The Fallout Continues or Who Are We Anyway?

 

The April 3^rd meeting started with some dirty jokes, then John went bang, bang, hey shush.  "Oh, that's so nice, thank you."  "Hey, let's talk" yelled Bob.  The first Friday was called to some semblance of disorder at 9:16. 

            "Got any cash" John asked.  "$7,968.65."  "Then what's it doing out of the bank?" 

            "Secretary, is there any old business", said John.  "Ask someone who was there," said Sec Sam laconically.  "I hid out at Lunacon."

            Mike Nelson said there is an election coming up.  One position is left unfilled."  John interrupted.  "Guess which."  "Eric and Michael Walsh are both running for trustee.  My time is up.  I must retire so Steve Smith is running." 

"Continuing the men with fuzzy face theme." Said John

"Bob MacIntosh is running for treasurer.  VP is open.  For president, our own Chuck Divine."  The crowd went wild.  "Sam Lubell is running for secretary."

"We will eventually return the negatives," Mike Walsh promised.

"Elections are on the third Friday in May."  There was then a debate over when that was considering the change was made when there was going to be a Disclave on the first Friday.  John thanked the trustees for work almost well done."

"Careful," said Mike Walsh.  "We could have picked you." 

The entertainment committee notes with sorrow that the Judge threw out the Paula Jones Case.

            Joe announced the once and future con.  He has returned money and notified guests.  He is trying to maintain good relations with the hotel to make sure that everyone's room is canceled.  File 777 will be publishing other people's stories about Disclave so offered me a chance to put in my story (see article elsewhere in this issue.)  Have $800 in the account.  Some has been paid to those owed.  Some money should be passed on to Disclave Next.  In order to sue we would need more money and equipment.  If it went to a jury we'd lose.  The contract wasn't bad but a conventional formula that protected the hotel.  Only in 1987 did the con have the contract I wrote that had protection.  Don't know if had been used in other years (Covert said yes it had.).  This was the only hotel that seemed enthusiastic so didn't press them.  The contract no worse than many.  Few contracts are prosecutable unless have a great deal of money.  Laws on precedent and legislative whim.  Someone was talking about having a wake/commemoration.  My brother's yard is a park.  He said you could work it out with him.   Said Sunday would be good for him.  Joe will pay off remaining debt and give records.

            John asked for a big hand for Joe, a con chair so efficient that he closed the books before the con. 

            Joe said he had to be hospitalized for stress.  I don't advise anyone with a heart condition to run a Disclave.

            Sam Pierce called his convention, Disclave Maybe.  He's considering the scope of the con.  Maybe take the comp memberships from Disclave this year.

            Covert met with the current chairs and gave them information about hotels.  Waiting to see.

            Alexis asked what effect this would have on membership.

            Joe said that everyone has had their membership refunded but are still members.  The rule is to support Disclave.  They tried.  No fault of their own.  So the constitution seems to satisfied.  God! Let's clean the constitution up!  John told him that it is being worked on.

            Elspeth, president of vice, admitted to reading the Internet.  We've received condolences and well wishes.  We should say thank you <Thank you!> One or two offers of help.  Lots of legal wrangling from people who don't know the contract and fans who think they're lawyers.

            "Or lawyers who should be fans." Said John.

            "There are calls for us to put the contract on line."

            "Which we won't.  Rest in Peace" said Joe.

            "Questions over whether it was broken or canceled.  Insurance discussions.  Lots of conventions are saying I didn't know you needed to get insurance."

            Mike asked "What about the one asking us to move to Georgia?"

            "I didn't bring that one.  ASBers are upset at the many being tarred by the few.  An amazing number of fans are connected to this other area.  So some attitudes towards Disclave may be leaking out.  Someone  with writing skills should say we see your points, here's what happened.  There is some discussion over parasites and banning groups.  How can you make rules when some non-fannish activities are long-established.  We have a lot of friends out there and our name recognition is at an all time high."          

            "For all the wrong reasons," said Bob.

            Elspeth added that this is a good time for us to contact friends and get Disclave seen positive.  Use name recognition to show intelligent sense of humor and whatever else we want to convey.

            Lee Gilliland asked if there was an apology from asb.  Elspeth said that there was some from various members.

            Joe said that "before we can say anything we need to decide what Disclave is and what WSFA is about.  Unit recently Disclave was a party for readers and outside activities were outside.  We didn't reserve rooms for outside groups.  We need to decide who we are.  Our sense of mission is lost so we can't say to exclude some activities.  To the hotel we are asb.  If we run a con, we have to control events whether asb or Georgia Baptists that are not in appropriate spirit.  Someone has to figure out what direction we go and what friends have to leave some toys behind.  We need to sit down and think through."

            Eric asked, "What do we have to do so parents of a 13-year-old would allow children to attend Disclave or meetings?"

            Elspeth agreed that we have to do a consolidation.  Don't know how to balance with our feelings of taking advantage of our notoriety.

            Alexis said we don't see many 13 year olds because they say this looks like something my parents would do.  Michael said you don't see 13 year olds at any convention.  Problems with the next generation of fans.  We may be getting good word among fans but it is bad among hotels.  If we do something called Disclave next year, we'll run into problems.

            Chris said we need to set up a few rules.  We shouldn't let asb take over a whole floor.

            Chuck said that he has mixed feelings.  He's not into asb at all because his personal kinks go into different directions.  "I'm concerned because we try to put on a convention on SF and the asb have not I hope prevented our ability to put on a public event, because if so the club will die.  We need new members and its easier with a con in a hotel.  We have to settle what we're about while appealing to a broad group.

            Joe heard from Mike Durier that the last con problem like this was Ozark con.  Everyone was notified but the GOH, Larry Niven who showed up.  We're doing better than this.  <But we haven't reached May 1^st yet, how do you know who'll show?>

            Eric asked if we could put on a one day event.

            Bill Squire asked if it is true that asb got to put on their own convention.  Elspeth said the Black Rose convention at the New Carrolton was successful.

            Sam Pierce said we should solicit opinions about next year.  Don't want to condone any other activities. Likes Joe's idea of limiting reservations to two rooms. 

            Beth said she thinks people need to consider that Disclave is open to public.  We can limit the activities but not the people.  John said that we'll talk.  Sam Lubell called for discussions on the future of Disclave.

            Elspeth was inspired by people concerned that once the hyperbole is gone, people will miss the message.  Parasite is an ugly word but some people enjoy the presence of the con but don't give anything back.  But a group who contributes to the con can still do more.  The third kind are those who have been doing damage to Disclave and WSFA.  People stating that this year's Disclave doesn't matter or that it's  Joe's con.  Joe put together a fine con.  It does matter.  Deciding you don't agree with something is different once the decision was made.  Need for riot act to be read.

            Alexis pointed out that Elspeth's comments included everyone.  Yes, for different reasons.

            "In the immortal words of William Shatner, `Get a Life'" said our president.  "Disclave is a SF convention to the degree that we share a common interest, let's follow that interest.  There is no law that Disclave or WSFA continue.  Not going to have everything perfect.  Fans are anarchistic.  People are going to have fun to the degree that they participate.  Went to read riot act to those who forget that its just a hobby.  A hobby I' want to continue and spend lots of time on."  He let the convention talk continue for those who missed the Maryland meeting.

            Alexis said You asked who we are,  We aren't NESFA, We aren't LASF and thank God we're not the Lunarians.

            Sam Lubell complained that we had totally lost Parliamentary procedure.

            Kathei said she's not sure if this is new business.  When do we decide about doing something at Bill Mayhew's

            Joe:  Sunday, May 3^rd.  Don't invite the world.  WSFANs only.

            John said we can have opening ceremonies here and closing at Bills.  Unless I hear any objection, we'll say this is unanimous.  Shhh.  Hearing none, I arbitrary say we'll spend money on it.

            Elspeth said Sharon Sbarsky asked  about contact information.  What do we use?  Should we have an official contact?

            Joe said we have the contact card.  We use Alexis' address because he's the most stable. 

            Alexis got a cal asking for directions to the meeting.  The caller was confused by his directions because he was calling from Massachusetts. 

            Mike Walsh says he may be printing what Charles Harness says is his masterwork and the Library Journal says that libraries should stock up on the Lensmen.  The Vasser book sale will be June 10-13.  Joe Mayhew had reviews in last Sunday's post.  Ian Gum has cancer again.  Kathei's sister has a book published, Wine of Astonishment by Mary Overton.  Joe and John both recommended it.

            The meeting unanimously adjourned at 10:15. 

 

Attendance: Pres. John Pomeranz, Sec. Samuel Lubell, Treas Bob MacIntosh, Trust. Michael Nelson, Trust Michael Walsh, Trust Eric Jablow, '98 Chair Joe Mayhew, '99 Chair Sam Pierce, 2000 Chair Covert Beach, Chuck Divine, Alexis and Lee Gilliland, Chris Holte, Keith Lynch, George Nelson, Lance Oszko, Kathei Overton, Evan Phillips, Rebecca Prather, George Shaner, Steven Smith, William Squire, Michael Taylor, Beth and Mike Zipser, Ron Kean

 

 

Outside Reviews:

Michael Rogers of the Library Journal  reviewed E.E. Doc Smith's First Lensman and Triplanetary complete with a picture of the cover.  (Although LJ seems to think First Lensman is the first book.)  "These are the first two installations in the six-volume "Lensman" series, considered by many the greatest of the space operas and an inspiration for Star Wars, Star Trek et al.  These Old Earth editions are facsimiles of the 1948 and 1950 originals and feature black-and-white art at the opening of each chapter.  All SF fans eventually get around to Doc Smith's Hugo-nominated series, so libraries should stock up."  Mike Walsh seemed to glow at the last sentence when he read it at WSFA.

 

Mike Walsh also submitted a Publisher's Weekly review of Flanders by Patricia Anthony.  "In Flanders Field, where so many died so horribly during WWI, an American volunteer named Travis Lee Stanhope finds terror, death, forgiveness and, ultimately, an odd sort of salvation.  Anthony (God's Fires), one of speculative fiction's brightest talents, has written a novel of the Great War that is worthy of comparison to Erich Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.  Travis Lee is a wonderfully complex character, a wild boy from Texas who had the brains to win a scholarship to Harvard, a survivor of childhood abuse who hates his alcoholic father but fears he may be turning into him.  Uncomfortable at home and at school, Travis, like many young Americans in 1916 enlists in the British army in search of adventure.  What he finds instead is the monstrous human meatgrinder that is Flanders in northern France.  Few writers have succeeded so well as Anthony in describing the horrors of trench warfare, the mud and disease, the rotting bodies and unending bombardment, the virtually universal madness that turns men into killers and rapists.  Travis Lee is a talented sharpshooter, but as months of terror go by and the number of his kills grows, he begins to see things, at first in his dreams and later on the battle field itself.  Ghost begin to haunt him, unwilling or unable to leave the shell craters and barbed wire where their lives ended.  Told by a battlefield chaplain that he's gifted with the Second Sight, Travis Lee repeatedly finds himself wandering in an unearthly cemetery, a melancholy place that nonetheless hints at the possibility of eternal life.  This is a harrowing and beautiful novel, demonstrating - again - that Anthony is one of our finest writers, in and out of genre."

 

Article for FILE 770

by Joe Mayhew

(Editor's Note:  Joe found out that the fanzine FILE 770 was planning to report on Disclave's problems.  He wrote this article to put forth WSFA's side)

 

      The 1998 Disclave has been canceled; checks refunding all paid memberships have been mailed.  The Holiday Inn, College park, notified me on Thursday, March 19th, that they had canceled their contract with us.  There had been no previous discussion.  It was a bolt out of the blue.

      The contract mostly protected the hotel, with little advantage to the user (us). Because of the weakness of the contract, and the lateness of the cancellation (slightly over a month before the convention), I had to cancel Disclave.  I mailed out the refund checks on Tuesday, March 24th.

      Disclave has had problems.  A recent one, that a major youth soccer tournament was being held over Memorial Day weekend, making it very difficult to find hotel space that weekend. Thus, even if we got a hotel, overflow rooms in other hotels would be virtually unavailable.  Since 1994, Disclave, a modest-size bookish convention, had been repeatedly put into large luxurious hotels with multiple-year contracts.  But such contracts were always canceled after the first year.  The number of rooms taken was not satisfactory, no banquet, few tips, and their hotels were filled with people offensive to their upscale regular customers and staff.  And yet, the elected chairs continued to look for high profile hotels.  Our reputation as a dependable, low- maintenance group was fading.  I guess it finally winked out.

      I presume that, in order to get more rooms taken for our block, the person responsible for coordinating room parties booked an entire floor for an outside (in the sense that their focus was not on science fiction literature) group.  I was told they were the "ASB" and that mean "Alternate Sex Bondage."  During the 1976 convention, I saw people with pink-ended clothespins on their pockets and asked what they were, and was told they were passes to the ASB floor's sideshow.  I was told that there were demonstrations of bondage and other techniques going on. 

      I protested as such events would give Disclave a dirty name.  Disclave chairs are elected three years in advance and should be present at meetings concerning the Disclave.  I was at first told I should attend the 1996 debriefing, but then, not notified when it was scheduled.  Those who did, informed me that WSFA had not met its room block, that the hotel was being very generous to us.  There had been about 625 (including complimentary memberships) at our belly-up convention.  The usual reimbursements of staff expenses, room-nights, etc. were canceled, but WSFA paid its bills.

      The only hotel which responded to WSFA's inquiry for space for our 1997 Disclave was the New Carrolton "Howard Sheraton" which had again been renamed "Ramada."  I was happy we were going back there, as the function space was so huge that it made up for the general shabbiness of the hotel. When I heard that the "ASB" had been invited back and given an entire floor, I protested.  Their presence would scandalize most parents, who would be ill- advised to allow their teen-age SF readers to attend.  The group's behavior might well be illegal, and, because of the omnipresent youth soccer tourney, we needed every room available to the SF readers for whom we had been throwing Disclaves since 1950.

      Few of your readers haven't seen a button, heard a joke, or sang a filk song commemorating the flood-out at the 1997 Disclave. 

      The Ramada wanted WSFA to pay for the damages, but the Ramada's own insurance carrier advised WSFA's President that the damage was not WSFA's responsibility.  WSFA had not contracted the space in which the damage had occurred (A New York City cop had rented the room in which he tried to suspend a woman from the overhead sprinkler system, setting off a fire-response which flooded the floor, put the elevator out of business and cause a middle-of-the-night evacuation of the hotel).  The Hotel contended that the cop's name was on the list our party Liaison had given, authorizing assignment to that floor. 

      Until the flood occurred the hotel had been talking with me. Those talks had been going well.  So it was rather a shock to find what had happened on Sunday night.  I was told that there had been a flood.  Because there had been torrential rains on Saturday night, I presumed they were talking about damage to the Exhibition Hall, which had leaked before. Actually, some rooms on the 10 story hotel's  top three floors had been water-damaged. Perhaps God is being sued.  During the weeks following the Disclave, I could not convince the Ramada that we were not usually a risk, that this aberration was not likely to occur.  Nothing like it had (to my knowledge) occurred previously. But the representatives who had handled our account had already gone on to work in other hotels, and the hotel was yet again being sold. They weren't ready to talk contract.

      By August, I felt it urgent that we find a hotel.  Only one responded to our inquiries.  I took it. It was a generous offer, a $75.00 flat room fee, 1 comp for every 25 rooms booked, etc.  Shortly after the contract was negotiated, the Holiday Inn's representative went on to her next hotel.  Things went smoothly for a while.  Then new managers began to look at our contract, wanting to change various things.  As of March 20th only 47 of the 210 rooms needed to fill the hotel had been taken. Disclave had only 283 members, and much of the hoped-for staff were unavailable, having committed to Buccaneer instead.  The whole business was getting scary.  Then the other shoe fell.

      The hotel cited letters they had received from our previous two hotels as being the cause of their withdrawal from our contract.  I was not allowed to actually see those letters, but was told what I expected to hear about the Ramada Letter, however the gist of the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency's letter was a surprise.  I was told they complained about people walking around the ASB floor naked, trashing rooms, but didn't even mention the block shortfall.

      I have not seen these letters.  The Holiday Inn's manager, son of a Pentecostal bishop, decided to evict Disclave as our convention could possible damage the hotel's reputation.  They do a lot of church-related events.

      It is possible that if we had had a lot more rooms booked, a different sort of tolerance would have been granted.  It is easy and obvious that the hotel behaved rudely, perhaps illegally, and certainly injuriously to Disclave.  But we did not have the time or resources to contest their action. If we had forced them to have us, they would have made our weekend hellish.  So, I tried to negotiate amicably with them, with the result that they gave me a print-out of the people who were booked for Disclave, so I could notify them to cancel. 

      I had let it be known in our fliers, etc. that no ASB type activities would be tolerated at Disclave in 1998 -- and they will not be, as the convention has been canceled.

      Any convention which turns part of its space or program to outside interests, unless the greatest care is taken, will suffer. Whether the group is S&M based, Political, or from any focus not a part of the identifying character of the convention, that presence will distort the event, alter its reputation and cost traditional memberships.

      So many SF fan are convinced that his or her other interests surely belong at their favorite cons, that those cons have become distended and very difficult to run.  The resulting "diversity" creates tensions between interest groups, and embarrassment to the managers.

      I reported the cancellation to WSFA at the regular meeting on May 20th, Friday night, and handed out some refund checks.  I spent most of Saturday contacting people, doing paperwork and closing down the con. It was a bit like building a casket.  Perhaps for a child. At about 1:00 AM I was beginning to shake.  I laid down, thinking it would pass, but it didn't.  I toughed it out until the morning when I called my sister-in-law (a nurse- practitioner) who took my vital signs and sent me to the emergency room ( I had a quadruple by-pass two years ago, and am diabolically blocked from chest-pain warnings)  As it turned out I was having tachycardia (my heart was working too fast and not pumping a lot of blood).  They gave me a jolly little drug which they told me, "will stop your heart."  Which was not a cheering thing to hear. But only for a few seconds until the heart's natural pacemaker can restore the normal beat.  The tachycardia seems to have been caused by stress.  I have been put on additional medication, which I hope will prevent further tachycardia when they present their bill.  I was sent home Monday morning and have continued the job of burying my Disclave.

      Speed was essential.  We didn't want people showing up for a con that wasn't there.  One friend from California had already bought his airline ticket. Some Nebula nominated pros were coming to Disclave instead of going to the SFWA Banquet in New Mexico.

      There are those who will criticize me for responding to your request for details.  However, as some version of this is likely to appear in File 770, I want mine there as well.  People of ASB type values are certain that Disclave's problem was caused by "a few irresponsible nuts." They don't see their group's side-show as a problem.  Perhaps it isn't.  At the time of the Disclave disaster a "Black Rose Society" had booked a convention into the Ramada, which has subsequently taken place -with our without misadventure.

      The final irony is that the youth soccer tournament was suspended for 1998.  I hope the Washington metro area's hotels enjoy a peaceful Memorial Day weekend.

      Joe Mayhew, Chair

Disclave 1998

 

 

BUCCONEER

The 56th World Science Fiction Convention

Baltimore, Maryland USA

August 5-9, 1998

http://www.bucconeer.worldcon.org

 

Bucconeer, the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention, proudly presents this

year's nominees for the Hugo Awards, the annual awards for achievement in

science fiction. The winners will be announced on Friday, August 7th in

Baltimore, Maryland.

 

BEST NOVEL

·        Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman (Ace)

·        Frameshift by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor)

·        The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons (Bantam Spectra)

·        Jack Faust by Michael Swanwick (Avon)

·        City on Fire by Walter Jon Williams (HarperPrism)

 

BEST NOVELLA

·        "The Funeral March of the Marionettes" by Adam-Troy Castro (F&SF July 1997)

·        "Ecopoeisis" by Geoffrey A. Landis (SF Age May 1997)

·        "Loose Ends" by Paul Levinson (Analog May 1997)

·        "Marrow" by Robert Reed (SF Age July 1997)

·        "...Where Angels Fear To Tread" by Allen Steele  (Asimov's October-November 1997)

 

BEST NOVELETTE

·        "Moon Six" by Stephen Baxter (SF Age March 1997)

·        "Broken Symmetry" by Michael A. Burstein (Analog February 1997)

·        "Three Hearings on the Existence of Snakes in the Human Bloodstream" by
James Alan Gardner (Asimov's February 1997)

·        "We Will Drink A Fish Together..." by Bill Johnson (Asimov's May 1997)

·        "The Undiscovered" by William Sanders (Asimov's March 1997)

 

BEST SHORT STORY

·        "Beluthahatchie" by Andy Duncan (Asimov's March 1997)

·        "Standing Room Only" by Karen Joy Fowler (Asimov's August 1997)

·        "Itsy Bitsy Spider" by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov's June 1997)

·        "The 43 Antarean Dynasties" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's December 1997)

·        "The Hand You're Dealt" by Robert J. Sawyer (Free Space, Tor)

·        "No Planets Strike" by Gene Wolfe (F&SF January 1997)

(There are six items due to a tie for fifth place)

 

BEST RELATED BOOK

·        Space Travel by Ben Bova with Anthony R. Lewis (Writer's Digest Books)

·        The Encyclopedia of Fantasy edited by John Clute & John Grant  (St. Martin's Press)

·        Infinite Worlds by Vincent DiFate (Penguin Studio)

·        Spectrum IV: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art edited by Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner with Jim Loehr (Underwood Books)

·        Reflections and Refractions: Thoughts on Science-Fiction, Science and Other Matters by Robert Silverberg (Underwood Books)

 

 

 

BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION

·        Contact (Warner Bros./South Side Amusement Company) Directed by Robert Zemeckis; Story by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan; Screenplay by James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg; Produced by Steve Starkey and Robert Zemeckis.

·        The Fifth Element (Columbia Pictures/Gaumont) Directed by Luc Besson; Story by Luc Besson; Screenplay by Luc Besson & Robert Mark Kamen; Produced by Patrice Ledoux.

·        Gattaca (Columbia Pictures Corporation/Jersey Films) Directed by Andrew M. Niccol, Written by
Andrew M. Niccol, Produced by Danny DeVito, MichaelShamberg, & Stacey Sher.

·        Men in Black (MacDonald-Parkes/Columbia Pictures Corporation/Amblin Entertainment) Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; Screenplay by Ed Solomon, Laurie MacDonald and Walter F. Parkes; Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg.

·        Starship Troopers (TriStar Pictures/Big Bug Pictures/Touchstone Pictures) Directed by Paul Verhoeven, Screenplay by Ed Neumeier; Produced by Jon Davison and Alan Marshall.

 

BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR

·        Gardner Dozois (Asimov's)

·        Scott Edelman (SF Age)

·        David Hartwell (Tor; Year's Best SF)

·        Stanley Schmidt (Analog)

·        Gordon Van Gelder (F&SF)

 

BEST PROFESSIONAL ARTIST

·        Jim Burns

·        Thomas Canty

·        David Cherry

·        Bob Eggleton

·        Don Maitz

·        Michael Whelan

(There are six items due to a tie for fifth place)

 

BEST SEMIPROZINE

·        Interzone edited by David Pringle

·        Locus edited by Charles N. Brown

·        The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, Ariel

·        Haméon, David G. Hartwell & Kevin Maroney

·        Science Fiction Chronicle edited by Andrew I. Porter

·        Speculations edited by Kent Brewster

 

BEST FANZINE

·        Ansible edited by Dave Langford

·        Attitude edited by Michael Abbott, John Dallman & Pam Wells

·        File 770 edited by Mike Glyer

·        Mimosa edited by Nicki & Richard Lynch

·        Tangent edited by David Truesdale

BEST FAN WRITER

·        Bob Devney

·        Mike Glyer

·        Andy Hooper

·        David Langford

·        Evelyn Leeper

·        Joseph T. Major

(There are six nominees due to a tie for fifth place)

 

BEST FAN ARTIST

·        Brad Foster

·        Ian Gunn

·        Teddy Harvia

·        Joe Mayhew

·        Peggy Ranson

 

JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARD FOR BEST NEW WRITER OF 1996 OR 1997 (not a Hugo)

[Sponsored by Dell Magazines]

·        Raphael Carter (2nd year of eligibility)

·        Andy Duncan (2nd year of eligibility)

·        Richard Garfinkle (2nd year of eligibility)

·        Susan R. Matthews (2nd year)

·        Mary Doria Russell (2nd year)

 

The Six Hundred Dollar Lunch

 

The 4/17 meeting at the Ginters started when John banged his beer bottle at 9:15.  "Tell people in the kitchen that something is going on."  The secretary said the picnic wasn't formally made into a motion.  John then asked for money.  $7,908.65.  Let's hoard it. 

            Elspeth asked about insurance.  John said he's changing insurance.  Don't drink too much tonight.  Pardon me, I'm a little fuzzy today.  <John, I own that book and you don't look like one>  Mike Walsh felt John's beard and jokes were made.

            Mike Nelson said the trustees have a full slate for offices.  President, Chuck Divine, VP Elspeth, Treasurer Bob, Sec Sam, Trustees Mike (Walsh) and Eric and Steve Smith.  Elections are now organized.

            John said the election will be at the Third Friday which is unusual.  Nominations will be accepted at the floor.  So if you or anyone else you want to stick with it...

            Joe added but they have to agree.

            The entertainment committee report about Lee's crown was removed because it was hurting.  She had a $600 lunch.

            Disclave present got back 50% of checks.  Giving $800 to Sam pierce.  John will tell you about event hint, hint.

            John said, on Sunday, Disclave will have a WSFA gathering at Bill's house.  Directions will be in the Journal.  3 PM.  Go up another block on Montgomery Ave. past where you turn for the Ginters.  Right on church, pass sign a couple of school children underneath says hump.  The house is right afterwards.  It is pot luck.   While WSFA will provide the grill, people should bring stuff to be comfortable.  Bring things to put on the grill like a few Jesuits.

            Chuck said he's organizing.  Want a quasi-balanced meal.  Don't bring 100 bags of chips <He wants 100 people to bring 1 bag of crisps each.>

            Disclave Next and Disclave Next Next not here.  New people were introduced. 

            Joe announced that Dick and Nicki Lynch were nominated for Hugos.  They announced Joe Mayhew was nominated for the Hugo.  Erica told of her 2 new cats.  Michael Walsh read the Library Journal review of the Lensmen books and Pat Anthony got a stared review in Publishers Weekly.  Crown Books were sold to Rich Foods.  Jokes were made.

            John is leaving his job at Georgetown.  He needs to talk to the customers about making him blue tights and a cape because he's joining the... Alliance for Justice (the last said in a booming voice, but he didn't fly around the room.) 

            The meeting was unanimously adjourned at 9:39

Attendance: Pres. John Pomeranz, VP. Elspeth Kovar Burgess, Sec. Samuel Lubell, Treas. Bob MacIntosh, Trust. Michael Nelson, Trust Michael Walsh, '98 Chair Joe Mayhew, Bernard Bell, Chris Callahan, Chuck Divine, Alexis Gilliland, Erica Ginter, Dan Hoey, Judy Kindell, Nicki and Richard Lynch, Keith Marshall, George Nelson, Barry and Meridel Newton, Lance Oszko, Evan Phillips, Dick Roepke, George Shaner, Michael Taylor, L. Ron Hubbard, Claude Deglar, Merdith Wagner, Shirl Phelps, Sara Miskeuich, Abner Mintz.

 

 

 

Electioneering

It's Election time.  Normally, before an election, candidates are interviewed on CNN and the networks, the League of Women Voters sponsors debates, and television is flooded with commercials.  Strangely enough, the WSFA election lacks, well, lacks all of that.  So I'm going to follow a hallowed journalistic tradition and make up something up.

 

Chuck Divine for President.  The main job of the president is running meetings.  Chuck has lots of experience running being the 2^nd fastest man at NASA.  To keep control of WSFAns is like herding cats, but Chuck has Divine authority.  And, considering we don't Disclave this year, his trick of multiplying beer and pretzels will come in handy.

 

Elspeth Kovar Burgess for Vice president.  Hey, somebody's got to be in charge of the vice.  And as incumbent Elspeth has the experience in doing WSFA's dirty work (like reading Usenet.)  Of course, she's overqualified, as she can spell potato and has more personality than a stick of wood.

 

Bob Macintosh for Treasurer (for life).  He's always on the money.  He can count past ten (and twenty if he takes off his shoes (and without Disclave our cash situation might get down to those numbers)).  Besides he's promised to curb those side trips to South Sea Islands at WSFA's expense.

 

Samuel Lubell for Secretary.  He can keep a secret (which is half of the word), after all, half of the announcements never make it into the WSFA Journal.  He also can write silly fluff like this which is why no one ever takes the Journal seriously.  (We didn't get nominated for the Hugo, again!)

 

Michael Walsh, official hero of the galactic patrol; Steve Smith, the bearded one; and Eric Jablow, friend to bad movies.  And they expect us to trust them with the keys. 

 

Not to forget about our current president...

 

John Pomeranz is Superlawyer!

 

Faster than a speeding subpoena

More powerful than a special prosecutor

Able to leap tall objections in a single bound.

It's an ambulance chaser, it's a legal case, it's  it's

SUPERLAWYER

 

That's right, Superlawyer.  Wearing his lawsuit and legal briefs plus cape, Superlawyer fights for law, justice, and billable rates. 

 

The WSFA Journal wishes John Pomeranz good luck at his new job.  He's leaving the presidency of WSFA to join the superhero organization, the Alliance for Justice, as Superlawyer (unless he gets a better name and catchphrase.)