CONCORDANCE TO INWO (v 1.1)
colin sebastian roald
cards, to explain the jokes, acronyms, obscure references, and cryptic
comments, on the theory that everyone needs to have *something*
explained. Please, even if you think you understand everything, take
a look. There are a lot of subtle things that are easy to miss.
New or much-changed entries in this edition: Subliminals, Loch Ness
Monster, Grassroots Support, Elders of Zion, Feminists, Reformed Church
of Satan. Many other small changes are marked with *'s.
Please send me your comments, questions, suggestions for things that
need explaining, corrections, and _entries_. I'll see that they're
included with proper credit. [I'll try to pick up comments in the
newsgroup, but mail is much more sure.]
Am particularly looking for further historical commentary on the
Gnomes.
Version 1.1, (c) 1995 Colin Roald <co...@callisto.pas.rochester.edu>.
The Phone Phreaks Edition.
This document may be distributed freely, but no charge may be made
for it nor may it be included in any compilation for sale without
my prior permission.
----------------- potential spoilers follow -----------------------------------
The Illuminati
--------------
Adepts of Hermes Ultimately derived from the cult surrounding the Greek
god Hermes Trismegistos ("Thrice-greatest"), also
identified with the Egyptian god Thoth, that emerged
in Hellenistic Egypt ca 3rd century AD. The writings
ascribed to Trismegistos include revelations on
occult, theological and philosophical subjects, par-
ticularly astrology and later medicine and alchemy.
These texts are typical of gnostic works of the time,
in aspiring for the deification of Man on earth. The
work was known, for the most part, throughout antiqui-
ty and the middle ages, during which it was frequently
reviled as heretical. The followers of Trismegistos
(who probably numbered many fewer than the heresiol-
ogists targeting them) are known as the Hermetics,
though it is unlikely there was ever any well-defined
Hermetic society or church.
The staff with entwined snakes is Caduceus, one of
Hermes' symbols.
Bavarian Illuminati "Formally known as the 'Ancient Illuminated Seers of
Bavaria', these are the original Illuminati. Many
consider them to be the prototype of all secret
societies." [Illuminati 1987 Deluxe Edition Rulebook]
Founded in 1776 by Adam Weishaupt (compare _Cerebus_),
the Illuminati were hardly the first secret society.
Freemasonry--oddly missing from this game--was an
extremely influential contemporary secret society with
members like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
The two societies borrowed attributes, titles,
degrees, etc from each other. Like many of these
societies, they were founded as part of the Enlighten-
ment as men searched for Truth within instead of from
the Catholic Church (or God). [LM][MB]
Bermuda Triangle The Triangle is the area approximately between Bermuda,
Florida, and the Greater Antilles, where more than 50
ships and 20 airplanes are said to have mysteriously
have disappeared. Reports date to the mid-nineteenth
century of ships lost without distress signals, ships
found abandoned without apparent cause, and planes
(including rescue missions) vanished without trace.
Discordian Society "Worshippers of Eris, the Roman Goddess of Strife and
Chaos." [Deluxe Edition.]
From the _Iliad_: Eris rolled a wonderful golden apple
into a party of other goddesses emblazoned upon the
apple was the word KALLISTI, "to the prettiest one."
Hera, Athena and Aphrodite all claimed the prize, and
Zeus instructed Paris to choose the victor. He chose
Aphrodite, and was rewarded by her with the love of
Helen of Troy, thus precipitating the Trojan War.
[LM][BW]
Gnomes of Zurich "The old nickname for the Swiss bankers who are reputed
to be the money-masters of the world." [Deluxe Edition]
The Network "Some say the Network is a conspiracy of the world's
computer programmers; others believe the programmers
are merely pawns, and the computers themselves have
taken over. Either way, they are rich and powerful,
and they are probably watching you _right now_."
[Deluxe Edition]
Servants of Cthulhu A reference to H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos.
Cthulhu is an ancient evil that lies dreaming in R'lyeh
lost beneath the Pacific, whose awakening would end
the Earth. If it sounds like you're sneezing, you're
pronouncing it right.
Shangri-La Also known as Shamballa and Xanadu; one story has it
that the city is the source of many tunnels, some of
them hundreds or thousands of miles long, which
connect to the world's capitals and mystic sites.
Popularised in _Lost Horizon_, a 1933 novel by James
Hilton, where it was a monastery in the Himalayas where
the monks lived incredibly long lives thanks to their
totally sinless existences. The main character in
_Lost_Horizon_ was offered the position of head Lama
when the old one (several hundred years old) was about
to retire/die, but he decided to decline and return to
the outside world (where he narrates the story from).
The book was so popular the idea passed into the public
consciousness. [MD][CO][DV][MB]
UFOs Short, oval-eyed beings who have crossed the galaxy
to abduct rednecks and mutilate cattle. What do they
want? No one knows.
Note the schwa in the lower right-hand corner of the
UFO triangle, which derives from UFO-watcher lore.
Quoting from a pamphlet:
"Alien invaders have no sense of timing... But now you
can deal with them quickly, painlessly and at your own
convenience!
"They have travelled many light years to greet us...but
somehow they always pitch up at an awkward moment.
"You may be asleep, or driving along a lonely road at
night, when an alien materializes with an urgent
demand for sperm samples, or asks you to submit to a
painful internal examination. Either way, it's just
not convenient to be forcibly abducted and taken
aboard an intergalactic spacecraft.
"Only one thing deters these annoying extraterrestial
pests--SCHWA, Earth's premier range of alien defence
products. Schwa's amazing patented Xenon coatings
give early warning of manifestations, while its
printed products end all doubts about the unknown now
--forever.
"For Schwa information, and information about Schwa
products, send a SASE to Schwa Corp, PO Box 6064, Reno
NV 89513-6064...." [JY][WC]
Groups
------
A.M.A. American Medical Association.
American Autoduel Assn Reference to SJ Games' _Car Wars_ (fictional); also to
the ubiquitous American Automobile Association,
purveyors of fine maps and roadside assistance. [CL]
B.A.T.F. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. An American
law-enforcement agency involved in precipitating the
mass-suicide of the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, TX.
Big Media Can someone identify the image on the screen?
* Bjorne Reference to "Barney", a purple "dinosaur" hosting a
sickly-sweet kids show (ages 2-4); possibly also a
reference to a Swedish children's character also named
Bjorne, a bear, though the story is that Steve Jackson
was not aware of the latter when designing the game.
[AG][DC]
Boy Sprouts Reference to the Boy Scouts, Baden-Powell's worldwide
youth organisation.
Brazil South American country, the 5th largest in the world.
George Bush Ex-President of the United States. Got into a famous
row with the agriculture industry after claiming, "when
you're President, you don't have to eat your broccoli."
California American State. Surf's up, dude.
Canada Hey! I resemble that remark. [also see England.]
Cattle Mutilators Apparently large numbers of dead cattle are found
in the Western states with their eyes and sexual organs
removed. Some reports claim surgical dissection and
missing blood. Frequently blamed on UFOs. [JY][LM]
The practice of divining the future by examining
animal entrails is called "haruspication", and was
widely practiced in antiquity.
Center/Disease Control Federal research lab that collects data on diseases
and conditions, watches for and responds to epidemics,
and so on. [JY]
CFL-AIO Reference to AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Labor/
Congress of Industrial Organizations. [KB][AB]
* Church of Elvis The 24-Hour Church of Elvis is open for visitors in
downtown Portland, Oregon. [AN]
C.I.A. Central Intelligence Agency. The American spy service.
Bill Clinton President of the United States.
* Hillary Clinton Wife of President. Has been very visible in
Washington inner circles, to the point of being nearly
an unofficial member of the Cabinet.
Clone Arrangers Possibly an obscure pun off the Lone Ranger. Note
also that "23" is a very Illuminated number (cf.
"Warehouse 23"). See also Clone.
Congressional Wives "Congress" is the American federal legislature. What
else can I say?
Democrats American political party. The donkey is their trad-
itional symbol.
Deprogrammers People who are paid to kidnap people (usually friends
or relatives of worried rich people) away from relig-
ious cults and "deprogram" them--essentially brain-
washing them into leaving the cult, an activity which
they justify by alleging the victim was brainwashed
into joining the cult. [TNG]
Dinosaur Park Reference to movie "Jurassic Park".
Druids The priests of a pagan religion from the British Isles.
EFF Electronic Frontiers Foundation. lobby group for
civil liberties and freedom of expression in the
computer world. Provided lawyers for SJG in the Secret
Service case [see "Secret Service".] [JY]
* Elders of Zion Refers to a specific, long-standing hoax. _The Proto-
cols of the Elders of Zion_ was a document purporting
to show how the Jews were trying to rule the world. It
has been shown to have been forged by the Czarist
secret police, but Hitler is reported to have been
heavily influenced by this document, as was the Soviet
secret police. It still gets some attention, and has
recently taken on a bit of a new life in modern Russia.
[DC][DV][KB]
Elvis Rock singer. Was big in the '50s. Dead now.
Empty Vee Reference to MTV, "music television".
England Still an important player in global conspiracy.
According to Lyndon LaRouche, a secret British-Canadian
organisation, "Permindex", is right this minute
conspiring with Conrad Black of Big Media and the
nefarious World Wildlife Fund to assassinate Bill
Clinton. Bonus points if you replicate this in INWO.
Fast Food Chains McDonalds is *everywhere*. Think about it.
F.B.I. Federal Bureau of Investigation. If you didn't
know this one, you haven't been watching enough
Hollywood.
Federal Reserve American central bank; coordinator of fiscal policy.
* Feminists Supposedly, bra-burning was, in the '60s and '70s, a
statement of liberation from patriarchal oppression.
Historically, this was largely the invention of right-
wing comics and commentators wanting to ridicule the
feminist movement. A few of the most radical actually
may have pulled off stunts like this, but for the most
part it was a lot less frequent than many suppose.
Betty Friedan was interviewed on the subject, and
claimed to know of only two actual incidents. [KB]
Fiendish Fluoridators When the practice of adding fluoride to public water
supplies to prevent tooth decay began in the '50s,
there was much hysteria about this fiendish Communist
plot to contaminate our precious bodily fluids. also a
reference to movie "Dr. Strangelove", in which an
insane general with this belief launches an attack
on the Soviet Union. [TG][WC][TNG]
Note the reappearance of the number "23" (cf. Warehouse
23).
Finland Scandinavian country; home of the sauna. One of the few
places in the world where the biathlon makes sense as a
sporting event.
Flat Earthers This group really exists. They contend the picture on
the NASA card is precisely how the space programme was
conducted. [FM][JY]
Fnord Motor Company Ford Motor Company, which is only mostly American
these days. also see "Fnord!".
France Anyone else think the Eiffel Tower is suspiciously
pyramidal?
Fraternal Orders Likely a reference to the Shriners, who are known for
the funny hats. Another order, the Masons, is thought
by many to be a front for the Bavarian Illuminati.
Note that the guy's holding a Cthulhu statuette on the
card, indicating he may be a pawn of another
Illuminati. [DV][JK]
Fred Birch Society reference to John Birch Society, a right-wing extremist
organisation active in the '50s Commie witch-hunts;
proponents of slogan "America: Love It or Leave It."
Still in existence. [KB][AB][BK][LR][LM]
Girlie Magazines "Pent-Ups" refers to American magazine "Penthouse",
with double entendre to "Pin-Ups". [TNG]
Al Gore Vice-President of the United States, noted for backing
environmental causes, and coiner of the evil phrase
"information superhighway". It may be worth noting
that "tree-hugger" is a slang term for environmental-
ists. [TNG][DC]
Gun Lobby One of the richest in Washington.
Hawaii Volcanic American State. Surf's up, dude.
Jimmy Hoffa Labour organiser and former president of the Teamsters
(Truckers) Union, who disappeared under mysterious
circumstances in the '70s. Presumed dead; reputed to
have had mafia connections.
Hollywood You know, the place where they make movies.
Saddam Hussein Dictator of Iraq.
Imelda Marcos Wife of ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos of the
Philippines. Owned over 2000 pairs of shoes when
deported.
I.R.S. Internal Revenue Service; the taxmen.
Japan Really, it's too busy just _buying_ the world to
worry about conspiracy.
KKK Ku Klux Klan, white-supremacist organisation infamous
for burning crosses and lynching blacks who didn't
take the warning. [KB]
L-4 Society Reference to "L-5 Society", a pro-space lobby group.
"L-4" and "L-5" are orbital mechanics terms referring
to specific orbits, where the Society wants to place
space colonies. Has merged with the National Space
Society.
Las Vegas American city, home of the casinos.
Libertarians American political movement believing in minimal
government and freedom of the individual.
* Local Police Departments American cops and doughnuts are stereotypically
regarded as inseparable. [KB]
* Madison Avenue Home to the advertising industry in New York City.
Who is/was "Canada Bill Jones"?
* The Mafia Organised crime, particularly groups in or originally
from Sicily. The extent of the interrelationships
between Sicilian and American operations is murky. [JD]
* MI-5 British domestic counterintelligence organisation.
The initials stand for "military intelligence"; MI-6
is the foreign intelligence service. (MI-1 through
MI-13 were created in World War II. Afterwards, most
departments were closed; only -5, -6, and possibly one
other dedicated to protecting the royal family still
exist.) [FM][DC][JD]
Moonbase Where do you think the UFOs go?
Moonies Nickname for Rev. Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church,
a Christian religious cult known for handing out
flowers at airports. [FM]
Moral Minority Reference to Moral Majority, Rev. Jerry Falwell's
fundamentalist Christian organisation. [FM]
Mossad Israeli foreign spy organisation. has a reputation for
assassination. [DV]
N.A.S.A. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. the
moon-landing people. Also see "Flat Earthers". [FM]
N.A.T.O. North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The Western
military alliance.
* Nephews of God Possible reference to cult called "Children of God"
which is/was accused of brainwashing recruits. The
picture and caption, on the other hand, seem to be
references to the International Society for Krishna
Consciousness (aka the "Hare Krishnas"), a red-robed
Hindu religious cult also known for hanging about
airports (cf Moonies). [TNG][DC][WL]
New York It's a city. A big one.
Ninjas Ancient Japanese sect of assassins.
Manuel Noriega Ex-dictator of Panama; accused of harbouring cocaine
smuggling.
Ollie North Ex-military attache disgraced in Iran-Contra scandal
for trading arms for hostages; lost a bid for the
US Senate in 1994. Is both photogenic and silver-
tongued.
N.S.A. National Security Agency. The code-breakers.
* O.P.E.C. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the
oil cartel.
* Pentagon The building that houses the Department of Defense in
Washington. The cloud billowing out of the hole could
be the spirit bound under it (Pentagon//Pentagram...)
in the _Illuminatus!_ trilogy. [CC]
Ross Perot American billionaire who made an independent run for
President in 1992. Was known for making arguments
with long sequences of cardboard graphs, in his tele-
vision advertising.
Phone Phreaks "Phreaks" are people who spoof or break into the
phone system.
Post Office The USPS is famous for disgruntled ex-employees
shooting up the workplace.
Dan Quayle Ex-Vice-President, famous for foot-in-the-mouth
disease, and misspelling "potatoe" at a children's
spelling bee.
Nancy Reagan Wife to ex-President Reagan. Famous believer in
astrology.
* Ronald Reagan Ex-President of the US, one-time Hollywood actor.
Co-starred in "Bedtime for Bonzo" with a chimpanzee.
Note that Bonzo is playing with the Hotline.
* Reformed Church of Satan There is a real "Church of Satan" founded in Los
Angeles in the late '60s by Anton Salvador LaVey, who
has also authored _The Satanic Bible_, orderable at
most bookstores. The "Reformed" part may allude to the
"Reformed Druids of North America", a neo-pagan group
started in the '60s in Berkeley, who (tongue-in-cheek)
said they were "reformed" from the ancient druids in
that they "usually" didn't practice human sacrifice.
While the open Church of Satan is little more than a
small-scale scam for the jaded, barely approaching the
status of a cult, conspiracy-minded types (including a
number of law officials) claim that there is a large-
scale secret Satanic cult currently active in the US,
and practicing animal and human sacrifice, especially
of babies. There is little evidence, however, for
more than independent groups of nihilistic adolescents
mucking about with the occult.
The "official" CoS is believed to still exist, but the
RDNA dissolved years ago. Bingo is a very common
fundraiser at many American churches. [FM][DZ]
Religious Reich Reference to the "Religious Right", an umbrella term
for an American political faction. Also alludes to
Hitler's description of Nazi Germany as the "Third
Reich", where "Reich" is a German word meaning roughly
"empire". [JK}
Gordo Remora Reference to Geraldo Rivera, sleazy talk-show host.
Note "gordo" is Spanish for "fat", and a remora is a
scavenging fish known for taking free rides on
passing sharks. [JY][AH]
Republicans American political party. The elephant is their
traditional symbol.
* Rifkinites Jeremy Rifkin is a crusader against genetic
engineering; likely this group is named in analogy to
the Luddites, a anti-industrial protest movement from
19th-century Britain.
Rosicrucians Order of the Rosy Cross. The earliest confirmed refer-
ence dates from 1614, but thought to have been founded
by Paracelsus, a Swiss alchemist who died in 1541. A
worldwide brotherhood claiming to possess esoteric and
secret wisdom. Their name is taken from the Rosy Cross
of alchemy, a sex-magick/divine grace symbol typical
of the ambiguity of Paracelsus and his crowd. In their
day, the Rosicrucians were an organization of the same
caliber (and roughly the same orientation) as the
Freemasons. Rumoured to have ties to the Ancient
Illuminated Seers (cf Bavaria) and the Templars (qv),
though the latter would be particularly Illuminated as
the Templars were disbanded in 1312. [MD][JR][CPL]
Saturday Morn Cartoons An American cultural institution.
Savings and Loans American small banks which required an enormous
bail-out package after perhaps criminal mismanagement.
Science Fiction Fans _Footfall_, a novel of alien invasion by Niven and
Pournelle.
Secret Service An arm of the US Treasury Dept., whose best-known
function is to bodyguard the President, but is also
responsible for the investigation of counterfeiting.
Secret Service agents raided SJG in a spectacularly
incompetent and unjustified fashion several years ago,
claiming that the GURPS Cyberpunk RPG supplement then
in preparation was a "handbook for computer crime".
Secular Humanists People who base their philosophy on human values and
observable events rather than spiritual or religious
teachings; a common atheist creed. They disturb the
more simple-minded of religious right by representing
a credible challenge to their ideology. [JY]
Semiconscious Lib. Army Possible reference to Symbionese Liberation Army, a
'70s terrorist group famous for kidnapping Patty
Hearst. [FM]
Silicon Valley Near San Francisco; home of the computer industry.
S.M.O.F. Secret Masters of Fandom--tongue-in-cheek allusion to
the people who organise SF conventions.
Soc/Creative Anarchism Reference to "Society for Creative Anachronism", which
stages romantic reconstructions of mediaeval life.
Legend has it that they have been investigated by the
post office (or possibly the FBI) who couldn't tell it
from "Anarchism". [WL][DZ]
* Stonehenge Ancient druidical site in England. Various combina-
tions of shadows supposedly mark important dates.
(Similar but less famous stone rings are found through-
out that region.) [MB]
* Subliminals A big fad topic in the '60s, one author produced
several books claiming advertisers were smuggling the
word "sex" into ads to induce us to buy their product.
The ice cubes and ice-cream sauce are classic examples,
used on the cover of at least one of the books. Inter-
estingly, subliminal advertising itself was just a hoax
of the late '50s, set up by a desperate advertising
executive who needed to convince clients he had a new
and exciting technique for selling goods to reluctant
consumers. According to a recent issue of "Sceptical
Inquirer", he obtained his "evidence" by setting up a
demonstration of Subliminal Advertising in a drive-in,
then fixing the cola and popcorn sales figures. [MB]
Survivalists Fringe movement that believes in preparing to survive
the end of civilisation. and in guns. lots of 'em.
Switzerland Just what *is* hidden in those mountain passes?
Tabloids Gossip newspapers specialising in outrageous headlines.
Telephone Psychics Late-night American television is filled with ads for
"Psychic Hotlines", $3.99 a minute.
Templars The Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solo-
mon, a mediaeval Crusading order of knights, disbanded
by the pope in 1312 after accusations of witchcraft,
sexual perversion, and heresy. These accusations are
generally believed to have been mostly baseless--very
likely the order had simply become too powerful for
Pope Innocent to let continue. The Templars are common
characters in conspiracy theory, believed to be the
keepers of the Holy Grail (qv.) and the assassins of
the last French King, after having infiltrated the
French Freemasons and Jacobites. It is interesting to
note that the Templars' traditional regalia was a red
cross on a white surcoat; we are not sure who the
character on the card is. [LM]
Texas American state where things are very big.
Margaret Thatcher Ex-Prime Minister of UK, a.k.a. the "Iron Lady". Known
particularly for waging the Falklands war with
Argentina.
Trekkies Fans of "Star Trek".
Triliberal Commission Reference to the Trilateral Commission, which is
essentially a chat club for economic and political
leaders from the US, Europe and Japan (hence, "tri");
membership has included two American presidents
(Carter and Bush) and half a dozen cabinet members.
Once a favourite target of conspiracy theorists. [KB]
[TNG][also Cecil Adams, _More of the Straight Dope_]
TV Preachers Believe it or not, there are entire television networks
devoted to exhorting the faithful to send them money.
* Urban Gangs The circled 'A' seen in this card and many others is
an anarchists' symbol.
* Vatican City The sovereign papal state and "capital" of the Catholic
Church, located within Rome and including the papal
palace (the Vatican proper) and St. Peter's Church,
established June 10, 1929; 108.7 acres; pop. about
1000. Reputed to contain the most extensive library of
Forbidden Tomes in existence. [DV]
Voudonistas Combination of Voodoo practitioners reputed to thrive
in Haiti, and the standard "istas" ending to major
rebel bands in Central America. (Sandinistas,
Zapatistas, etc.) [DV]
Wall Street Home of the stock market in New York City. Famous for
corporate raiders and white-collar crime, among other
things.
* W.I.T.C.H. This group (or perhaps groups) really exists, but it
seems to be rather loosely-knit and has purposes that
change with the tide. [KB]
Resources
---------
Bigfoot AKA the Sasquatch. A hairy giant, generally pictured
circa 9' tall, reputed to roam the forests of the
Rocky Mountains.
Book of Kells The Gospels, illuminated by the brothers at the
monastery at Kells in Ireland in the early 9th century.
(The Book was actually begun at Iona in the late 8th
century, but was moved after early Viking raids). On
permanent display at Trinity College, Dublin, it is
regarded as the masterpiece of its kind. [MD]
Clipper Chip Prospective US Gov't-sanctioned cryptography standard.
Would have a "back-door" to allow gov't agencies to
potentially read any transmission. [FM]
Crystal Skull A real gem made from a single block of quartz weigh-
ing 11 pounds 7ozs. Commonly known as the Mitchell-
Hedges crystal skull, the life-sized artifact seeming-
ly came to light in 1927 after the excavation of a
lost Mayan citadel in British Honduras. Subsequent
investigation by Joe Nickell indicated that the item
is not of Mayan ancestry, but rather is much more
modern. Furthermore, the claims of death stalking the
owner of the skull seem to lie more in the realm of
imagination rather than fact. It is beautiful, though.
[LM][DV]
Eliza The early pseudo-AI psychoanalysis program. The user
pours out his heart to Eliza, which responds by quoting
fragments back at him prefaced by phrases like, "Why is
it that..." and "Is it because of your mother that..."
This is especially amusing when trying to discuss
sports with Eliza.
The Frog God In the _Illuminatus_ trilogy, there is a scene in which
a main character witnesses an Obscene Ritual performed
in front of an idol much like this one. [JR]
Hammer of Thor Called Mjolnir.
* Hitler's Brain Only his skeleton was ever found. Also possibly a
reference to a Grade Z movie, "They Saved Hitler's
Brain". [JY][JK][WL][RB][MV]
The Holy Grail The name given to the cup from which Christ drank at
the Last Supper; believed to have miraculous healing
powers. Lost for millenia; one theory holds that it
is guarded by a surviving order of Templars (qv).
* Library at Alexandria The most famous library of classical antiquity. Founded
and maintained by the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt begin-
ning from the 3rd century BC; initally organised by
Demetrious Phalerus. The Library was destroyed in the
Roman civil war under Aurelian in the late 3rd century
AD. (Alexandria was the capital of the Hellenistic
Egyptian kingdom founded by Alexander the Great in
332 BC.) The Library was rebuilt, to be destroyed a
second time by the Arabs in the 8th century. Allegedly,
the commander proclaimed that if the books agreed with
the Koran, they were superfluous; if they contradicted
it, they were pernicious--so burn them all. [WL]
* Loch Ness Monster (summarized from Fortean Times #76) In late 1933, the
Daily Mail hired self-proclaimed big-game hunter
Marmaduke Wetherall to find the Loch Ness Monster. He
took a stuffed hippopotamus foot ashtray, and placed
tracks and 'spoor' along the shore, and claimed to
have found evidence of the monster. When his hoax was
exposed, he was dropped by the Daily Mail, which
wounded his pride.
The famous photo of Nessie was supposedly created bye
Wetherall and his stepson, Christian Spurling, who was
an expert model-maker.
Wetherall's link to the photo was not previously
suspected, because the photo had been taken by surgeon
Robert Wilson. However, it turns out that Wilson was a
friend of a friend of Spurling's. Shortly before his
death, Spurling described the hoax in an interview.
There are still some suspicions about the truth of
Spurling's story, however. [JY]
Necronomicon Book of arcane and forbidden knowledge from
H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu works. Originally fictional,
though some enterprising individual has written a
mockup which you may find for sale. [FM]
Orbital Mind Control Lasers Paranoid schizophrenics frequently claim that
"They" are controlling their lives via invisible beams
from orbiting satellites. [RV]
Principia Discordia A real book, written by an author calling himself
"Malaclypse the Younger". Dates from the '60s.
The bible of Discordianism. It is available online
as ftp://ftp.spies.com/Library/Classics/princip.txt
or http://www.willamette.edu/webdev/principia/.
[JK][MV][CF]
Rogue Boomer A "boomer" is a submarine armed with strategic nuclear
weapons.
Shroud of Turin A sacred artefact of the Catholic Church, held to be
Christ's burial cloth. Considerable controversy exists
over its authenticity.
* Spear of Longinus The spear that pierced Christ's side when He was on
the cross, also known as the Spear of Destiny.
According to legend, its owner was invincible in
battle. Reportedly, Hitler wanted this baby badly.
[DV][KB]
Soulburner Likely a reference to the key macguffin in SJG's
second-coolest publication ever, the world of Merlin
from _Time Travel Adventures_.
* Warehouse 23 Reference to Hangar 54, where supposedly the US
government stores crashed UFO's, dead aliens on ice,
and other such objects it finds or acquires. Remember
the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark? Possibly
also a reference to "Hangar 18", a UFO flick. [I should
note that my correspondents have quoted a wide variety
of possible hangar numbers at me; in the event some-
body has concrete references, I'll update this entry.]
It should also be noted that "23" is a very Illuminated
number, particularly important in Discordianism as a
representation of the Rule of Fives (2+3=5). The key
tenets of the Rule are (1) that the number 5 controls
far more of our lives than can be attributed to mere
chance, and (2) that any other number would serve as
well as 5.
Fictional. [JY][FM][AC]
Xanadu "In Xanadu did Kublai Khan a stately pleasure dome
decree..." Reference to Coleridge's unfinished
classic poem. The described effect is also reminiscent
of the fashion in which the Assassin cult insured the
total loyalty of its members, but a combination of
hashish and a pleasure garden to convince them that
when they died, they had assurance of heaven. [JK]
Plots
-----
18-1/2 Minute Gap A reference to a critical bit of tape missing from the
recordings of discussions between ex-President Richard
Nixon and his subordinates, from the Watergate scandal.
[JY][TNG]
Albino Alligators Reputed to live in the New York City sewers, bleached
and blinded like cave fish. [MD]
An Offer You Can't Refuse From the film _The Godfather_; a very unappealing
offer that the target must accept lest he find himself
sleeping with the fishes. [MD]
Are We Having Fun Yet? First quipped by cartoon character Zippy the Pinhead;
later aped by many. [DV]
Atomic Monster Gojira/Godzilla, mainly. But also Gamera and others.
[DV][JY]
Benefit Concert The 1980s saw a rash of benefit concerts for various
liberal causes, mainly world hunger. [DV]
Bimbo at Eleven Reference to standard TV news update phrase, "Film at
eleven," meaning, "We'll have a full report in the
late news programme." "Bimbo" is American slang for
a very beautiful and air-headed woman, particularly one
"collected" by a rich or powerful man. [JD]
Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat From a famous Second World War speech by Winston
Churchill, detailing all he had to give for his
country. [MD]
Chicken in Every Pot A campaign slogan of Herbert Hoover, who was president
when the stock market crashed. Many people commented
(post-crash) about how horribly wrong he was.... [RV]
Citizenship Award The man on the right bears a distinct resemblance to
Tricky Dick Nixon (cf 18-1/2 Minute Gap), possibly
referring to the rehabilitation given to his reputation
by eulogy speakers after his death in 1994.
* Clone A genetically identical copy of a biological entity.
A favorite of science-fiction tales wherein entire
humans are "cloned". [JD]
Cold Fusion Notorious scientific mistake. Chemists Pons and
Fleischmann claimed to have observed fusion in a
beaker at low temperatures, which if true would have
promised almost limitless cheap energy. This claim was
followed by a flood of fame and experimental effort,
but their results were never verified.
Crop Circles Sometimes more, sometimes less elaborate patterns found
stamped into grainfields, frequently but not exclusive-
ly in southern England. Attributed either to UFO
landings or bored college students.
"Ley lines" refers to a theory of magic holding that
occult power is confined to a tracery of of "lines"
embracing the Earth; crossings of lines then are places
of great power. Stonehenge (qv) is often held to be
one such.
Deasil Engine "Deasil", from the Gaelic meaning clockwise. Its
opposite is "widdershins", meaning anticlockwise, or
"in a reversed way"--in other words, this card is
a triumph of pun over scholastic accuracy.
Don't Forget to Smash the State Illustration is reminiscent of the 1993 TV
footageof the cranes ripping down Dzherzinsky's statue
from in front of the KGB building.
Fear and Loathing Catchphrase used by gonzo journalist Hunter S.
Thompson. [JY][MD]
Fnord! A word which is supposed to appear throughout news-
papers and magazines, but which we do not consciously
fnord notice. Being faced with the omnipresence of an
"invisible" fnord non-word creates a sense of perman-
ent unease in the populace. From Robert Anton Wilson's
_Illuminatus!_, though originated in the _Principia
Discordia_, which says: "FNORD => fnord, fnord, fnord,
fnord, fnord,fnord, fnord, fnord, fnord..." [JW]
Full Moon Folklore holds that the full moon causes madness
(luna-cy), but statistical analysis shows there's no
more oddness on the Full Moon than any other night. Of
course, They might control the statisical analyzers.
[DV]
Fundie Money "Fundie" is common American slang for religious funda-
mentalists; ie. the target has been bought off by the
special interest.
Gang War Concrete galoshes are a traditional mob assassination
method.
Giant Kudzu Kudzu is an imported species of vine with no natural
predators in the US. It thrives in parts of the South,
to the point of choking trees, telephone poles, build-
ings, parked cars, etc, while exterminating the native
plant life. A truly vile weed. [TNG]
* Grassroots Support The man and woman are from "American Gothic", a famous
painting of traditional American farmlife by Grant
Wood (1892-1942). [JJ][CL][MV]
Gremlins Mythical creatures said to haunt machinery (partic-
ularly airplanes), randomly breaking machinery. I
believe their legend dates from WW2.
Gun Control American political hot potato. Notice how they are
prying it from his cold, dead hand.
Harmonica Virgins August 16, 1986 was to be the Harmonic Convergence,
when all the planets would come into alignment and a
new age of peace and good things would begin. [DV]
Hat Trick "Hat Trick" is usually a sporting term referring to a
player who scores three goals in a single match; the
trick shown is more usually called a "shell game".
Infobahn Term popularised by _Wired_ magazine. Sickeningly,
it's caught on. [see also "Al Gore"] [DV]
The Internet Worm An experimental computer program by Robert T. Morris
Jr., son of noted computer luminary R. T. Morris Sr.
(on whose actual job my correspondents can't seem to
agree), was supposedly inadvertently set loose one day
in the late 80's...it rapidly began duplicating
itself, spreading from machine to machine across the
internet, and brought much of the network to its
knees. Some folks who examined the worm claim it
looked to have been written by committee. [JY][RB]
Jake Day If one person does something weird, it's a shenanigan.
If several hundred strangers from all over the globe
simultaneously do something weird, it's a Jake. See
newsgroups alt.discordia or alt.shenanigans to find
the plotting for Spam Jake Day '95. [EF]
Jihad A Arabic word meaning roughly "holy war." Apparently
all collectible card games are required to have this
card.
Just Say No A poetic Reagan Administration anti-drug slogan.
Ketchup is a Vegetable A proposed Reagan Administration policy to save money
on school lunches while abiding by Food and Drug Admin.
regulations requiring two vegetables served at each
meal--consider ketchup to be a vegetable! Was dropped
amid howls of derisive laughter. [JY]
Kinder and Gentler What America would become if he was elected, according
to George Bush's 1988 election rhetoric.
Let Them Eat Cake! Likely apocryphal response assigned to Marie Antoin-
ette shortly prior to the French Revolution, when told
the peasants had no bread to eat.
* Mother's March Likely a reference to the Illuminatus! trilogy, in
which a character is repeatedly accosted by women
requesting donations to the "Mothers March against
<insert disease here>", where psoriasis and catarrh
were among the diseases mentioned, in parody of the
real-life Mothers March Against Birth Defects, aka the
March of Dimes. Possibly also a reference to an Argen-
tinian group called I believe "Mothers of the Disap-
peared", who pressed the government for information
about their imprisoned sons. Unfortunately, they were
not very successful. [MV][AB]
Nobel Peace Prize Awarded every year in Oslo, Norway, as part of Alfred
Nobel's atonement for the invention of dynamite.
Peace In Our Time The infamous promise by British Prime Minister
Chamberlain after the 1938 Munich talks. In the
event, he wasn't re-elected. [DV]
Pledge Drive American television tradition of variety shows held
to provide an opportunity to make pleas for donations
to support any of a variety of causes. Images of busy
operators taking calls and display boards with running
totals of pledge amounts are de rigeur.
Power Corrupts And absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton.[DV]
Pulitzer Prize Prestigious American awards for journalism.
* Rain of Frogs There have supposedly been several incidences of rains
of frogs or other unlikely small animals in the last
century, but none recorded on video or film to my
knowledge. More reputable are reports of sudden,
localized population explosions of frogs. Information
from the _Fortean Times_, a publication specialising
in the news of the weird and named after Charles Fort,
one of the original collectors of the bizarre. [JY][MV]
Reach Out . . . "Reach Out and Touch Someone", a long-running ad
campaign for AT&T, the phone company. [MD]
Read My Lips "... No New Taxes". Famous campaign promise made by
Bush in 1988; later reneged upon.
Red Scare Widespread anti-communist hysteria in the 1950s. [MD]
Rewriting History The door reads, "Ministry of Truth", the agency
responsible for rewriting history from Orwell's _1984_.
Savings and Loan Scandal See "Savings and Loans".
The Second Bullet JFK assassination buffs often claim there was a second
bullet from someone other than Oswald, one removed from
the body before it could be found by doctors, which was
the real killing shot. [DV]
Secrets Man Was Not Meant to Know Catchphrase from the Cthulhu Mythos.
Senate Investigating Committee Legal proceedings carried out by the
legislative branch of the US government, particularly
into the affairs of groups otherwise protected from
public scrutiny. [MD]
Solidarity Reference to the Polish labour movement turned poli-
cal party, which won its fight against Communism.
The Stars are Right R'lyeh, where dread Cthulhu lies dreaming, only rises
from the deeps when the stars are in certain
configurations. [DV][MD]
* Straighten Up Note carefully all the items being tossed into the
fire.
Sweepstakes Prize Junk mail in the US often contains dubious sweepstakes
offers (featuring Ed McMahon as spokesman) headed with
the phrase "You may have already won!" *I've* never
won. . . [MD]
Swiss Bank Account Tax-free and secret (at least, they used to be). [MD]
Talisman of Ahrimanes In Zoroastrianism, Ahriman is the spirit of Evil, in
constant struggle with Ahura Mazda, the spirit of
Good. [MD]
Terrorist Nuke Image is likely a reference to the 1993(?) World Trade
Center bombing in New York. [MD]
Thousand Points of Light Reference to a speech given by George Bush at the
1988 Republican nominating convention describing the
volunteers working to make America better. See also
"Kinder and Gentler". [MD][DV]
Time Warp Song from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", a cult film
popular in the US. [MD]
* Voodoo Economics Phrase used by George Bush to describe Ronald Reagan's
theory of "supply-side economics" during the 1980
Presidential campaign. Reagan promised that by cutting
the tax rate, he could improve the economy enough to
raise revenues and thus simultaneously spend more on
defence and balance the budget. His professed dis-
belief did not prevent Bush from later buying into the
theory to become Reagan's running-mate. Ain't American
politics majestic? [MD][JY]
Thanks for corrections, comments, and further information from:
[RB] R. Bain <arb...@delphi.com>
[KB] Kevin Barth <ba...@wam.umd.edu>
[MB] Mark Bassett <ma...@bloom.iisc.demon.co.uk>
[AB] Aaron Brezenski <ab...@casbah.acns.nwu.edu>
[WC] Will Chow <wc...@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu>
[CC] Christopher Clark <cla...@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>
[AC] Aaron R. Clements <a...@alumni.caltech.edu>
[DC] DJCo...@aol.com
[MD] Mike Dalton <gau...@io.com>
[JD] John S Dunkelberg <john...@world.std.com>
[CF] Christopher M. Fazendin <f...@winternet.com>
[EF] Erica L. Frank <er...@soda.csua.berkeley.edu>
[AG] Anders Gabrielsson <m91...@mimosa.tdb.uu.se>
[TG] Tom Granvold <thomas....@eng.sun.com>
[TNG] Tom Greer <t...@swt.edu>
[AH] Alex Habig <aha...@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu>
[JJ] Jeff Jones <mu...@crl.com>
[BK] Brian Kirkham <bkir...@uiuc.edu>
[JK] Joshua Kronengold <mn...@dorsai.org>
[CRL] Creede Lambard <fear...@io.com>
[CL] Chad Leigh <ch...@xmission.com>
[CPL] Corey Liss <cp...@midway.uchicago.edu>
[WL] Will Linden <wli...@panix.com>
[FM] Flex Mentallo <kah...@netcom.com>
[LM] Lance Moody <lance...@aol.com>
[AN] Alan Nichols <hip...@ebay.sun.com>
[CO] Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien <ich...@lucifer.psyc.virginia.edu>
[JR] JRa...@utcvm.utc.edu
[LR] Laurie Robertson <lrob...@clark.net>
[MV] Mike Vande Bunt <Mike.Va...@mixcom.com>
[DV] Dave Van Domelen <dva...@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
[RV] Rob Vines <r-v...@uiuc.edu>
[BW] Brian K. Wade <bw...@relay.nswc.navy.mil>
[JW] Jonathan Woodward <wood...@ftp.com>
[JY] Jeremy York <bea...@netcom.com>
[DZ] Douglas Zimmerman <k...@sae.com>
--
colin | rational romantic mystic cynical idealist minimal expressionist post-
roald | modern neo-symbolist armchair rocket scientist graffiti existentialist
Anders Gabrielsson
illustration, though some are a bit difficult to spot. But maybe that's
spoiling a bit too much...
Anders
Johan M. Andersen
fire.
I think you mean Just Say No. Straighten up is an elderly woman threatening a
punker....
******************************************************************************
* /\ Heute Die Welt From The Pineal Gland Of *
* /<>\ FNoRD? Johan M. Andersen IV *
* /____\ Morgen Das Sonnensystem jo...@columbia.edu *
******************************************************************************
Some of this is true.....Some of this is BETTER! --TMJ
Will Linden
Will Linden
least, that is what he says his name is.
There is a California-based Wiccan group called the New Reformed
Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn. The name is a joke, as it is "not very
reformed, not at all orthodox", and has no link with the historical
Golden Dawn.
Will Linden
to "a great princess", at a date which makes it unlikely to be Marie
Antoinette. Maria Theresa has been suggested as the "culprit". Also, the
original is reportedly an injunction to eat _brioches_.
Mike VandeBunt
> Anders
I have not found a single card (yet) that didn't have a pyramid in it. Some
of them need a good imagination to spot, but they're there (trust me, I have
only your best interests at heart...). Any list of pyramid locations should
be separate from the Concordance to: A) Allow people to find them for
themselves (more fun!), and B) Keep that-which-must-remain-secret hidden.
Fnord.
--
Mike Vande Bunt (N9KHZ) Mike.Va...@mixcom.com
Paul Andrew King
In article <1995Jan23....@galileo.cc.rochester.edu>
co...@callisto.pas.rochester.edu (colin sebastian roald) writes:
>>
>The Frog God In the _Illuminatus_ trilogy, there is a scene in
which
> a main character witnesses an Obscene Ritual performed
> in front of an idol much like this one. [JR]
The Illuminatus! reference is to Saint Toad (actually Tsathoggua from Clark
Ashton Smith's contributions to the Cthulhu mythos).
The card is more likely a reference to Paul Lidberg proprietor of RPG
company Crunchy Frog Enterprises, whose email address is fro...@aol.com.
Paul K.
Will Linden
she was "the functional equivalent of a government employee", as a
rationale for exempting her "health-care" task force from sunshine rules.
Will Linden
Branch of the Metropolitan Police ("Scotland Yard"), and last I heard
military intelligence had nothing to do with it.
Douglas Limmer
<Mike.Va...@mixcom.com> writes:
>I have not found a single card (yet) that didn't have a pyramid in it. Some
>of them need a good imagination to spot, but they're there (trust me, I have
>only your best interests at heart...).
Wow. How many cards do you have? I've bought 2 starter packs, and got one
free in the mail, and there are quite a few cards without pyramids. Note:
I don't count just triangles. Triangles are too non-specific.
How about these: (feel free to e-mail if you don't want to broadcast)
Solidarity (NWO plot)
The Corporate Masters (Goal plot)
Fratricide (Goal plot)
Tornado (plot)
[almost put Fnord! here]
Foiled! (plot)
Whispering Campaign (plot)
The Auditor from Hell (plot)
Hat Trick (plot)
Save the Whales (plot)
Dinosaur Park (place group)
Boy Sprouts (group)
Rosicrucians (group)
Al Gore (personality group)
Pollsters (group)
[I want to put Nuclear Power Companies here, but I guess the signature counts]
Flying Saucer (resource)
There are others with conspicuous triangles, and others which are cluttered
enough to make me think I missed one, but many of these I see very little
chance of finding a pyramid/eye symbol.
Doug L.
--
AXIOM TESTING STATION
CAUTION - UNRESOLVED POSTULATES
- Terry Pratchett, _Pyramids_
Douglas Limmer, lim...@math.orst.edu
Jonathan Woodward
> In article <1995Jan24.1...@mixcom.com> Mike VandeBunt
> <Mike.Va...@mixcom.com> writes:
> >I have not found a single card (yet) that didn't have a pyramid in it. Some
> >of them need a good imagination to spot, but they're there (trust me, I have
> >only your best interests at heart...).
> Wow. How many cards do you have? I've bought 2 starter packs, and got one
> free in the mail, and there are quite a few cards without pyramids. Note:
> I don't count just triangles. Triangles are too non-specific.
No, _all_ the cards have all-seeing pyramids. If you haven't
found them all, you're just not looking hard enough. I've found that dim
lighting and generous doses of chemically-active substances help...
-JW
"Ahh! It's _looking_ at me!"
--
Jonathan Woodward /\ FTP Software, Inc.
wood...@ftp.com /()\ Makers of TCP/IP Network
wood...@io.com /____\ Software for the PC
Jim McCoy
> In article <1995Jan24.1...@mixcom.com> Mike VandeBunt
> <Mike.Va...@mixcom.com> writes:
> >I have not found a single card (yet) that didn't have a pyramid in it. Some
> >of them need a good imagination to spot, but they're there (trust me, I have
> >only your best interests at heart...).
Note: all of the original art had the pyramids, some of them were cropped
out of the picture that eventually was put on the card and a few became
even more subtle as the image was scaled down to fit on the card.
> How about these: (feel free to e-mail if you don't want to broadcast)
> Solidarity (NWO plot)
The edges of the thumb and index finger of the foreground hand provide the
sides of the triangle, the joint of the background thumb hides the "eye".
> The Corporate Masters (Goal plot)
Look closely at the hands in the center of the card...
Keep looking...
jim