, 1389 and will end on June 28, 2633. of “Who Goes There?” but it’s by an unperson Los Angeles. Born March 25, 1939 in Sussex, The second will be on December 14, so no point in reviewing it. New Jersey, Fontana went into the wriring visible in Arucania Region, Los Ríos Region, The story reads very much like real Ant- business in the fifties, met Gene Roddenberry and Bío Bío Region of Chile and the Northern arctic exploration narratives of the period. while working for his The Lieutenant, and Patagonia Region of Argentina. Maximum moved into SF when he went on to STAR TREK. totality will be 130 seconds, visible at 40E 18' Henry Tandey Award to Harry Turtle- She wrote several episodes, notably “Tomorow S. 67E 54' W. in Argentina. The eclipse is part dove for “Christmas Truce” (Asimov’s, Is Yesterday”, and moved up to story editor, of Saros 142, which began April 17, 1624 and Alexiad December 2019 Page 3 will end June 5, 2904. Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) program no longer needs just test pilots, people https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099892/ (men) capable of calmly reporting what went NASA Eclipse website: wrong based on knowledge about a vehicle’s https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse.html AWARDED equipment. Review by Joseph T Major of The program continues. It’s worth noting Other useful eclipse websites: THE CALCULATING STARS: that Elma does get selected, after some stress- A Lady Astronaut Novel ful training (including having to do a flotation http://www.hermit.org/Eclipse by Mary Robinette Kowal tank test in a bikini), for a moon mission, and (2018; Tor: ISBN 978 -0765378385; $18.99; she ends up going off planet. Admittedly this http://www.eclipse.org.uk/ Macmillan (Kindle); $9.99) is because “The Lady Astronaut of Mars”, to 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novel which this is a prequel, was published earlier AGAINST ME 2019 Locus Award for Best Novel (2012; Tor.com). by Joe 2019 Hugo Award for Best Novel The point of departure may be earlier than 2019 Sidewise Award for Best Novel the date of 1948 given on uchronia.com. At least, if the comment about “Shackleton’s trip In 1928, after the success of the Northern to the North Pole” means anything. By endur- Expedition, the Kuomintang government of the ance we conquer. Republic of China renamed the former Imperial Looking at all those awards, one wonders if capital “Peiping”, “Northern Peace”, as it had anything negative could impact the success of been briefly called under the Ming. Their the book. It deserved them. capital was Nanking. After the Communist victory in their civil DROWNING war, the city, now their capital, resumed the Review by Joseph T Major of name of “Peking”, which is transliterated in the BAD BLOOD: Pinyin transliteration as “Beijing”. The ROC Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup continues to call it “Peiping”, and the US went by John Carreyrou along with this until the opening to the PRC. (2018; Knopf; ISBN 978-1524731656; The movie title was done by an ignoramus. Therefore, when Kowal has in her story a $27.95; Knopf (Kindle); $13.99) Krakatoa is west of Java. 1957 news item from “Peiping”, she shows a The mountain had had a catastrophic erup- dedication to using the terms as used then that From 1935 and for twenty-eight years tion in prehistoric times, as there was a large few other authors bother with these days (e.g., a thereafter, Ruth Beymer Drown, a Los Angeles crater in the ocean floor. Moreover, the two W.E.B. Griffin novel set in China that referreed chiropractor, promoted her Radio Therapy, flanking islands of Verlaten (Sertung) and to “Ulaanbaatar” when it would have been which could (she said) diagnose people’s Lang (Panjang) are apparently remnants of the called “Ulan Bator” at the time). [Yes I know ailments from blood samples on blotting paper. ancient cone. that Robert Heinlein called it “Peiping” in She was prosecuted for fraud but died before There were several eruptions before the Tunnel In the Sky (1955; G.126).] the case could come to trial. cataclysmic 1883 eruption, one of which The people here could certainly use a tunnel Some things never change. seems to be related to the Plague of Justinian. in the sky. Washington DC has been targeted Elizabeth Anne Holmes was a Silicon The 1883 eruption destroyed most of the main by a meteorite, and far from being the paradise Valley wonder; she emulated Steve Jobs in island and the small island of Polish Hat, of a ungoverned society that the Neil types personality and dress, and by the time she was while forming two temporary islands, Steers would imagine, this is a desperate America, for thirty she was the wildly heralded billionaire and Calmyer. the meteoric debris presages not just a year entrepeneur who at the age of nineteen, in Underwater eruptions started shortly without a summer, but a century without them, 2003, had founded Theranos, a company which thereafter, and in 1927 a small volcanic island and glaciers heading south. (And then — produced diagnostic devices that could take formed, which was named Anak Krakatau, GLOBAL WARMING!!!) readings from tiny samples of blood and pro- “Child of Krakatoa”. It underwent several The response is desperate and devoted; the cess them from anywhere in the world. Promi- large eruptions, and in December of 2018, fulfillment of Tsiolkovsky’s comment about nent investors poured money into Theranos; having built itself to a height of 340 meters, how necessary it was for humanity to get off- famous leaders served on its board of directors. had a collapse, leaving the remnant with a planet. Elma York (does she have an in-law The company had profitable contracts with height of 110 meters and generating a tsunami named Natalie?) is a small but significant part Safeway and Walgreens to provide its services that killed some 437 people. of this effort. She is a computer — that is, to their customers. Holmes was worth $4.5 And now there is the recent eruption of someone who does calculations. And then she billion and was the hottest thing in tech. Whakaari (White Island) in New Zealand. is chosen to be the Face of the Space Program At present, Elizabeth Holmes is facing trial The volcano was posted as being hazardous, on the Watch Mr. Wizard show. (Again, it’s for fraud. Theranos has been dissolved. but not extremely so (the way Anak Krakatau nice to know that Kowal has studied the past Carreyrou, a writer for the Wall Street is) so the tourists were acting riskily but pre- and accepts it on its own terms.) Journal, recounts a story of amazing hype and sumably knew what they were doing. The But Elma is intended for bigger and better incredible abuse. While Holmes made as- fatality count is eight so far, with several more things. When as a bid for more positive public- tounding claims for the abilities and employ- missing. ity the space program takes on women as astro- ment of Theranos diagonstic devices, within The worst recorded volcanic eruption was nauts, Elma volunteers, and is taken (even the company she was abusive, demanding, and that of Mount Tambora, on Sumbawa Island though she is disparagingly told that she was secretive. in Indonesia, in April of 1815, which directly only taken because she had been on Mr. Wiz- Perhaps more to the point, the device didn’t killed 70,000 people and brought about the ard). Nevertheless, she persisted. (Now we work. It used a complex apparatus for treating Year Without a Summer, impacting millions. need a scene where she inspires a young rock- blood samples for testing that often failed finding girl named Wendy.) during use. Theranos got around this by hav- Krakatoa, East of Java (1968) It helps that she was a WASP (Women ing samples sent to their office for testing in a https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064555/ Auxiliary Service Pilot) with considerable more standard manner. experience ferrying fighter planes. Besides, the The corporate culture was in keeping with Page 4 December 2019 Alexiad the hip trends of Silicon Valley, adhering to file, the product of the FBI’s crack team of venues (an abortion clinic), he got a little more the popular buzzwords of corporate organiza- professional criminal profilers. Special Agent attention. tion. This was tempered by Holmes’s charm- Johnson coordinated efforts with the media, Finally, the implacable arm of the law gave ing habit of arbitrarily firing people. bringing pressure on the suspect with targeted up. In a strange condescenion, the top eche- Just as the Board of Directors was a sham; releases of information. lons of the U.S. justice system exonerated since Holmes had drawn up rules that gave her Surely, one would think, after all this effort Jewell. absolute control. People such as George the suspect would confess and be convicted. Over the next few years, Jewell tried to Schultz and Henry Kissinger were no more The families of the dead, the injured and their rebuild his life. He married. He met a Japa- than adornments, and took no part in corporate relatives, would have closure, and the FBI nese man who had been similarly targeted and governance. would rack up another triumph. pilloried, for a sarin gas attack conducted by As Theranos increasingly proved unable to He didn’t do it? What has that got to do Aum Shinrikyo; their shared experience out- deliver on its promises, the corporate backers with anything? weighed cultural difficulties. He even finally pulled out. Finally, Holmes and her chief The Suspect is a detailed examination of the got a permanent job in law enforcement. assistant and enabler Ramesh “Sunny” Bal- Atlanta Centennial Park bombing. It begins Eric Robert Rudolph had fled to the woods. wani were considered surplus to current with a description of how the 1996 Summer Eventually, he was caught dumpster-diving. needs. Shortly thereafter, the company fol- Olympics was brought to Atlanta. The prepara- He was speedily convicted and now is serving lowed, and now Holmes and Balwani are tions were elaborate and detailed. Relevantly, a life without parole in a Supermax prison. facing wire fraud charges. wasted slum area was turned into Centennial Jewell was present at the sentencing, albeit in Holmes made her statement, as it were, by Park, a beautiful green space that would sustain a holding room. emulating Steve Jobs, down to dressing as he the city long after the Olympics were over. Two years afterwards, Jewell died. He had did. While this seems to be a respectable and For Richard Allensworth Jewell it was a sued the various media outlets that had put him reputable hommage, it has problems. final chance. He had longed to be a law en- on trial, and won various settlements from most It should be recalled that John Sculley forcement officer; he had vigorously pursued of them. The harassment likely did not help his managed to restore Apple to profitability by training and always worked the extra mile. His health. And even now he is called a shake- terminating all of Jobs’s development pro- fellow officers found his obsession with police down artist. Where could he go to get his grams. In response, Jobs set up NeXT, Inc., gear to be perhaps absurd (he had so much that reputation back? which promised to build a universally usable the car browned out when he tried to drive with computer through such methods as having a all of it turned on). And, he was sloppy, forever single portable optical disk containing the having small accidents and making other slipups operating system, all programs, and all data. that ended his career with one small police force This would have been more popular if the after another. Being a security guard at the price of a NeXT unit had not been $50,000. Atlanta Olympics was a last hope. Presumably Jobs learned something by the And he was meticulous, going over his area time Apple bought out NeXT and brought him of assignment regularly and carefully. So it was back. Maybe not, since one factor that con- that when just after midnight on July 27, he tributed to his death was his use of “natural noticed an abandoned pack under a bench. healing” to treat his fatal cancer. Jewell followed procedure, he informed his Elizabeth Holmes seems to have learned superiors and joined with other security guards the wrong thing from all this; she labored to in clearing the area. The bomb detonated, present an image, while failing to produce a killing one spectator and leading to the fatal substance to support it. The Theranos porta- heart attack of another, and wounding 111 ble blood test apparatus proved as unworkable people. and fantastic as Ruth Drown’s Radio Therapy. At first, Jewell was the hero of the day. But For more on this see Clint Eastwood’s new Bad Blood is a striking example of journalistic then a more sinister mode supervened. All that movie, starring Paul Walter Hauser as the title investigation and a tragic story of technologi- cop work indicated that he wanted to be a law- character, Richard Jewell (2019): cal and financial waste. enforcement hero. Planting a bomb himself, then “discovering” it, would be the perfect way https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3513548/ UNIDOOFUS to do so. Review by Joseph T Major of And so the FBI Atlanta Office began its WRITING ISSUES THE SUSPECT: investigation. Jewell was questioned. It grew by Lisa An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, more vigorous; the press was brought in to help and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the intimidate him into surrendering and confessing, The library has a book titled Weird Middle while the apartment where he lived with his Hauntings. I blinked at this title. It made me by Kent Alexander & Kevin Salwen mother was repeatedly searched. (They found want to know exactly what is a normal haunt- (2019; Harry N, Abrams; no traces of bombmaking but that did not stop ing. I asked several of the reference librarians ISBN 978 -1419734625; $28.00; them.) but they had no answer for my question. Sigh. Amazon Digital Services; $13.99) Jewell was under pressure from not only the I filed it under life’s unanswered minor ques- local media, such as the Journal-Constitution, tions but I always still wonder about this during When in 1996 the Atlanta Olympics was but the national media. He was referred to Halloween. attacked by a cruel and vicious bomber, the contemptuously, as a foolish man who wanted Atlanta office of the FBI carried out a vigor- to play Master Cop. Novel writing month is coming up. During ous and thorough investigation. Speedily Meanwhile, the real bomber fretted and this crazy people set down and do their best to focusing on a top suspect, the office under the plotted. Eric Robert Rudolph had been on the write at least 50,000 words in one month. direction of Special Agent Don Johnson car- fringes of various movements and developed a Against all better judgment I have decided to ried out meticulous searches of his residence. profound hatred for society. He had built a try this. I don’t think I have a snowball’s They noted his long career in law enforcement powerful and deadly weapon, and attacked the chance in the desert because the closest I have with his constant posing as a super-cop, pre- “global” Olympics. And yet someone else was ever come to achieving this goal was 36,000 pared for every eventuality. He fit their pro- blamed. When he tried again, targeting other words. Nevertheless I need something to shake Alexiad December 2019 Page 5 myself out of my writing doldrums. And so I was able to add Darkwing Duck, Tail Spin, Convention Center and DoubleTree Hotel in will take some time at the library and decide Rescue Rangers, and Goof Troop to my collec- Collinsville, Illinois, one of the Metro East on a character. tion of noteworthy animation. Since it was suburbs of St. Louis. easily my least favourite of the Disney shows, I Because I wanted to visit my dad in central DIZZY AFTERNOONS was a bit reluctant to add Goof Troop to the bag. Illinois and because load-in for the convention by Taral Wayne Still, why not? At the price of a couple of slices starts very early Friday morning, we left home of pizza, I bought them as well … and I don’t on Wednesday and stayed the night at my dad’s Remember the good ol’ days of the 1990s? quite regret them. place. I was able to carry our last few personal It doesn’t seem all that long ago, either, when I wish I had seen episodes of Aladdin at belongings out relatively quickly and we hit the we were tuning into Darkwing Duck, Aladdin, Wal-Mart, but they were unaccountably miss- road west in good time. We stopped in Cham- Duck Tales, Rescue Rangers, Gummi Bears, ing. A quick online search revealed that mass- paign to make two shopping visits, and still got Tail Spin and the others. They were fresh, market DVDs were never released. Cheap to my dad’s place in time for supper. I also got they were good, and they were popular. And bastards! They sensed bigger profits in an even laundry done and food cooked for the weekend then they were gone, except in re-runs. The more exploitative digital market. So, fuck before turning in for the night. span of time in which these programs hit their Aladdin. Robin Williams is dead anyway. On Thursday we got up and joined my dad stride and rode the resurgence of TV anima- For me, the real star in the Disney Afternoon for breakfast, then carried our stuff back out to tion of the ‘90s, only lasted seven years … was Darkwing Duck. It was funny, it shared an the van for the next leg of the journey. The after which they were consigned to the dust intricate background full of fascinating charac- traffic wasn’t that bad on I-55, but we did have heap of re-run history. That’s show business ters, and was one of the few superhero spoofs to deal with fairly strong crosswinds most of for ya... that was genuinely entertaining … not merely the way. We got to Collinsville early enough Of course, we watched these programs camp. Darkwing holds for me just as well as it that we decided to go to Walmart before check- over and over, because we could! All the ever did. ing into the hotel. However, that Walmart same, it was different once you understood I’m not so certain of some of the others, didn’t have a gas station, so we ended up that there would be no more new episodes. which I suspect are showing the signs of their taking a long side trip and finally returning to Instead, there would be Phineas and Ferb, and times more poignantly. Goof Troop let me the QuikTrip right by Walmart to get gas. Brandy & Mr. Whiskers. I suppose those were down more than I expected, considering that I However, by the time we got done with all alright in their own way, but already there was regarded the two movies highly. Rescue Rang- that, we could check into our room without any a plastic quality to the product, that was no ers also disappoints for some reason. Maybe I hassle. My biggest problem was the sheer longer as inspiring as the Disney Afternoon. just don’t care for stories about little animal number of trips I had to make to get all our So we continued to watch the re-runs. But characters all that much? As for Tail Spin, I still personal belongings into our room, since some then, inevitably, they too were swept away by have high hopes. Mind you, Baloo was a fuck- of the stuff that needed to go in first didn’t the inevitable development of new properties ing putz, but it had everything I could want in a make a good, stable load on the bell cart. that could be marketed for coveted shelf space Disney cartoon, and those DVDs are in the Once I was done, I got my computer out at Toys-R-Us. queue for watching as soon as I’ve done with and settled in to make some final blog posts for Did anyone really expect to see the Disney Pinky and the Brain. the weekend, arranging them to auto-load each Afternoon again? But that’s another pair of test subjects, and day. Then we headed over to the Gateway Of course, we did have videotape releases, another studio. Center to scope out the dealers’ room and get but they were mere palliative efforts intended our badges. While we were waiting, I did some to sell a few episodes for maximized bottom work on a book review. However, I found that lines. We were grateful for half-a-dozen the stories in the anthology hadn’t produced volumes, each with only two or three epi- that compelling of memories in my mind, so it sodes, because that was all that was available. was tough going. The rest remained inaccessible, seemingly When we returned to the hotel, we had forever. supper. Our friends got their belongings into But videotape had its day, and then it was the room, and I did a little more writing, this gone as well. time on fiction, before turning in for the night. In the new DVD millennium, the sun On Friday we got up bright and early to unexpectedly rose on The Disney Afternoon have the hotel’s complimentary breakfast once again. The volumes were not cheap, but before we headed over to the Gateway Center at least you would watch entire seasons in a so we could be ready the moment they opened single set. Oh, wait ... not so fast. It seems the roll-up door and let us in. I was getting that sales may not have been quite as brisk as merchandise out so that we could get at our Disney had hoped, because in most cases there cart, but as it turned out, my husband was able were only two volumes of a show ever re- to get one of the convention center’s flatbed leased, although three or more might easily carts, which did simplify the process of loading have been, if Disney had thought it worth- in. However, our friends seemed to have gotten while. Apparently, they didn’t. lost on the way between the hotel and the Still, it was delightful to be able to watch convention center, and didn’t show up to help most of the Disney Afternoon classics as they us until we’d gotten several loads in. Although were meant to be seen. And, to be truthful ... this was annoying, I had to consider that one of perhaps two volumes were enough in most ARCHON 43 our friends was under the weather as a result of cases. It was easy to get too much of some- Con Report by Leigh Kimmel a nasty head cold, and really wasn’t going to be thing like Goof Troop. up to much physical work. Because of the cost of the DVDs in their Archon is the St. Louis area’s long-running In fact, once we got everything in and it original releases, I was unwilling to buy them. science fiction convention, which over the years became increasingly obvious that she was not But they have all been recently been re-re- has increasingly taken some of the aspects of a going to be up to helping us build structures leased at Wal-Mart, and at $10 a pop I was media convention. This year it was held over the and work merchandise into them, I told her to finally able to buy the remaining volumes. I weekend of October 4-6, 2019 at the Gateway just go back to the room and convalesce so that Page 6 December 2019 Alexiad she would feel up to working when it was soaked my feet until they were no longer in However, as we got to Indianapolis, I started time to load out. Then I focused on getting anguish. However, I was simply too tired to do feeling tired. I was able to get the deposit made everything done as quickly as possible without the book reviews like I’d planned. I did well to at the branch of our bank in Brownsburg, but as making a mess of it. However, as the time to get some fiction written before we turned in for we drove across town, I started really strug- open to the general membership approached, the night, very glad to be able to put our feet up gling to stay awake. I was very glad to get we just grabbed everything and got it behind on some spare pillows. home, and I just carried in the essentials before our tables so we wouldn’t get yelled at about On Sunday we got up and had the hotel’s taking a nap. Only after I felt more awake did having stuff in the aisles. Although there were complimentary breakfast. Then we got our stuff I bring in the rest of our personal belongings some things I would’ve liked to have gotten out of the room and got checked out. It took and call the trip finished. out, we decided to just go with what we had longer than we’d expected, and we were late up and sell what we could. getting to the convention center. I’d thought I’d THE IMAGINARIUM CONVENTION Sales were fairly decent for a smaller finally get to look around the dealers’ room, but Con Report by Leigh Kimmel convention, although I had to consciously then my husband had a nasty case of digestive reduce my expectations that had been set by upset, and dealing with the resultant problems The Imaginarium Convention is a small the really huge comic and anime conventions pretty much took the rest of our prep period. So writers’ convention held each year in Louis- we do. However, I was astonished at getting I had to start dealing with customers right away, ville, Kentucky. It is run by Seven Stars Press, several sizable hardcover book sales. Usually and never got to look around. and has no connection whatsoever to the we do well to sell one or two hardcovers Sales were slow at first, but they started Imaginarium Agency that produces big con- throughout the weekend, but we had several picking up right about the time we needed to ventions like Indiana Comic Con and Tampa go in those four hours. start packing. However, we never had any of the Bay Comic Con. This year it was held over the By the time the doors closed, my legs and huge last-minute paperback sales where some- weekend of October 11-13, 2019 at the feet were in misery. There was no way I was one buys a whole pile of books and I have to Ramada Inn and Triple Crown Convention going to be able to haul our little cart all the scramble to get them marked off and second Center, where ConGlomeration had been held way back to the van and set our personal copies moved into place. In fact, we sold rela- for so many years. belongings in it, then walk all the way back tively few paperbacks all weekend long, which We found out about it almost by accident inside for the art show. So I ended up taking was remarkable compared to how many hard- when doing a random online search. The de- everything in with me and putting it in the covers moved. scription made it look like a good market for checked-bags area while I got some of the When the doors closed and it was time to books, and since it was the weekend right after refreshments, including one of the load out, we assembled our whole team and Archon, we’d be able to use the same merchan- mini-cheesecakes. Once I probably would’ve secured a flatbed cart. I brought in the t-shirt dise, making it look like an even better deal. taken one of each variety, but now that I have boxes and some other empty boxes that we However, since it was still an unknown, we medical reasons to watch my diet, I restricted didn’t have room for under our tables. However, decided not to go down there until Thursday myself to one and had more of the little chick- we didn’t get as good of a job packing the morning, since load-in didn’t start until Thurs- en bites and the meatballs for protein. t-shirts, because we ended up with a stack that day evening and the drive from Indianapolis Then we headed back over to the hotel for had no place, and I had to scramble to find a isn’t that long. We also decided to use loy- the evening. We had our actual supper, and I place for them. alty-program points to buy our hotel nights, so tried to get a little more writing done before Actually getting loaded went fairly quickly that we didn’t have the expense. As a result, we we turned in for the night. with good help, and I told our friends who were had to split our stay, checking out of one hotel On Saturday we got up early and had the ill to get home safely and rest so they could feel on Sunday morning, then going to the other hotel’s complimentary breakfast. Then we better. For a change, we were not the last people hotel (from a different franchise) Sunday headed over to the convention center to finish to leave, even with talking to the dealers’ room evening after load-out and staying just one setting up properly. In particular, we wanted coordinator about next year’s show. We headed night. to get our signs out, but there were also some back north to my dad’s place, and at first I We hit the road right after breakfast on items of merchandise I wanted to get out. didn’t seem to be doing that badly. But after we Thursday and actually made fairly good time When the doors first opened, things were passed the closed rest area just north of Spring- going down, although the building at the sec- really slow. However, after an hour or so, field, I started getting super sleepy. It was all I ond rest stop was unaccountably closed. I’m traffic really started picking up and we began could do to hold my eyes open part of the time, thinking they had some problem with their getting serious sales. We sold so many hard- and I was extremely glad to pull into the drive- waste treatment facility, because they had a covers that I ran out of hardcover back stock, way and power down. row of porta-potties set up right in front of the and discovered that we didn’t have any second We carried in the essentials and had supper. entrance to the building. copies of things we didn’t already have in first We visited a little with Dad, who decided to I was doing fairly well until we were going level. So when we sold more hardcovers, I had turn in early, and I did some laundry. I also got across Louisville on I-64 to avoid the toll to rearrange the books in the boxes to prevent a little writing done. bridge and get to our hotel. I was very glad to unsightly gaps. On Monday we slept in, and not having to get to the hotel and be able to rest a little. During the afternoon, my feet and knees get up to an alarm was quite welcome. How- However, the room wasn’t going to be ready began to have real problems with my standing ever, I slept so soundly that I didn’t take an until 3PM, so I decided to head over to Sam’s on them for so long. When it got too bad, I’d important prescription until I got up, so I had to Club while my husband waited for the room to sit down to give them some rest, only to be shower first and then eat breakfast. As it turned be ready. pressured to stand up again in a matter of out, it worked out just fine because my dad was When I came back, he had just finished minutes. Finally my feet started cramping to also sleeping in, and delaying breakfast made it checking in. I got a key and started carrying the point I thought I’d literally fall down if I possible for him to join us. stuff into the room. We got it in fairly quickly couldn’t stay seated until they recovered. I Then I did another load of laundry and tried and even had some time to sit around and relax finally texted our friends and asked them to to carry as much as possible of our personal before we needed to go over to the convention come help us before I collapsed completely. belongings back out to the van. Then we had center to start loading in. We managed to get through to the time the lunch and carried out the last few things before We went a little early, which gave me a dealers’ room closed, and then we got back taking off. chance to see just how badly the place had out to the van and drove back to the hotel. At first I didn’t feel all that tired, and was deteriorated since we were last there for Con- After supper, I pulled out our plastic basin and still going well when we crossed the state line. Glomeration in 2016. They’d apparently lost Alexiad December 2019 Page 7 their air conditioner, and had a makeshift one makeshift air conditioner had been left running and then began a longer one. set up by removing one of the emergency overnight, even as the cold front came through However, we did have one definite bright doors, replacing it with a plywood panel with and the temperature dropped thirty degrees. spot in the otherwise miserable day when Joe holes cut in it, and running hose from it to a Worse, it had no thermostatic control, so they and Lisa Major dropped by. Joe and I talked unit set outside. Needless to say, it created a had to send someone out to actually turn it off some about our respective writing projects, region that got the full blast of freezing air, — and it was being disagreeable about turning which is always enjoyable, even if both of us and other areas would probably be hot. off until they completely cut the power. So I just have been struggling with difficulties that have There were also issues with the restrooms. left my coat on for most of the morning, and slowed our progress on them. And I definitely Most notably, the soap and paper towel dis- never did take off my sweatshirt to show off the have a motivation to get back to actually pro- pensers were never refilled, and while there t-shirt I was wearing. ducing finished prose and getting it up on KDP was some liquid soap in bottles on the sinks, again. we were left entirely dependent upon the After the dealers room closed for the night, electric hand driers of questionable reliability. we headed back to the hotel and soaked in the I heard the men’s room was even worse, with hot tub. This time they’d turned the thermostat the handicap-accessible stall out of order. down a little, but it was still quite warm. After At 5PM we finally got our table assign- supper, I took some of our things out to the van ments and were allowed to load in our mer- in order to speed our departure in the morning. chandise. I’d managed to get the van in a Then I turned on our hotspot and paid a couple parking spot right by the front doors, since of forgotten bills, before pulling out my novel- they weren’t letting us use the roll-up door ette and getting back to the struggle of rewrit- (unlike ConGlomeration), so I probably had ing the beginning. the closest possible trip short of parking under On Sunday we had the hotel’s complimen- the awning. I tried to carry everything in as tary breakfast, then loaded out our remaining rapidly as possible, but even with them letting personal belongings and checked out. Then we us run late, I still didn’t have the big gridwall headed back over to the convention center and in when they finally let us know they needed immediately commenced the task of packing to close things for the night. our merchandise. After the extremely poor So we headed back to our hotel to have sales we’d had on Saturday, we saw no reason supper and wind down before going to bed. I to linger. did some writing, and we called it a day. We stopped briefly before lunch, since we On Friday we got up and had the hotel’s weren’t really ready to bring in the boxes for complimentary breakfast. Then we headed the t-shirts. But after lunch I went out and back over to the convention center to finish collected them. We had a few last-minute sales, hauling in the grid wall and get everything set but nothing nearly big enough to close the gap up. I took a number of empty boxes back out to profitable. Once we got the t-shirts boxed to the van, since we had woefully inadequate and the big gridwall down, I started hauling backspace for them all. We actually managed merchandise out. I took the first trip over to to be pretty much set up when the doors open- where we’d parked the van, but it was an ed to the general membership. extremely awkward spot on a slope, so at the However, we had almost no foot traffic to first opportunity I moved the van under the speak of. I did see an old friend from Con- awning to shorten my trips. We weren’t going Glomeration, who made our very first sale of to be coming back, so I really didn’t care any the day. We talked about various things going more whether we were supposed to do that. on in the Louisville area, and how badly the We had some help with the heaviest things, place had gone downhill since ConGlomera- but even so, it was almost dark by the time we tion was held there. got the last items into the van and were ready After the doors closed for the evening, we to head off. I’d heard there was a mess in the headed back to the hotel and got a good soak women’s restroom, so I decided to wait until in their hot tub. It was so steaming hot that I I have a good reason to believe that the heat we got to the other hotel to go to the restroom, couldn’t sit in it the whole time and ended up in the dealers’ room wasn’t working either, which made the final loading a little less fun on the edge, soaking my feet. because it never really warmed up, even after than I would have liked. Then we had supper and struggled with the the makeshift air conditioner was turned off and The drive up to the hotel proved longer than hotel’s Internet, which had suddenly turned blocked off. Some heat filtered in from the I’d expected, and I was very glad that this was flaky on us. We were pretty sure it was their atrium through the open doors, but it never a fancier hotel which had restrooms in the gateway giving them problems, and nothing really warmed the place up. I certainly would lobby. Once we were checked in, I got our would be fixed until it was properly reset. I not have wanted to be in there in really cold critical belongings into our room and we set- finally gave up and pulled out a novelette I’d weather. tled in for the night. It was a really nice room, originally written for an anthology since I’d been told that sales would pick up on but the controls for the motorized roller blinds canceled and set to rewriting it for indie publi- Saturday, and they did — but that was only in defeated us and we finally had to call the front cation. comparison to the paltry performance of Friday. desk and get help lowering the blackout curtain On Saturday we had the hotel’s compli- By mid-afternoon it was becoming increasingly so we’d have darkness when we turned in for mentary breakfast, this time with bacon, and obvious that this convention had been a big the night. It was a bit embarrassing, but he was headed back to the convention center. When mistake and we’d be lucky to break even, and really nice about it. we walked into the dealers’ room, the place that with our expenses reduced to the bare On Monday we got up and had the break- was like a walk-in refrigerator (and I know minimum by spending points instead of money fast, which might not have been as fancy as whereof I speak, having way too much experi- on our hotel stay. I had so little to do that I one place where we’ve stayed, but was cer- ence retrieving stuff from walk-in refrigerators ended up finishing reading an e-book I’d prom- tainly very nice. Then it was time to carry our while working fast food). Apparently the ised to review, read two other, shorter e-books, belongings back out and hit the road. Because Page 8 December 2019 Alexiad

I’d carried in only the absolute essentials, we NASFiC minister. And the prime minister spake and said were able to be on the road by 10AM, and we unto Winston, Art thou that Winston, which art made good time on the road home. We did 2020 of the children of Marlborough, whom the king have an annoyance at one rest stop when an Columbus, Ohio George made master of the ships? idiot in a giant motor home parked on the car August 20-23, 2020 side of the parking lot instead of with the http://columbus2020nasfic.org I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of God trucks, but it was just an aggravation and we is in thee, and that light and understanding and were soon on our way. AFTER MUNICH excellent wisdom is found in thee. We ate lunch as we were approaching Indianapolis, and actually pulled into our Neville the prime minister made a great feast to And now the wise men, the pollsters, have driveway a little after 1PM. I was able to carry his cabinet, and drank wine before the ministers. been brought in before me, that they should all our personal belongings into the house, and read this writing, and make known unto me the even made a start on putting things back in They drank wine, and praised the words which interpretation thereof: but they could not shew order before we took off for that evening’s were on the paper that Hitler had signed. the interpretation of the thing: free community meal. On the whole, it was a disappointing convention, brightened by the In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make happy reunions with old friends. hand, and wrote over against the candlestick interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if upon the plaister of the wall of Number Ten: thou canst read the writing, and make known to WORLDCON BIDS and the prime minister saw the part of the hand me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be that wrote. clothed with scarlet, and have a collar of office 2022 about thy neck, and shalt be the second ruler in Chicago ÂÙ¯ÒÈÔ ˙˜Ï Óð‡ Óð‡ the kingdom. Mid-August — Labor Day Weekend https://chicagoworldconbid.org/ Then the prime minister’s countenance was Then Winston answered and said before the changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that prime minister, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and 2023 the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the Chengdu smote one against another. writing unto the prime minister, and make August, 2023 known to him the interpretation. http://www.worldconinchina.com/index-e.html The prime minister cried aloud to bring in the pollsters, the journalists, and the columnists. O thou prime minister, the most high God gave Memphis, Tennessee And the prime minister spake, and said to the England a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, August 23-27, 2023 wise men of England, Whosoever shall read this and honour: https://www.memphis23.org/ writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a collar And thou the prime minister, O Neville, hast Nice, France of office about his neck, and shall be the second not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest August 2-6, 2023 ruler in the kingdom. all this; http://worldconinfrance.org/en/ Then came in all the prime minister’s wise men: But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of New Orleans but they could not read the writing, nor make heaven; (On hiatus) known to the prime minister the interpretation thereof. Then was the part of the hand sent from him; 2024 and this writing was written. Glasgow Then was prime minister Neville greatly trou- August 8-12, 2014 bled, and his countenance was changed in him, And this is the writing that was written, http://glasgow2024.org/ and his lords were astonished. MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. 2025 Now the king, by reason of the words of the This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; Seattle prime minister and his cabinet, came into the God hath numbered thy government, and Mid-August 2025 banquet house: and the king spake and said, O finished it. Neville, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trou- Perth, Australia ble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and (On hiatus) art found wanting. There is a man in my kingdom, in whom is the WORLDCON spirit of God; and in the days of thy father light PERES; Thy government is divided, and given and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom to the Angry Young Men and Labourites. 2020 of God, was found in him; whom the king ConNZealand George my father, the king, I say, my father, Then commanded Neville, and they clothed Wellington, New Zealand made first lord of the ships: Winston with scarlet, and put a collar of office July 29-August 2, 2020 about his neck, and made a proclamation http://ConNZealand.nz/ Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowl- concerning him, that he should be the first lord edge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, of the ships of the kingdom. 2021 and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving DisCon III of doubts, were found in the same Winston, And Hitler the German assailed the kingdom, Washington, D.C. whom the king named first lord: now let being about twoscore and ten years old. August 25-29, 2021 Winston be called, and he will shew the inter- http://discon3.org/ pretation. (For Sikandar Kemal Pasha) Then was Winston brought in before the prime Alexiad December 2019 Page 9

the USA, the Nebula and Dragon awards avoid thing they did was perfect) and 2) Letters, we get letters the problem of cancel culture and toxic tweet- Angsty resistance works (those in ers. power collaborate but people like us resist). The authors don’t do From: Joy V. Smith October 20, 2019 the background-building to make 8925 Selph Road, Lakeland, FL 33810- such a result possible. 0341 USA [email protected] November 18, 2019 http://www.joyvsmith.com/ Joe has been kind enough to comment on Thanks for the reviews, articles, and info. I my books and asked me to write on ‘something see that “Artificial Condition” won a Hugo for that interests me’. Best Novella. (I did put it on my Amazon wish A dangerous request as many things interest list and have read it. I’m working my way me! through the murderbot series.) I wish I could see I could write about the frighteningly frac- Good Omens on Amazon Prime! tured politics that has infected the United From: Dale Speirs October 17, 2019 Speaking of the Coast Guard, I enjoyed States and the United Kingdom, the country of Calgary, Alberta, CANADA Polar Melt, which is an exciting science fiction my birth. [email protected] thriller focusing on the Coast Guard and giving That might be a little too controversial for them credit for all the great things they do my first writings here! Re: comments about the decline of apas without the publicity other branches get. (Inter- I could write about my adopted homeland and zines. Ruinous postal rates don’t help esting the rivalry between them and the Navy which is New Zealand. either. For me to send anything to the USA at Seals too.) Lots of military background, melting Now this is a subject that could be written the lowest increment of postage (up to 30 ice, the Russians, and The Object on the ocean about with passion for ‘God’s own country’ is grammes weight) will cost $1.27. Interna- floor. truly a beautiful place. tional mail is completely out of the question, Where else could you spend the morning as the first increment is now $2.56. Domestic I hope the Coast Guard has skiing down an active volcano and the after- postage is 90 cents. Each January, Canada replaced the Polar Star by the noon sunning yourself on a beach fringed with Post jacks up the rates by 5 cents in each time of the novel. verdant bush? category for the first increment. They now — JTM Perhaps for later if Joe wishes. consider themselves a parcels and advertising So let me try one thing that links to my business. The High Tech article re: WWII, baselines, books. There still are fan-run conventions. Cal- etc. was interesting. And thanks to Sue Burke It’s a game. gary’s annual readercon When Words Collide for her WorldCon report. And the awards lists A game we all play and a game all authors is capped at 750 members plus volunteers and help keep me up to date so I can recognize a few must play and a game I’ve been playing since guests, so say about 1,000 attending. A good names... early childhood, as far back as I can remember. time is had by all. (Details at Letters: I’m sorry that Joseph’s anecdote It’s a game called ‘What if’? www.whenwordscollide.org) about voting in Australia wasn’t true, but I so It can be simple. When my zine OPUNTIA was print-only, enjoyed it! And I loved the yard sale sign: What if I turned left at the lights instead of the mailing list was just under 100. Now it is right’? a pdf zine available at either It can be poignant. www.efanzines.com or www.fanac.org. The Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya. ‘What if I never broke up with my first former site has a log of zine downloads at There is a yardsale on Rufer Avenue with girlfriend’? www.ftldesign.com/logs/efanzines. I note that great cheap stuff. It can be grandiose. OPUNTIA now gets a hundred or more down- Prepare to buy! ‘What if I was President’? loads per week. Unfortunately I only have A fun game for young and old that requires one regular loccer, and if Lloyd Penney is run no assembly instructions and no batteries. over by a bus, I’ll be out of luck. But at least Fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing this; I just And it’s a game that I play twice in my I know people are reading me, even if they shared it on Faceabook, btw books for I ask two ‘’what if’s’‘. don’t loc. First I ask, ‘what if a part of Republican From: Hugh Lupus November 1, 2019 Spain was still in existence as WW2 began’? If Lloyd is eaten by a bear, Then ‘What if ships ,especially warships most of us will be out of luck. Thanks for the review. had personalities, could think and talk amongst — JTM You are right I do write in short paragraphs themselves’. and no, there is no way that my books are a And then the game really begins. The Fanac site, for those not aware of it, ‘Germany uber alles’ series. How do the ships see WW2? has thousands of fanzines from the 1930s to Individual Nazis can be noble as in Heine’s How much is this WW2 different….and date. A boon to fanhistorians. The Efanzines ‘Le enfant perdu’ if you know that poem, but why? site has an automatic email notification ser- the cause that they fought for is wrong. See how much fun it is? vice to let you know about new zines up- Besides which Germany taking on the USA, And anyone can play……like this. loaded there. USSR and B.E. and winning is not plausible to What if Lee Harvey Oswald missed? My advice to Worldcon committees is to say the least! What if the Trent affair goes Hot? just get it over with and rename the Hugo So thanks again and look out for book 5 What if Lord North is replaced? Awards as the Politically Correct Awards. To which is due out in the new year. The game does not have to be long, it does- be honest, I don’t see the problem. Canada’s n’t even have to be written down as your mind science fiction awards use thematic names, Nazis-win novels tend to fall has no boundaries and the only limitation is such as the Aurora (anglophone), Borealis into one of two classifications: 1) your imagination! (francophone), and Sunburst (juried). Even in Wehraboo fanboy works (every- I play the game every waking hour and at Page 10 December 2019 Alexiad my work-desk is a note book to write down believe the piece of schiff who strung them sufficient property (as could women). When my dreams…. for there are two parts to me, along all those years had anything to do with the property requirements disappeared, so did their the [very] untrained writer and the engineer original crime. I also suspect that Buchanan rights to vote. who has spent over forty years ensuring that was right. Some kidnappings do end up in when you fly home for Thanksgiving, you fly long-term prisoners, but I think most are mur- Democracy in action (there is a safely. dered fairly soon. space after “in”, note). So there are two parts to me….like this. Another similar case to the ones you men- — JTM My name is Hugh Lupus, I’m an engineer tion is that of Leslie Ann Downey, who went to and I write. visit a fair in Liverpool and met a nice couple That was certainly an interesting yard sale ‘Part has failed inspection for the follow- named Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. When sign reported by Lisa. I’m sad to say that I ing reasons.’ Leslie wanted to go home after a nice visit, she never saw either commercial. In 1460, a I write of costings, times and laws . discovered how unfriendly they could be. They woman on the throne of England would be I write e-mails, many, many e-mails. even took pictures of standing on her grave on Margaret of Anjou, wife of Henry VI, though I write on forms blue, green and red. the moor — which proved very handy at their it would have to have been early in the year, My name is Hugh Lupus, I’m an engineer trial. before Edward of March and the Nevilles came and I write. back from Calais during the Wars of the Roses. I write for food and family, for hearth and And in spite of that, people like for home. Lord Pornford (anti-pornography From: Robert S. Kennedy Nov. 17, 2019 I write because I must. activist Frank Pakenham, Earl of 5301 East Warm Springs Avenue, Apt. My name is Hugh Lupus, I’m an author Longford) gave Hindley sympathy B306, Boise, ID 83716-6205 USA and I write. and support and called for her re- [email protected] ‘And on the waters the flames burned and lease. burned’. My thanks for Vol. 18 No. 5 (October I write of war, hurts, life and loss. German espionage by 1944 was wretched, 2019, Whole Number 107). I write of men, many, many men. though according to Cornelius Ryan they did One of the recent trips here was to the Bas- I write of ships, grey, black and red. know the Allied radio signals to the French que Museum and Boarding House. Very My name is Hugh Lupus, I’m an author resistance for Overlord. An excellent movie on interesting. There are a lot of Basques here and and I write. this subject is 48 Hours, starring James Garner the Mayor is Basque. After the tour we went I write for sanity and health, for joy and as an American intelligence officer taken by the across the street to an excellent restaurant for for fun. Germans when he goes to meet a contact in lunch where I had a first-rate tuna sandwich. I write because I must. Lisbon. They then use psychological tricks to Not taking part in the HUGO’s anymore Joe has rightly commented that I write in get the location, beach names, planned date, and there was only one award that was of interest. an unusual manner; he is right, I do and that is units. But then he figures out what happened I was pleased to see that The Good Place: the ‘engineer’ Hugh who has written too many and fakes them out, helped by the fact that the “Janet(s)” won Best Dramatic Presentation, reports over too many years, but the ‘author’ actual planned date (the movie was very well Short Form. I thoroughly enjoy The Good Hugh has his part also and both must share the researched) was June 5. Place. But it’s about time for it to come to an blame! An interesting aspect of the movie is his end. So I leave you with my favourite game, try encounter with a German militiaman played by Sue Burke: Thank you for the 2019 World- it, you might like it…..and you never know John Banner, prefiguring Sergeant Schultz of con report. Being ¼ Irish I would like to have you might get a book or two out of it! Hogan’s Heroes. gone to it. Finances and not being able to be Stanek’s study of Hitler’s career was obvi- on a plane for the necessary time to get to This writing thing can get ously well researched. As one who has read a Dublin made it impossible to attend. I’m glad dangerous. And here is someone great deal on the history of the period, I found it to know that it was an enjoyable experience. I from the founts that scientific- very comprehensive and accurate. He mentions went to the BBC site you indicated and enjoyed tion sprung from. Thanks and some very obscure attempts on Hitler’s life. It’s it. If he’s correct then we all are not here. ( welcome. still amusing that in his later Vienna days, he Timothy Lane: I quite agree that there are — JTM relied on selling small watercolors — mostly to conspiracies. I disagree with your comment Jews. about no White Slaves in the colonies. There From: Timothy Lane November 3, 2019 It’s nice to see that a couple of the Retro- were White Slaves in the colonies prior to and [email protected] Hugos went to a novel and a story I would have during the African Slave Trade. I had two voted for (Conjure Wife and “Mimsy Were the excellent books on the subject that did not Borogoves”). Most of the modern awards went make it here when I moved. They Were White to unfamiliar works, but amazingly the Dragon and They Were Slaves: The Untold History of Best Military SF/F went to one I’ve read and the Enslavement of Whites in Early America by possibly would have voted for, Uncompromis- Michael Hoffman and White Cargo: The For- ing Honor. gotten History of Britain’s White Slaves in It occurs to me, reading George W. Price’s America by Don Jordan and Michael Walsh. letter, that there are two kinds of conspiracy. Your observation about “Slav” and “slave” is Real ones, such as Booth’s conspiracy against well made. I remember many years ago read- Lincoln, are small ones with specific goals ing a statement by Thomas Sowell that that the Belief in a conspiracy like that can certainly be word “slave” was derived from “Slav” who he wrong (JFK probably wasn’t killed by such a said were slaves much longer than Blacks were conspiracy), but generally isn’t inherently in our country. paranoid. On the other hand, large conspiracies to control the world are another matter. Michael A. Hoffman II is a Those are some interesting points about notorious Holocaust Denier. The disappearance of Amy Billig certainly Roger Taney and the Dred Scott decision. As to sounds tragic. I assume there’s no reason to early black voting, in some states blacks with George W. Price: Good comment about Alexiad December 2019 Page 11 the African kings who sold slaves. If repara- There was a pro-run con in slots in the bus station. Their expressions did tions (a misuse of the word in this case) are to Louisville in November, GalaxyCon. not look like they were having fun. Instead be considered for people who were never It was said to have had 25,000 they looked uniformly grim and compulsive. slaves in this country, then the history of attendees. All-weekend tickets That sight reinforced my aversion to gambling. slavery should be covered. (yes, they look at it as “tickets”) Lloyd Daub: Thank you for the mention were $60. The only author guest of the book A Republic If You Can Keep It by was Jody Lynn Nye. Neil Gorsuch. I’ll probably purchase it. Taras Wolansky: I think that the inter- A worldcon in a TARDiS…that’s great idea. breeding between Neanderthals and Homo There’s more than enough rooms to book for as sapiens was massive regardless of the size of long as you need it, plenty of function space, the populations involved. Otherwise how do and with a tweak of wibbly-wobbly time, you all persons with European ancestry have can get to every panel you want to go to…or, Neanderthal DNA? On a somewhat related every panel, and still be back home for work on side issue, the December issue of Discover Monday. I love the fact that the world is hosting Magazine has an interesting article about Worldcons, but it makes it impossible for us to parasites. There are certain louse lineages on afford to go. Now, we are at the point where living people that carry “DNA from the lice even Worldcons held in the US, we can’t go to that lived on Neanderthals and other extinct them. With the abuses of power by US Customs hominins.” “The study also identified lice that and ICE, and the fact that any person with diverged some 2 million years ago—thought non-American citizenship is subject to search, to be parasites that evolved on an even more seizure and imprisonment without explanation distant, as yet unknown hominin relative.” or appeal, we refuse to cross the border. “We think that means we’ll see many more My loc… Yvonne is now firmly re-retired, instances of contact between Neanderthals and although she does talk from time to time about The gamers at the Red Mile modern humans…” Here’s one that should getting another short-term assignment. All of could have gone up sometime and get us all scratching: “More than 430 species the interviews I had yielded nothing for me, but looked at the race. It was like of insects and other parasites live on, in and the resumes continue to stream out. Because of there were two different popula- off people.” ; my work as an editor/proofreader with Amazing tions there with no other connec- Stories magazine, I have done the same work tion than being in the same place. So it looks like the Gnarly Man with two books, Captain Future in Love by At least it made the admission to could have had children. And Allen Steele, and Cold Comfort by Nancy the track free. shared lice, too. Kilpatrick. I am hoping this is my next direction — JTM as far as work and SF goes. * * * * * It’s the middle of the afternoon, the snow is Taras Wolansky has a piece titled “Gender From: Lloyd Penney November 18, 2019 flying outside my window, about a month and the Hugo Awards.” I take no exception to 1706-24 Eva Road, Etobicoke, ON earlier than it usually does. (Can’t tell me cli- what he says, but the title inspires a question: M9C 2B2 CANADA mate change and global warming/cooling does- Why has “gender” largely replaced “sex”? [email protected] n’t exist…) And, my eyes are shutting, as if I Until relatively recently, the biological http://lloydpenney.livejournal.com/ didn’t get about 8 hours of sleep last night. This division between male and female was called is becoming a real concern, but it is mostly from “sex,” while “gender” was almost exclusively Thank you for Alexiad 107. My struggle to the fact that we don’t get enough exercise, and a grammatical term. catch up with things appears to have become we don’t want to go out in the cold. So, I will For example, in Spanish every noun has a regular thing, as I am now quite behind on a wrap up, and see if I can find something more gender, either masculine, requiring the article lot of things. You’d think I’d have more time, strenuous to take up the rest of the day. Thank “el,” or feminine, requiring “la.” This applies but… My quest for employment continues, you for this issue, and we shall see you with the equally to nouns referring to sexless things or but so much in the way of qualifications is next. concepts, such as “el monte” (the mountain), demanded in exchange for a wage far below a “la mesa” (the table), and “el estado” (the wage you could live on, and even with a series And I am having knee problems, state). There seems to be no rule governing of excellent interviews, I have nothing at this which makes me not want to walk, which gender a sexless thing falls into. (And point. So, with the advice of my financial which makes me put on weight. don’t get me started on the gender peculiarities advisor, I have applied for and am receiving — JTM of German.) my federal pension, a pittance, but better than So how did it happen that in English we nothing. I guess I am semi-retired. From: George W. Price November 25, 2019 now commonly speak of “gender” for biologi- Our fanpublishing efforts were not for 4418 N. Monitor Avenue, Chicago, IL cal sex? E.g., there is hardly any more sex naught, but as said, there are no young faneds 60630-3333 USA discrimination; it is all gender discrimination. nipping at our heels. With national awards [email protected] I suspect it has to do with the adoption of the now almost totally focused on professional phrase “having sex.” efforts, even the fan awards, and online fans I October Alexiad: Circa 1940, when I was approaching pu- don’t know getting the attention, I can see our In “Horse News” Lisa describes seeing slot berty and learning about such matters, people own personal fandoms dying. I pray I am machines at a race track, and says, “The ma- never had sex. Leaving aside obscene and wrong. Ditto the fan-run cons; ours here are chines raise my hackles. I cannot help finding vulgar terms, which haven’t changed much, dying, but there is great dissatisfaction with them repulsive and wondering if it is really men and women engaged in sexual intercourse the pro-run cons. Yet, there will soon be good for mental health to sit in this dim lighting (the standard formal phrase), had sexual rela- pro-run con attendees who will never have and focus on mere machines.” tions, made love, went to bed together, and suspected that their predecessors actually ran Right on! Back in 1954 I stayed overnight in slept together. But nobody ever “had sex.” That their own conventions. Have we grown that Reno on my way to the WorldCon in San Fran- locution did not appear until maybe the Sixties old? cisco via Greyhound. I noticed people playing or Seventies. Page 12 December 2019 Alexiad

Why “having sex” came into vogue I do Doc did major revising, but mostly at the discusses some other consider- not know. My guess is that it was due to the beginning of the series. For book publication he ations of that in Heinlein’s Chil- so-called Sexual Revolution — perhaps it not only wrote new stories, he revised dren. Everyone who does not al- seemed to be a more frank and explicit way to “Triplanetary” to make it conform. For instance, ready have a copy should get one discuss the subject without puritanical euphe- Roderick Kinnison is a major character in First from George. misms. Lensman. He is first mentioned (very briefly) in I speculate that as “having sex” became “Triplanetary” — but in the original 1934 * * * * * the common way to denote sexual intercourse, Amazing Stories serial (which I have perused Sue Burke catches me out for suggesting it then seemed more convenient to avoid using but did not read in detail) he is not surnamed that as a compromise on vaccination, the law “sex” in regard to relationships between men Kinnison. That had to change. I presume Doc should allow the parents of an unvaccinated and women other than actual coitus. So chose to fit “Triplanetary” into the first book of child to be sued if their kid infects someone instead we have adopted “gender.” This does the series mainly because it covers the invention else. As she rightly points out, this works only avoid confusion, but still seems very odd to of the inertialess drive. if we know which unvaccinated child caused my ancient ears. the infection. I think that statement of Class-action suits against all anti-vaxxer The way I would put it is: Grant’s applies more to the Skylark parents don’t seem practical. So it looks like “gender” applies to things, “sex” series. we’ll have to go with, at a bare minimum, to people. requiring schools and daycare centers to turn * * * * * away unvaccinated children. More likely, we Lloyd Daub argues that “the real purpose of just have to accept that the right to free exer- prison is neither punishment nor rehabilitation cise of religion has its limits (like all other (although either happening on the side is fine rights), and vaccination must be compulsory with me). The purpose is to protect society from for all children. predators, whether they are violent or not.” Ms. Burke also favors us with an appall- Quite so. Lately we’ve heard a lot of com- ingly long list of unjust disabilities that women plaining about “excessive incarceration.” It has were legally subjected to until very recently. occurred to me that we could easily relieve this: One was that “Female flight attendants Just bring back the lash. Let flogging be the were fired at age 32 or if they got married or standard punishment for most crimes short of put on weight and stopped looking sexy.” Yes, murder or treason. the ending of that is why they are now “flight There would need to be humane limits, of attendants” instead of “stewardesses,” and may course. Use a broad, flat strap that hurts like hell be of either sex. but does not injure — if it draws blood, you’re We can imagine an alternate history in doing it wrong. Maybe use a machine that is which, back around 1930 when airlines were adjustable to hit a big strong man much harder getting started, the operators made a different than a small delicate woman. That needs a lot of choice, and patterned airline service after thought. railroads. They would have cabin service run If this sounds sadistic, just ask yourself by the Pullman Company, with all the atten- which you personally would prefer: horrendous dants being black men called “air porters.” And pain that’s over in a few minutes, or being when you got off the plane you tipped them. separated from family, job, and society for When the Civil Rights revolution came along, years. would whites have demanded a chance at those However, flogging has the very serious jobs? Or would it have been considered suffi- drawback that it does nothing to solve Mr. cient if the jobs were opened up to black Daub’s problem: how to keep predators sepa- women? rated from society. I have thought that if feminists wanted to The only answer I have is that after a crimi- memorialize men who inadvertently helped the * * * * * nal has taken enough whippings that we can cause of female equality, the first two monu- Timothy Lane comments on the possibility justly conclude that he isn’t going to reform, he ments should be for James Watt and Samuel that Doc Smith carried the Lensman series must be put away for life. We would still have Colt. farther than he originally intended. Tim says, prisons, but they would hold only those con- James Watt made the steam engine practi- “Grant noted similarly that after a certain victed of murder or other really atrocious cal, kicking off the Industrial Revolution. point, each Lensman book could have ended crimes, and “habitual criminals” who have Steam power enabled women to operate pro- the series.” shown that flogging hasn’t taught them any- duction machinery without needing much No, in this case we have Doc’s own word thing. physical strength. A woman could run a pow- that from the start he planned the entire series, Of course, if we are willing to have the ered loom just as well as a man could. This Galactic Patrol through Children of the Lens. death penalty, we could do without prisons made it much easier for women to earn enough In his essay “The Epic of Space” in Lloyd entirely. The most atrocious crimes would be to be fully self-supporting, and therefore much Eshbach’s 1947 book Of Worlds Beyond [still punished by death on the first offense (so there less dependent on men. available from Advent; visit adventpub.com, wouldn’t ever be a second offense), and habitual Samuel Colt’s invention of the revolver or contact me], Doc explicitly said that in criminals would be executed after several flog- (replacing big and clumsy single-shot muzzle- order to make it plausible that Kimball gings proved ineffectual. That seems a bit loading pistols) made it much more practical Kinnison would willingly go into the hyper- extreme, and I suspect that most of those who for a woman to fight off a man without having spatial tube at the grand climax in Children of complain about excessive incarceration would to match male size and strength. The “equal- the Lens, he planted seemingly minor informa- not be enthusiastic about such an alternative. izer,” as it was aptly called, thus made women tion in the earlier stories. I presume he meant far less dependent on male protectors. the well-known rule that “A Lensman always Hence, the floggings in Starship Ms. Burke concludes, “The past was a goes in.” Troopers (1959; NHOL G.140). I different country. It had Forbidden Zones.” So Alexiad December 2019 Page 13 it did. And getting rid of those zones has by – but our tour guide delivered a few stories not interested in ‘incentivizing’ their employ- and large been a very good thing. about Tom Crean. For those of you who weren’t ees to participate. Such groups depend on a However, even very good things can be on the tour bus, Crean was a heroic Antarctic dynamic executive director, and we could not carried too far. I can think of at least one job explorer in the early 1900s who later retired to hire one. All SF groups also depend on a where excluding women still makes very good run a pub in his native County Kerry. dynamic leader. So do political parties and sense. That is combat infantry. organized religions. I won’t try to defend that assertion now, http://www.southpoleinn.com/ but I will say that my reasons have nothing to See An Unsung Hero: Tom And the dynamic leader is dis- do with women lacking courage or fighting Crean — Antarctic Survivor (2000, liked for being “bossy”. spirit, and much to do with both physical 2009: reviewed in Alexiad V. 1 #4) strength and avoiding radical changes in our by Michael Smith. customs of sexual modesty. If anyone wants me to enlarge on that, I will be glad to, but for Speaking of Worldcon, it was a pleasure to now this letter is already long enough. meet you, Taras Wolansky. Joe also asks if there’s been a paradigm shift For relevant discussion on the that has rendered fanzines irrelevant. I know problem of women in combat that a paradigm shift has meant that many of the arms, read Martin van Creveld’s publishing skills of my youth will never get me Pussycats: Why the Rest Keeps paid work again. For that matter, my husband’s Beating the West (2016). computer skills are constantly outdated. As —JTM Wonderland’s Red Queen said, “it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.” From: Sue Burke November 29, 2019 Or, as Barry N. Malzberg wrote in the 5415 N. Sheridan Road, Apt. 1711, 1980s, “The effects of a changed technology Chicago, IL 60640-1971 upon us will be more profound on us than [email protected] change brought about by psychological or social sueburke.site pressure. … Lasting, significant change, sci- semiosispax.com ence fiction says, is uncontrollable and coming in uncontrollably; regardless of what we think Lisa, you were brave to face not just spi- or how we feel, we have lost control of our ders but your regret for hunting down a spider. lives.” They don’t intend to be our adversaries, and Nonetheless, I go on living, and these last they’re hopelessly outgunned, poor things. As two months have been busy. I launched a novel, for finding something Spanish, ceramics was am rewriting (for the seventh time!) another a good choice. I brought some home with me novel, had minor surgery to release a “trigger from Spain and display them in my new home thumb,” attended Windycon and had a grand proudly – and with a touch of homesickness. time, and I got laryngitis and couldn’t talk for Lloyd Daub, thank you for buying my two days, which amused my husband far too book, and I hope you enjoy it. In a previous much. issue, it was mentioned that Semiosis has been Best wishes to all for the season and the referred to as Symbiosis, an understandable coming year. We’re about to find ourselves one- error. Recently, I’ve seen Interference called fifth into the 21st century. I’m not sure how I Indifference, which is harder to appreciate. imagined it would be, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t think it would be like whatever this is. That sounds like Randall Gar- Anyway, I suspect that SF will be back rett’s SF/Gilbert&Sullivan par- From: Lloyd Daub November 29, 2019 once a dynamo shows up. The field has had ody, “I’ve Got a Little List” 6535 W. English Meadows Drive D205, these slumps before. It’s social climate change (F&SF, November 1953), where Greenfield, WI 53220-3995 USA [smile]. he discussed certain obsessions [email protected] Buying and Not Buying: Lisa, I have seen of SF writers. He labeled Theo- the Q&A section of many manufactured prod- dore Sturgeon as being obsessed Hectic times here too. Not helped by eye- ucts on Amazon dot com, and often someone with “synergy” when “syzygy” strain from too much computer time. So will ask about country of origin. They get an would have been more appropri- Alexiad and LOCing were delayed to near the answer. I assume a CTRL-F on any product ate, though either term could deadline [smile]. web page will help you see if China is men- have been said to apply. Reviewer’s Notes: I hear you on the diffi- tioned. culties of getting people to meet. My profes- George Price LOC: Thank you for the I’m not afraid of most spiders, sional library organization went belly-up be- reminder about Doc Smith not quite getting the so I can’t claim bravery for facing cause we were a paper-pencil group in a science of his coldbloods right. I guess the one. I killed the black widow dot-something climate. And even our efforts to solution for an author is to be as non-scientific without risking getting close to join the 20th Century and meet by speaker as possible. Not un-scientific, non-scientific. her. I actually have a certain phone failed to get a quorum. This despite the Avoid it. Like the notes I heard of once on a fondness for the little critters and fact that the primary purpose of the thing was to Star Trek script, where the screenwriters’ find them interesting. be the continuing education provider for Mar- careful series of orders to turn the Enterprise — LTM quette University Library, UW-Milwaukee around were struck out, and “Reverse course!” Library, and the Milwaukee Public Library. substituted. I think in my own writings I only Joe asks if we visited the South Pole Inn The group could not get people on the board of mention the environmental needs of the cold- while we were in Ireland. Alas, no, we didn’t directors, or on committees, or to attend the CE bloods, not the details. But now I will double have time – we visited nearby Dingle instead sessions. The giant libraries funding us were check. Page 14 December 2019 Alexiad

The “careful series of orders” didn’t attend. (I’ve boycotted the Hugo cere- firearms and other goods. was, I understand, two pages of mony since the Two Hours Hate in 2015.) dialogue. Stopping the action for “I wanted to get a wristband for the Hugo George W. Price: See comments to Tim that would have been realistic awards, but the queue was enormous and lo- Lane on the African slave trade. If a captain but not dramatic. cated outside … during a cold, windy had fighting men but no cash, staging a slave — JTM rainstorm”. An example of the way the Dublin raid of his own might be a (risky) way to raise concom consulted its own convenience, not the the necessary capital to get started in the slave Deadline met. Until next time, good members’. They also made people who bought trade for real. health to all involved with Alexiad. food in the main hall eat outside. “Should ... [slavery] reparations be paid by I stood in line outside several times, picking the descendants of those African kings who From: Taras Wolansky December 1, 2019 up wristbands for friends when practicable. It actually captured and sold the slaves?” When Post Office Box 698, Kerhonkson, NY wasn’t always raining, but it was always cold. Pres. Clinton visited Africa and apologized for 12446-0698 USA I caught academic GOH Jocelyn Bell the slave trade, the local leader schooled him [email protected] Burnell on one panel in the overflow venue, a on the subject, pointing out there was plenty of multiplex located above the vast, echoing spaces guilt on both sides of the Atlantic. Thank you for the October 2019 issue. of what appeared to be an aborted shopping Sue Burke: Due to my improvident habit I was going to write something about the mall. This was about a half hour’s walk from of writing my Alexiad loc at the last possible various conventions I have attended recently the convention center. If you didn’t want to moment before the deadline — it’s past 5 AM but, as usual, the time got away from me, and walk, the convention was happy to direct you to as I write this — I will probably have to post- I’m doing my loc at the last minute. the tram station. Where you could buy your own pone a detailed response to your comments One thing I’ll mention briefly is that, for tickets, which were not covered by your mem- about putative legal privileges of men in the the last two Capclaves, I’ve been affably bership. U.S. circa 1970. crossing swords with James Morrow. The panel itself reminded me of a late night A general observation would be that the This year, I was attending one of his pan- TV commercial. “Diversity hiring in STEM is absence of a special protection or quota for els, when I pointed out how odd it is that we wonderful, Fred!” “No, no, Bill. Diversity women does not constitute a legal privilege for go on talking so much about how Galileo was hiring in STEM is super wonderful!” If I’d had men. The reasoning here seems to resemble placed under house arrest by the Catholic the chance, I would have told them it’s not 1955 the assertion one sometimes hears, that the Church 400 years ago. Yet thousands of any more. Institutions are leaning over back- absence of a racial quota constitutes racial biologists were persecuted, some to death, a wards to hire women and minorities, with the discrimination. little over 80 years ago by Communists in the inevitable effect that “diversity hire” has be- I might also mention that I know with Soviet Union (because Darwinism is incom- come a euphemism for “second rate”. absolute certainly that Columbia University patible with Marxism). After the panel, I I actually did make a one-word contribution accepted women in 1970 — because a bunch of overheard Morrow checking with another to the panel. One of the panelists was talking them lived on my floor in Carman Hall, the panelist the name of one of the martyred about research which showed women would freshman dorm. If I remember correctly, they Darwinists. Perhaps I opened his eyes a little apply for a position if they met one hundred were in the engineering school. However, if bit. percent of the posted requirements, while men Columbia had not accepted women, that would would if they met twenty percent. “Sixty”, I still not constitute a legal privilege for men. interjected. (I had read about the research, too.) “Sixty”, the panelist corrected herself. I remember reading a commen- Review of Douglas Preston’s The Lost City tary on Marilyn French’s The of the Monkey God: “Preston discusses in Women’s Room (1977). One of the detail of the immunological problem. … The points she raises as proof that indigenous population [of Mesoamerica] suf- women were marginalized at Har- fered over 90% death rates.” vard was that the women’s Preston treads very delicately on this point, restroom was in the basement, I recall. It’s dangerous to your career to write and she goes on about how ignored anything that seems intended to reduce white that made them. The commenta- guilt. That Native Americans were merely tor had been there at the same paying the price for thousands of years of isola- time and could confirm that the tion from the plagues of the Old World is not women’s room was in the base- “useful” history. ment. Next to the men’s room. The bit where Troifim Deniso- Tim Lane: According to Wikipedia, blacks The toilets were a later addition vich (i.e., Lysenko) ended a with property never lost the right to vote in New to the facilities. speech on his theories by saying York State, as they did, for a couple of decades it had been approved by the Cen- before the Civil War, in the more culturally AL du Pisani: I didn’t get very far into it, tral Committee of the Party, and southern states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. but Rebecca Roanhorse’s Hugo-nominated the formerly skeptical biologists Snopes quotes a historian, indicating that novel struck me as rather like a below-average responded with tumultuous ap- George Price was right to say that the vast entry in Patricia Briggs’ “Mercy Thompson” plause, says a lot about the rela- majority but not all African slaves were pur- series. Now, if Briggs’ name were Little- tionship between science and the chased from Africans: feather ... Soviet State. Review of Andrew Stanek’s How to Kill Some independent slave merchants did Hitler: A Guide for Time Travelers: “Reading Sue Burke (Dublin WorldCon report): in fact stage raids on unprotected Afri- this book would make one think we live in a “The auditorium held only 2,000, so events can villages and kidnap and enslave very low-probability timeline, given the inhu- there required wristbands to get in”. From Africans. Most professional slave trad- man luck with which the Führer escaped death what I saw, the wristbands turned out to be a ers, however, set up bases along the time and again.” waste of time, as there were plenty of empty west African coast where they purchased In J.R. Dunn’s Days of Cain (1997), the seats. Except for the Hugos, I think, which I slaves from Africans in exchange for time police are kept busy foiling attempts on Alexiad December 2019 Page 15

Hitler’s life. Dunn’s argument is that the by South Africa, but that is another story. The We have Commission of Enquiry upon memory of the Holocaust will reverberate next major upset was when England eliminated Commission of Enquiry, where a lot of malfea- down the ages, preventing similar events in New Zealand, setting up a final against South sance in state owned enterprises have been the future. I suspect he is being over-optimis- Africa. See, South Africa had been winning all documented. One person has had criminal tic. of their matches after the initial loss, although charges brought against them so far – we are not playing spectacular Rugby. expecting a lot more. I would think that you of all Up to the final, I had been watching snippets But the big black hole of state-owned people would remember the of matches, at work, because the tournament enterprises has been Eskom. Eskom has a new Holodmor. was only broadcast on pay TV. With the na- CEO – a white guy approached after 27 black — JTM tional team reaching the final, the cash strapped guys reportedly said no. I know a guy working SABC managed to negotiate a deal by which for Eskom – And he says that the only way Rodford Edmiston (“The Joy of High they could broadcast the final, and so I could forward is going to require loadshedding – Tech”): Audio aircraft detectors (in World watch it. Working power stations will have to be shut War II) are something I never heard of before. England went into the match the favorites. down so that deferred maintenance can be “The [Yellowstone] region is slowly And they had some bad luck, such as when one done. Selling that is going to be a big deal. returning to the way it was before Europeans of their players was involved in an accidental There is also other issues – South Africa found it.” But not the way it was before Na- encounter with another England player, and had has been in drought for the last couple of years. tive Americans found it? I guess that’s impos- to retire hurt, in the first two minutes of the The position in the Western Cape is much sible, until we learn how to clone extinct match. But the South African defense was rock better. In the Northern Cape, on my mother’s mammals. solid, and they could not break through. This farm, they have not had more than 5 mm of was shown late in the first half, where England rain this year. After last year, where they also From: AL du Pisani December 2, 2019 went on the attack near the South African goal had significantly less rain than normal. The 945 Grand Prix Street, Weltevreden- line, managed an incredible 25 phases of play, government has announced drought aid some park 1709, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH and in the end could only force a penalty, scor- time ago, but none of the money has reached AFRICA ing three points. the farmers so far – it is suspected to have been [email protected] It looked as if this games was going to stolen by government employees. follow the two previous finals where South I have started work on a new project at South Africa partake of the three main Africa was involved – All points will be scored work, making use of new tools and develop- sporting World Cups – Football (Soccer), by kicking penalties. And then South Africa ment environments. It is nice learning new Cricket and Rugby. We have no hope in managed to score a try. (Which was not ruled things. It can be enormously frustrating to read Soccer – Rarely get into the tournament, and invalid – that happened on a previous occasion.) the same twenty pages of help, which does not never got out of the pool stages, as far as I can At that stage South Africa was reasonably well describe your issue exactly, nor have a possible remember. In Cricket, we have a record that ahead. And then they scored another try – I solution which seems to fit in with what and we will get out of the pool stages, but will get could see how the guy that received the ball how you are doing things, but which is still the eliminated in the knockout stages, usually in could see that he was in trouble with a couple of only help you have found. And it can be glori- some memorable way. As far as I can remem- England defenders closing in, look around and ous if you get something working as you want. ber, the best we scored was third. see that he is without support, and then trying I am tired, and looking forward to my year And then there is the Rugby World Cup. his luck, and scoring. end holiday – I plan to meet up with most of The problem, as I overheard at work, is that That put the match out of reach for England my family, and relax. sometimes we win it. So you tend to be – but it was still a shock when the cameras turn- I hope that you are well, and can always overoptimistic, just to watch it all crumble, ed away from the match for a moment, to show find something new to read. like the time that we got beaten by Japan. the engraver as he finished inscribing South Never got out of the pool stages, that year. Africa’s name on the trophy. Not hubris, as the Coincidentally, I also plan to This year we had a decent team, but my match ended a couple of minutes later without meet up with some of my family more experienced Rugby watching friends the score changing. for this year-end holiday. They noted, not an outstanding team. And we lost In some ways I feel this is a bigger result are very thick on the ground the initial match – a bad omen, as so far, no than 1995, but I also fear that it may be the last around my birthplace. team who lost a match in the pool stages had time I’ll see a South African team winning a — JTM ever won the tournament. It was against New World Cup. Zealand, a country which tends to produce The big governmental entities are still in bad consistently good teams. I was also informed shape – The SABC had to choose between WAHF: much later, that we had been suffering from paying their employees or suppliers earlier this Martin Morse Wooster, with various bad refereeing. A comment I would usually year, and are still in line for a large loss, beg- items of interest. take as sour grapes, if it were not that it was a ging for a government handout. (They paid the Cathy Palmer-Lister, with thanks. consistent issue in the early matches, so much employees, and the government is not inter- so that an official inquiry into refereeing was ested.) announced. SAA has not had a profitable year since And, as my friend noted, New Zealand 2006. They recently had a strike where person- tend to benefit much more often from bad nel was demanding an 8% increase, when the refereeing calls, so much so that he claims that organization offered 5.9% - As far as I can see New Zealand are always playing on the out- it ended in humiliation for the unions, as they right illegal edge, and not the more benign had to accept the 5.9%. But it allowed the dubious edge. minister for Public Enterprises to announce that Anyway, the tournament continued, with the government was not going to give SAA some major surprises – Such as when Japan another handout, and is in fact thinking of such beat Ireland, and then became their pool’s top radical restructuring as selling off the national team, advancing into the knockout stages for airline – something inconceivable five years the first time ever. And was then eliminated ago. Page 16 December 2019 Alexiad

Then one of the bats flew down and slamm- ed hard into the side of the convertible. As I Co-Editors: Lisa & Joseph Major FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE faded into darkness I thought, Now he’ll believe Co-Publishers: Joseph & Lisa Major WAY HOME me. Writers, Staff: Major, Joseph, Major, Lisa . . . we were halfway to Tucson, on the edge These bats must have had extraordinary This is issue Whole Number One Hun- of the desert, when the drugs began to take powers, because one of them had turned itself dred and Eight (108). hold. I remember saying something like, “I into a young woman. She was sitting on the Art: What we are mainly looking for is feel a bit lightheaded, maybe you should drive window ledge and the sun was streaming in small fillos. Your fillo will probably be scann- . . .” And suddenly there was a terrible roar behind her. It was far too early for any man to ed in and may be reused, unless you object to all around us and the sky was full of what awaken, much less without some drugs to its reuse. looked like huge bats, all swooping and cushion the shock of being blasted into reality. Contributions: This is not a fictionzine. It screeching and diving around the car, which “Good morning,” she said. “Do you know is intended to be our fanzine, so be interesting. was going about a hundred miles an hour with how to get a bird to notice you, short of being a Material in Alexiad is copyright © 2019. the top up to Tucson. And a voice was crumb? I wonder if they do notice anything All rights reserved. Upon publication, all screaming, “Holy Jesus! What are these except food and eggs. Do they ever take a deep rights revert to the original contributor, but we goddamn animals?” breath for the sheer joy of breathing?” She reserve the right to use any item more than Then it was quiet again. “What the hell dumped the crumbs. once, unless otherwise specified by the contrib- are you yelling about?” my attorney muttered, “I want my attorney,” I said. If I was in utor. All letters sent to Alexiad become the staring out into the rain. We were on the road some little jail in a town in the middle of no- property of the publishers. Any material by the to Tucson where my attorney said he could where I wanted legal representation. editors is available to other fanzines if they score us some truly righteous grass. We had “He’s two rooms over. You two were badly provide proper credit and send a copy. scored $500 in cash back in Phoenix, most of hurt, and all those unpleasant things in the trunk Available for The Usual (letter of comment, which was already spent on extremely danger- were no help. We got rid of them for you.” trade, contribution). Sample issue available ous drugs. The trunk of the car looked like a A day with no drugs!? I had died and gone upon request. Back issues $1; subscription mobile police narcotics lab. to some fascist rural hell. The woman babbled $10/year. Alexiad is also available by email in We had already sampled most of them, on about breakfast, and then got up to go. Adobe Acrobat .pdf format. and now it was time for a long snort of ether. When she was gone I went to the window. There is nothing in the world more helpless It was a typical insane meaningless rural day. and irresponsible and depraved than a man in But then two children flew by. ALEXIAD the depths of an ether binge. I blinked and looked again. Maybe they had c/o Lisa & Joseph Major No point in mentioning those bats, I discarded our drugs because they had some thought. The poor bastard will see them soon substances even more powerful. It might be 1409 Christy Avenue enough. I hit the brakes and aimed the Great worth staying around. And with that I went to Louisville, KY 40204-2040 USA Red Shark toward the shoulder of the high- look for Dr. Gonzo . . . way. — Not by Hunter S. Thompson or Dr. [email protected] Raoul Duke http:/efanzines.com/Alexiad/index.htm