El Dorado

July 25th, 2007

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Alt-Historian picking back up: We're picking back up on this story today. We'll give you a finish on the story from yesterday as soon as it's finished.

When she told Monica that she was going out for a drink with the reporter, she could see the girl's face practically imploding from holding in the smirk. “I'll be ok,” Monica said to her. “In fact, why don't I spend the night here at Grandpa's. You take all the time you want.”
“It's not going to be like that. It's just a drink.” She looked over at him on the other side of the yard, and he waved. “He probably just wants to get me drunk so I'll start talking about the project.”
“Uh-huh. Men are always gettin' women drunk so that they'll talk more.”
“Shut up.” She looked down at the plain dress she was wearing. “Do I look ok?”
“You could do with some brighter lipstick. Here, I got some in my purse.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a lipstick that could be seen from outer space.
“No, thank you. I'll manage with what I have on.”
“This drives all the boys wild,” Monica said, tauntingly.
“Yeah, when I want to drive 14-year-old boys wild, I'll come see you.” Andrea saw that the reporter and the cameraman were doing some kind of interview with her father. Mr. Ross was looking proudly at his daughter and speaking just softly enough to where she couldn't hear him. “What is he getting daddy to say?”
“Cousin Marvin's the one you don't want him to talk to. He knows all your secrets.”
She looked at Monica suspiciously. “What did Marv tell you?”
“I'm takin' it to the grave.” She snorted a little bit and muttered, “Bloomers.”
Andrea was incensed. “That was once, and we were just having a little fun.”
Monica spread out her hands and backed away. “Hey, I don't need to hear you justify your little kinks, mom.”
“I am going to kill that man.” Andrea looked around the yard, but Marvin was hidden from sight behind other Ross relatives, so he was spared. During her scan of the yard, she saw that her father was done talking to Lance, so she decided to see what he had said. “Monica, don't go too far. I may want to leave pretty soon.”
“We just got here,” Monica whined, but then saw her mother looking at the reporter. “Oh. I understand.”
Andrea ignored her and walked quickly over to her father. “Daddy, what did you say to him?”
“I was just talkin' about how many scholarships you won when you were a girl, and how you always wanted to be an astronomer, cuz I taught you about the constellations when you were tiny.” He put his arm around her and pointed to the sky. “I told him the story about the people in the sky and how you wanted to meet 'em.”
Andrea liked sideways at him. “That story usually takes half an hour.”
“He rushed me.”

In 1941, in British North Africa Loose Cannon Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence was set once again in full action at the centre of memorable events. Churchill called him the man of the moment. Lawrence had not considered himself a man since his capture at Deraa in November 1917. Afterwards he had suffered such terrible nightmares that he had ripped five pages from his war diary in shame. That had not worked either, and then he had turned to John Bruce to suppress the darkness within him, to expidate the disasterous loss of integrity he had suffered that terrible night.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of Susan Shwarz original content has been made to celebrate the author's commanding genius.

Bob Dylan	How does it feel To be on your own With no direction home Like a complete unknown Like a rolling stone? ~ Lyrics to “Like a Rolling Stone” Click to Play Sample
Troubled Genius

"Like a Rolling Stone" was released as a 45 rpm single on July 20, 1965. Dylan gave the song its live debut at the Newport Folk Festival appearance five days later. It was a disaster with Dylan prematurely exiting the stage in tears. Dylan had been booed by fans when he played alongside an electric blues/rock and roll band while headlining the festival. The full lyrics are available at Lyrics Freak

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

"I sit and wait, does an angel contemplate my fate? And do they know, the places where we go When we're grey and old? 'cos I have been told -
Robbie Williams	That salvation lets their wings unfold So when I'm lying in my bed Thoughts running through my head And I feel the love is dead I'm loving angels instead" ~ Lyrics to “Angels” - Click to Play Sample
Troubled Genius

Following some troubled years, describing his joy at the birth of his daughter with wife Nicol Kidman. The full lyrics are available at MP3 Lyrics

~ quotation by Co-Historian Steve Payne from Counter-history – You're the Judge!

In 1940, Judge Ib Scotlung was given his first assignment by the International Court, to find a peaceful resolution to a border dispute between warring nations in this America of Skrelleland. Tawantiinsuuju was the nation the Inca Empire became without the Spanish strangling it in infancy in 1532. The Spanish themselves were rules by Arabs and Berbers, who had established Dar Al-Harb in the territory Park still thought of as Brazil.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 2009, the TV networks presented episode sixteen of So What If?. Tom Gatch, Jr. interviewed King Julian who talked about forebear George Washington's decision to accept the American crown, and the reasons why his descendants still rule.

~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Keys to Rebecca	In 1980, Ken Follett published the counter-historical novel ”The Keys to Rebecca”. As Rommel's Afrika Corps advanced to Cairo the secrets that would unlock the doors to Cairo are provided by an agent code-named Sphinx. A group of officers, headed by Gamal Abdul Nassar, and Anwar el-Sadat, secretly side with the Germans, ..
.. ridding Egypt of Britain's presence. In a tribute to Philip K Dick's 1964 counter-factual novel Man in the High Castle, Follett presented a book within a book, 'The Sphinx Lies Heavy'. Set in Britain in 1956, the once-proud nation has been humiliated by President Nasser who has seized the Suez Canal. All because some ten years earlier Britain defended Egypt from the Nazis, and chose not to punish a group of officers, headed by Gamal Abdul Nassar, and Anwar el-Sadat who secretly side with the Germans. Like Dick before him, the essence of Follett's masterpiece is the duality of his frightening visions.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1536, through divination of Muisca rituals brought to Sebastian de Belalcazar in Quito, the Spanish conquistador found the Golden King known as El Rey Dorado. In the deserted city, a supernatural assault by the Muisca demon caused Belalcazar to lose his mind. Subsequent explorers were unable to find El Dorado and the location ..	Sebastián de Be..
.. of the legendary city remains a mystery to this very day.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

King James I	In 1603, James VI of Scotland was crowned first king of Grand Bretagne. This contiguous territory links the French Province Bretagne (also known as Brittany) and the land referred to by Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1136) as Britannia major ("Greater Britain"). The term Greater was inserted for clarity ..
.. simply to enable Monmouth to distinguish it from Britannia minor ("Lesser Britain" or Brittany). In no way did the term imply pre-eminence over the French Province.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1934, Nationalist Socialists led by Adolf Schicklegruber assassinated Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss in a violent coup d'etat. With strong support over the border in Bavaria, the Nazis had some prospect of success in Central Europe during the years of crisis. Whilst Schicklegruber was able to regain some lost pride ..	Engelbert Dollf..
.. since the fall of the Habsburgs, he was powerless to the resist Anschluss (annexation) by Fuehrer und Reichskanzler Kurt von Schleicher of Germany and became a footnote in the history of the Volk.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

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