Dark Earth Timeline Discussion

[jemhouston]

I'd like them replace Canberra since it was a near perfect machine.

[Simon Darkshade]

It has been replaced, firstly by the TSR-2 in the heavy role and then by the Vickers Thunderbolt in the light.

To expand:

1.) The DE Canberra was a "light medium" which entered service in the final years of the Second World War. It was a 1st generation jet bomber. As of the late 1970s, jet fighters and bombers are in their 4th generation.

2.) Performance: The historical Canberra had a combat range of 810 miles, a top speed of 580mph at altitude or 518mph at sea level, a ceiling of 48,000ft and an 8000lb maximum bombload, with a 65ft length, 64ft wingspan, 960 square feet wing area and a MTOW of 55000lb. The DE Canberra is 78ft long, has a wingspan of 75ft, a wing area of 1250 square feet and a MTOW of 75000lb, with a combat range of 1375 miles, a top speed of 640mph at 42000ft, a ceiling of 55000ft and 12000lb maximum bombload.

3.) British Production was 90 in 1943, 192 in 1944, 245 in 1945, 200 in 1946, 235 in 1947, 288 in 1948, 306 in 1949, 329 in 1950, 462 in 1951, 452 in 1952, 394 in 1953, 329 in 1954, 276 in 1955, 284 in 1956, 310 in 1957, 278 in 1958, 236 in 1959 and 219 in 1960 for 5125 of all variants. Further production occurred in Canada (629), Australia (426), South Africa (157) and under license in the USA by Martin Aircraft as the B-56.

4.) The development of a replacement began in 1952. Peak RAF deployment came in 1958 with 640 in Bomber Command's Light Bomber Force, 320 in MEAF, 240 in the FEAF, 160 in RAF Mediterranean, 160 in RAF India, 460 ground attack bombers in the Tactical Air Forces and RAF Germany, just over 200 photo recce planes, 120 EW types, and 200 assorted trainers for 2536 on paper strength.

5.) Exports: India 684; Arab Union states 320; Austria-Hungary, Germany, France and Italy 250; Belgium, the Netherlands Sweden, Egypt, Japan, Argentina and Brazil 120; Persia, Mexico, Portugal, Bulgaria and Chile 100; Yugoslavia, Nigeria and Rhodesia 80; Kenya and Peru 48; Libya, Ethiopia, the Ashante Confederation, Tanganyika, Uganda and Cameroon 24

6.) By 1960, the Canberra was getting long in the tooth, behind the cutting edge of military aviation and obsolescent. By 1970, she was obsolete in her original form as a bomber or strike aircraft.

[Jotun]

Tactical Surströmming spray? That's cruel and unusual extrajudicial punishment!

A simple hint for the Imperial German MCM flottilla: Looking at the shit that was dumped into the Baltic and North Seas in "our" Earth's history especially after WW2 plus the metric crapload of mines, the MCM forces should be extremely experienced and riding the bleeding edge of technology.

[Simon Darkshade]

The Swedish military and police do not mess around, with this being one of their nicer incidents. In 1973, there was this:

"August 23: Jan-Erik Olsson attempts to rob the Kreditbanken on Normmalstorg Square in Stockholm in an effort to secure the release of his criminal mentor, seizing four hostages and exchanging fire with the police. They respond with firegas and, whilst subsequently storming the bank, accidentally combine the effects of two experimental arcane wands of command and paralysis, their own police protective cloaks and a small basket of seafood. The resulting impacts wears off the hostages after two days, but the captive Olsson remains unable to stop vomiting elvers for the better part of a fortnight; research wizards will later dub the accidental effect as ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

Nice idea for the German MCM forces; I'll see what can be done in the remaining months of 1976.

[Belushi TD]

This was an amazing data dump. I've not had the time to read through it all so far, but I love how it provides a very detailed view into certain aspects of DE's military and procurement.

As always, the easter eggs provide a delightful enhancement from the meat of the post, not unlike a fine wine or a rich sauce.

Belushi TD

[Simon Darkshade]

Thank you for that delightful metaphor, which appeals to my gastronautical bent.

The likes of the above don't take a lot of time to do, and keeping odd hours through 'shift work body clock' and puppy/baby velociraptor duties does allow for a little bit of collation, sorting and a tiny bit of initial analysis. It does help in mapping out future developments and seeing what areas I tend to drift towards when everything isn't completely planned to the nth degree as in other pieces of extended prose or history.

What therefore is likely to make more of an appearance?
- Arms sales
- Strategic/nuclear weapons, which will likely come in the form of some sort of talks/agreements, then some new systems
- A bit more on the personnel/training side, which is an interesting area rarely touched upon
- Plans, plans and more plans. They always provide some meat to talk about
- Tanks, but within reason. Many nations have built or purchased their second or third lot of the Cold War era (the first lot being the Centurion/M48 period, then the AMX-25/30, Chieftain and M60, then the Crusader/Challenger, M70, AMX-32 and the Leopard, and now the 1980s general of Leopard II, the M100 Abrams, the Napoleon and the next Crusader version

[Belushi TD]

Thank you for that delightful metaphor, which appeals to my gastronautical bent.

I'm so glad you enjoyed.

By the way.....

Does gastronautical bent mean you enjoy having a picknick on a sailboat? The other mental image I have is that of a platter of assorted cheeses and crackers on an inflatable tube, and a guy in one of those floating chairs daintily selecting his next flavor/texture combination. The wine is in a very redneck looking igloo cooler.

Belushi TD

[Simon Darkshade]

Unfortunately not. It is an affectionate term for a 'gourmet' coined by British television chef Keith Floyd, with elements of the modern sense of 'gourmand', which is a love of food and cooking. It differs from the modern term 'foodie', in intensity, focus and perhaps the historical bent to it.

I cannot recall the last picnic I engaged with, but it must have been well over 36 years ago. To be precise, I am a gastronaut in exile, as I have but one meal a day, and am permitted to cook maybe two dozen times in a calendar year, and only once with full kitchen freedom. The ration packs, descriptions of restaurants, the little bits and pieces of food trends - they are all then an example of living vicariously through imagery.

[Belushi TD]

Ah, I see.

I thought you were going for gastronomical bent.

My bad. And good luck with getting more opportunities to garner more time in the kitchen.

Belushi TD

[Simon Darkshade]

October 1976
October 1: TSR patents a new arcane animation process that converts high quality paintings and pictures to enchanted animated cartoons of exceptionally high quality. The follow-up to the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons animated series now under production, itself following on the successful reception of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon, is envisaged as being a serial initially focused on Gary Gygax’s Greyhawk fictional world, with a long term vision of encompassing campaign settings now under development at TSR. One of the company’s senior business executive gnomes, upon realising the scope of broader earnings from the patent alone, contracts a firm of construction wizards from the coast to build him a new lakeside tower on the shores of Lake Geneva.

October 2: New legislation regarding tobacco advertising comes into effect in Britain, restricting its appearance on television or the wireless until after 7:30pm, and prohibiting it from being featured in periodicals and other such written material primarily aimed at children. The earlier introduction of restrictions of the amount of advertising at major sporting events has seen a small yet noticeable decrease in the smoking uptake rate amongst young people, which in any event has been on a steady decline since the peak at the end of the war. Despite recent breakthroughs in the development of the so-called 'safer cigarette' and the cure for cancer eliminating some of the chief health problems associated with smoking, the Ministry of Health's position remains that there is a clear causal link between smoking and other pulmonary diseases and conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary syndrome, emphysema and grand bronchitis, and that until reliable cures can be developed for such conditions, then the danger to human and humanoid health remains.

October 3: Chancellor Graf Siegfried Von Hartmann‘s coalition of the Deutschkonservative Partei, Deutsche Partei, the Liberal-Demokratische Partei/LDP, the CDU/CSU and the FDP increase their effective majority at the German federal election over the opposition SPD, SAPD, KPD and AP group by 5 seats, winning a total of 420 seats to 232, with Zentrum winning 127 and a number of other centrist and agricultural parties 22 seats, and independents and minor parties 19. Von Hartmann's victory is largely ascribed to his ability to maintain a resolutely strong defence against the constant Communist threat in both the military and diplomatic indices whilst keeping economic growth steadily high. With Germany's Wirtshaftwunder showing no sign of abating any time soon, it would be a particularly bold prediction to bet against Von Hartmann remaining in power beyond 1980.

October 4: President Reagan signs the Tax Reform Act of 1976 into law, putting in place a sweeping range of tax cuts on individuals and companies across the USA, raising the percentage standard deduction to 20% and a general tax credit of 2.5% extended through 1980 and reducing capital gains tax. The reforms have widespread bipartisan support across the major and minor parties, although some economists have urged caution to avoid the economy overheating. In the Supreme Court, the case bought by the Unification Church or 'Moonies' against their prescription as a dangerous cult fails 7-0, with its argument that its activities fell under the Free Exercise Clause through a novel use of the precedent set in Reynolds v. United States failing to move any of the justices.

October 5: British Railways authorises the construction of a partially underground tunnel system for testing of new vactrain designs. The highly experimental technology, which has the potential for achieving a top speed over four times greater than the fastest conventional trains currently in use in the British Isles, the 375mph A25 Advanced High Speed Train, which would translate to London to Manchester taking slightly less time than the walk from Westminster Abbey to St. James Park. In practical terms, few routes within Britain present a reasonable prospect of providing an economic return on the exorbitantly high cost of vactrain technology, with only the London to Glasgow being viewed as even partway viable.

October 6: The last echelon of the international stabilisation forces begin to pull out of Beirut, watched over by the guns of the USN and RN offshore, leaving residual Arab Union troops, special groups of advisors and sufficient contingents to protect the international and embassy districts against further flare-ups of disorder. The mood in the Paris of the Middle East is cautiously optimistic, with a growing hope that the problems of the recent path can be left behind the cosmopolitan metropolis amid prognostications of a bright future for the Lebanon. The cinemas of Hamra Street are once again open throughout the night and the souks and bazaars throng with activity rather than violence; the Prince remains a lone voice of caution against the tide.

October 7: Completion of a new Commonwealth armaments plant in Kimberley in South Africa, joining the previous facilities in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Victoria as part of £500 million investment in diversifying Commonwealth military production in Southern Africa, where its combination of plentiful natural resources, cheap energy and substantial space has attracted great interest from planners in London. The rate of growth of the populations of South Africa, Canada and Australia and the greater availability of greenfield sites has lead to consideration of the siting of new large facilities in the Dominions. Whilst the British population continues to grow at a steady rate, with 4,263,034 births offsetting net emigration of 215,461 (from 329,459 emigrants and 113,998 total immigrants) and 1,289,280 recorded deaths, the true impact of the second and now third winds of the post war birth boom will be properly felt from the mid to late 1980s, whilst defence does not necessarily wait for new generations to grow to adulthood.

October 8: A young American schoolboy in the San Fernando Valley of suburban Los Angeles, having been tutored in the exotic Oriental martial art of karate by his apartment block's handyman, wins the Under 18 All-Valley Karate Championship through the employment of the very advanced Double Crane kick to subdue his opponent. The young tow-headed lad had earlier been subjected to moves that some judges have decried as unethical, including targeting of a previously injured knee, and finds it difficult to stand when being presented with his trophy by renowned karate champion Chuck Norris and his visiting Japanese guest, Master Hamato Yoshi.

October 9: At an airshow in Harlingen, Texas, USAF General Paul Tibetts (ret), reenacts his dropping of the first atomic bomb, Little Boy, on Hiroshima in 1945, flying a restored B-29 under the auspices of the Confederate Air Force; the bomb is not a restored nuclear weapon, much to the gratitude of the audience, but a specially built simulator that set off a miniature mushroom cloud. The performance is met with considerable applause, and repeated twice over the day, although the Japanese Ambassador does issue a perfunctory protest to Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, which in turn is received, perfunctorily.

October 10: Tokyo detectives launch a major renewed investigation into the suspected Vampire Yakuza Slayer, who has recently begun anew its campaign of targeted killings of Japanese gangsters. Several high ranking Yakuza bosses have reportedly taken up residence in some of the megalopolis’s churches in an effort to avoid the fate of others, with the known death toll being 39, and a further three dozen other deaths and disappearances over the last five years being linked to the suspected creature.

October 11: In what is subsequently dubbed Black Monday, five terrorist bombs explode within 10 minutes in railway stations in London, Paris, Berlin, New York and Tokyo, killing 18 and injuring 267 people. Suspicion immediately falls upon the International Revolutionary Army and the nefarious Che Guevara, but the outrage is claimed by the hitherto unknown Syndicalist League, with the justification that ‘international capital must fall for mankind to progress’ being viewed with appropriate horror. A meeting of law enforcement officials takes place at Interpol headquarters that evening to formulate a collective response.

October 12: An international agreement on a strict code of ethics and best practice in animal experimentation is agreed upon after extensive negotiations at the League of Nations in Geneva, and it is hoped that this will pave the way for a binding treaty. Meanwhile, at Westminster, the House of Commons has a particularly busy day, passing bills on the regulation of television content and the extension of fishing limits out to 250 nautical miles and the swiftly amended Prevention of Terrorism Bill, which had been stuck in committee until the outrages of Black Monday, but voting down private member's bills to ban corporal punishment and amend the Shops Act of 1911 to loosen social restrictions on trading hours.

October 13: The GDR flagged oil tanker Boehlen sinks in a vicious autumnal storm off the coast of the French island of Ushant, leading to an emergency response by patrol vessels and helicopters of the Maritime Gendarmerie and the nearby British customs vessel HMRC Vigilant, which had been patrolling in company with the HM Coast Guard cruiser HMCGS Hamlet, and the rescue of 20 of the 37 crew. The vessel is later raised to prevent disastrous leakage of its cargo of 20,000t of crude oil, which threatened the fishing grounds and natural environment of the isles.

October 14: The Sikorsky ARH-96 Airwolf supersonic hybrid rotorplane enters service with the Central Intelligence Agency's special paramilitary air wing, intitially being deployed with Detachment Z in the rugged hills of Assam. The Airwolf has a range of 1200 miles and a conventional top speed of 450mph, with speeds of well over Mach 1.25 achieved with use of its revolutionary turbothrusters, whilst it carries a range of auto cannon, rockets, machine guns, laser ray guns and conventional and nuclear missiles. Its current deployment with the Agency within range of South East Asia is intended to support a number of clandestine missions behind the Communist frontier of North Laos and North Vietnam and into the borderlands of Imperial China, where the potential air defence environment is considered less putatively challenging than along the Soviet border in Europe. The first Airwolf mission flown by Detachment Z was in support of a certain contract group of freelance commandos conducting strategic reconnaissance of a suspect cave complex near Dien Bien Phu.

October 15: SS Sylvia L. Ossa, a Brazilian flagged bulk carrier with a cargo of iron ore from Brazil to Philadelphia, disappears approximately 180 miles west of Bermuda without any notice, save for a garbled emergency radio call about a 'lula gigante.' No trace of the vessel or her 37 crew is found, save for an oil slick around her last presumed location, and an overturned empty lifeboat; subsequent submersible scanning sorcery reveals no sign of wreckage, flotsam or even jetsam, indicating that the ship somehow disappeared in its entirety. The US Coast Guard and Department of Magic open another file in their Bermuda Triangle section, whilst officers of the the Coast Guard, USN and RN meet in Washington to make contingency plans for the eventuality that there is a monstrous kraken operating off the East Coast, a step not taken since the apparent eradication of the megalodon.

October 16: An article in Nature announces the discovery of a number of new species by a recent multinational expedition in the High Amazon, including a new tribe of great apes or hominidae, the sachachipi, and a curious reptile species capable of walking on its hind legs. The sachachipi display similar signs of extremely rudimentary tool usage and other behaviours not previously seen in extant New World apes, leading some to postulate that they may be a long distant equivalent to the mangani of West Africa, who occupy a niche between the chimpanzee and gorilla on the one hand and man on the other, whilst other scientists contend that they must be a relative of the sasquatch family, and thus more closely related to men. A team of paleoanthropological wizards plans to attempt direct arcanely augmented communication with the sachachipi in the coming spring.

October 17: The International Architectural Review publishes a special edition examining the competing schools of architecture prevalent across the world in order to explore what it characterises as the curious resistance to modernism in some countries. The American model of integrated suburbia is compared favourably to the Soviet socialist realist microdistricts that make up much of their modern development, whilst the decline of modernism in Western Europe is decried as a malign influence from the antediluvians across the Channel, and the unique style seen in Japan is cautiously praised. New trends in Brazil, the Arab Union and India all seem to be hoving towards individual styles rather than a more uniform internationalism.

October 18: USAF ANG F-104s attempt to intercept a very large UFO over the Great Plains, with the over 2000ft long object seeming to consist of three long cylinders and one offset disk, and capable of climbing at a tremendous rate. One Starfighter, piloted by Captain John Christopher, manages to capture a number of blurry images of the supposed flying object, which are subsequently classified and taken to Washington for examination by the relevant authorities. The event, which is classified to the highest level possible, represents a change in previously observed patterns of behaviour by UFOs, with some authorities concluding that this may have been some sort of different object, possibly the product of experimental magic.

October 19: The War Office approves the formation of a number of Home Guard combined arms battle groups for use as a rapid response strategic reserve in the event of mobilisation. The units are to be known as the Home Service Force, and be available to augment the existing strength of the 1248 battalions, 526 air defence and artillery batteries, 234 cavalry squadrons and 92 armoured car troops of the Home Guard; the Army Reserve’s 240 Composite General Reserve battalions and 480 General Service Unit companies; and the Territorial Army’s 240 battalions assigned to home defence. The move comes as reforms are being made to the various aspects of British military reserves, with Class C being reduced to cover reserve service liability to 40, the Ever Readies to be expanded, and stocks of 1940s and 1950s Super Crusader tanks and 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns to be fully retired. Whilst the British Army is not subject to the legislative necessity to hold to a two power standard in the manner of the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force, there have been calls from the new Conservative Government to entrench its minimum requirements in a similar fashion.

October 20: Young Argentine soccer player Diego Maradona makes his debut in the Primera División, playing for Argentinos Juniors against Talleros de Cordoba at La Paternal. His entry into the match as a substitute at the beginning of the second half was to no avail, with Talleros winning 1-0, although a number of observers commented approvingly of his dash and skill. The match was somewhat disrupted by an Argentine Super Mirage fighter jet flying overhead at supersonic speed, having been scrambled after a report of unidentified aircraft incoming over the River Plate; this was later revealed to be a false alarm sparked by issues with newly delivered British radar systems.

October 21: At the invitation of the Omani government, the first echelons of a British task force lands at Thumrait and Muscat in a surprise move. The War Office announces that large forces from two reinforced infantry divisions and an airborne division are to be deployed, with elements of the Royal Marines, Gurkhas and Commandos being attached to the force, as an extra goodwill measure. It is thought that the deployment, given the codename Operation Warwolf, is ostensibly aimed at rebel elements in the southern province of Dhofar, but is also seen as a means of demonstrating British intent in the Middle East for certain other parties.

October 22: Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert profile their pick of the best new film releases of the third quarter of the year, giving two thumbs up to The Epic of Gilgamesh starring Tomasz Wiseau (Ebert quips that the enigmatic Polish-American man of a thousand faces seems remarkably well suited to the 41st century BC), The Shootist starring the evergreen John Wayne, the charming comedy Bugsy Malone and Michael York's starring role in the sporting epic Logan's Run. Special mention is given to Pointblank, a joint Anglo-American epic war movie directed by Clint Eastwood and telling the story of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Germany in the Second World War. John Thaw as Sir Arthur Harris and Don Fellows as Carl Spaatz head a large all star cast which includes Lewis Collins, Kenneth Branagh, Richard Todd, Michael Caine, Peter Firth, Simon Ward, Christopher Reeve and Chuck Norris, but the true stars of the picture are the spectacular special effects and the large scale use of former RAF, RIAF and USAF warbirds.

October 23: A dreadful act of arson kills 25 people in New York City, with a blaze being set in the sole stairwell of the Porto Rican Social Club in the Bronx and spreading too rapidly across the dance hall for more than a handful of people to escape, particularly with the second floor fire escape being blocked by a locked steel security door. After examination by NYPD forensic sorcerers, investigators arrest three men over the arson, with Jose Antonio Cordero having offered to pay teen-agers Francisco Mendez and Hector Lopez in alcohol and marihuana to set fire to the club, after Cordero had been ejected following a lover's tiff. All three men are convicted of 25 counts of murder and arson and sentenced to death, with Mendez and Lopez going to the electric chair on January 30th 1977 and Cordero being burnt on February 2nd.

October 24: James Hunt wins the Formula One World Championship by a single point over the dashing Austro-Hungarian Niki Lauda, following the latter's withdrawal from the Japanese Grand Prix due to heavily rainy conditions and concerns over the safety of the race. Hunt subsequently comes third in the Japanese race at the Fuji Racetrack, behind Mario Andretti and veteran Jackie Stewart, who emerged victorious in his final Formula One Race, earning the necessary three points to pip Lauda at the post with 69. Third place with 60 points went to Steve McQueen, whilst Graham Hill's strong finish to the season earned him fourth place with 58. Japanese motoring journalist Shotaro Kaneda comments that it seems the late 1970s are shaping up to be another period of British dominance with the likes of Hunt, Hill, John Watson, Rupert Keegan and young up and comers Nigel Mansell and Steve Pising presenting a formidable group of talented drivers.

October 25: The reputedly finest soldier in the Ugandan Army, Captain Alexander Kakule, leads a mission which succeeds in penetrating the secret headquarters of the much feared Tiger Brotherhood and killing or capturing its leadership. The Tigers were purportedly associated with the undercurrent of criminal violence and discrimination against Uganda’s ethnic minority populations, which was one of the factors which precipitated the British lead intervention of 1971. During the operation, a mistaken radio message leads to concerns that Captain Kakule had been injured or killed, but these fears are assuaged by the successful end of the raid. The transition from residual Commonwealth military forces, which currently consist of a reinforced brigade of the King's African Rifles, to Ugandan Army control has been largely successful, which some observers ascribe to the core of professional non-commissioned officers in the latter force, who have been very well trained by the British, and the large number of officers and senior NCOs seconded from the British Army and colonial forces.

October 26: Release of Walt Disney's latest live action picture, The Coral Island, starring Mark Lester, Kevin Moreton and Gary Russell, to a reasonable but not tremendous reception. It notably marks the first employment of the 'Disney Strategy', whereby the film is to accompanied by a board game, comic book, toys, merchandise and a series of short radio plays, and an option for a follow up television series was included should the film be sufficiently successful. A number of business analysts regard this 'multi-media' approach as being one of the ways of the future, but it may be better suited to one of Mr. Disney's classical animated pictures.

October 27: Dr. John Smith of the League of Nations U.N.I.T. organisation announces the successful interception and neutralisation of a 250ft wide asteroid that had the potential to come into close proximity with the Earth on its next orbit, with 36 missiles launched from Royal Space Force, USSF, SKS and ARES cruisers near the L4 Lagrange point between Earth and Minerva. Dr. Smith claimed that the operation demonstrates the expanding reach of Earth’s planetary defences, with further installations envisaged under the planned Stellaris Program; this is to consist of a network of twelve enlarged 'deep space' arrays positioned around the L2, L4 and L5 points of the Earth-Luna, Earth-Minerva and Earth-Bellona systems.

October 28: The second Presidential debate between President Ronald Reagan and the Democratic candidate Senator Robert F. Kennedy has a similar result to the first, with no knock out blows delivered by either man, and each giving a very good account of themselves. The consensus of press reaction in the immediate aftermath of the debate is that Senator Kennedy was the narrow winner due to his steady approach and loftier appeals, but the view of the general public in polling conducted by telephone suggests that Reagan's trademark steely optimism moved rather more of the men on the street than in the galleries of press pundits. The latest general election polling gives Reagan a lead of 52-48 on a two party preferred basis, but this may be influenced on election day by the strength of the vote for the Liberal Party/Whigs, with the southern Conservatives showing a general preference for President Reagan.

October 29: General Secretary and Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic, Ernst Thalmann, 90, appoints three younger deputies in what is seen as the first potential sign of future leadership change. Erich Honecker, 64, Paul Frohlich, 63, and Willi Stoph, 62, are seen as among the best young politicians in the East German communist state, and state media comments adoringly on their combination energy, zest and dynamism. The view of the deputy head of the German Reichsnachrichtendienst, Otto Flick, on their elevation is rather more scathing, describing them as 'three old and wrinkled bad crabapples that stand out from the rest of the rotting bunch solely due to the others being lemons', and notes that as Thalmann's public appearances have decreased, there may be issues with his suspected body doubles.

October 30: The King of Egypt grants a petition for a series of gradual political liberalisation, lifting some limits on the number of approved opposition parties and their permitted number of seats and loosening restrictions on political newspapers of the Liberal and other parties, but keeping in place the post 1956 controls over public demonstrations and political gatherings and the monitoring and registration of political donations. The delicate tightrope being trod by King Fuad and Crown Prince Nazeem balancing reform and their grip on power contrasts with the latest developments from the nascent Central African Empire, where Emperor Bokassa I has again delayed elections and ordered a round-up of political opponents; Bokassa's extreme eccentricities are thought to be tolerated at present due to the continuation of previous contractual arrangements for increased exploration by French mining and oil companies, with the Central African Empire's uranium deposits of great interest to Paris.

October 31: A number of strange things occur over the night of Hallowe'en in the small Indiana town of Hawkins, with a weird luminescent aura akin to Cherenkov radiation spotted around the secretive Hawkins National Laboratory, a strange shower of meat and blood rain akin to that of Olympia Springs in 1876 occurring in the early evening just as children were about to commence trick or treating, and a succession of strange lights being spotted in the sky, which are later ascribed to natural swamp gas. Several children come home quite late, and are chastised for their clearly imaginary (and likely sugar-inspired) tales of time running slower along particular backroads, whilst the Hawkins Police Department is unable to find the older rapscallions responsible for allegedly placing a blue London police box in the town square, although a young man and elderly professor from out of town are issued with a speeding fine for going a little fast down the Kerley and West Cornwallis Road in their Delorean sports car.

[jemhouston]

I like it when buildings look like art and not just blocks of stone.