* * *
The first sign something was wrong was Wendel informing me that men in yellow coats were at the door. Yellow coats in Stirnberg meant Imperial Bodyguard. I got dressed and descended four floors to street level. The staircase had been added to the side of the house when I’d decided to rent out the lower floors. It was not that fun to climb, and I could hardly blame the visitors for waiting by the door. I could have insisted that they come to me, as they were asking to speak to me. But I’d mistakenly figured it was Kobus trying to continue a pursuit of Annika’s favor. The expressions on the faces of the four well-born men on the stoop disabused me of that notion.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“We are here for Graf Kord FitzHelen von Zesrin.”
“You have me. What is this about?”
“We are ordered to bring you to appear before the Court of Electors to face charges levied by Herzog Gunther Zweitzer von Stirnberg.”
“What kind of charges?” I asked, brows narrowed, tone indignant.
“Attempt of murder.”
“What?”
“All I know is the duty we have been charged. So, please, your Illustrious Highness, get your horse and accompany us to the Diet.” I looked past the four to the street. Another four were there, mounted and ready. Two held the reins of horses for the dismounted lot. The other two were clearly positioned to pursue if I attempted flight.
“The stable is in the back,” I said, closing the door and stepping past the lot on the stoop. They followed me down the alley and waited as I called the groom to saddle a horse. The groom was the same man who drove our carriage, and looked more than a little hung over as he readied a steed. I did not hurry the man, as I needed my wits to go over what I knew. How could the Herzog accuse me of trying to kill somebody? If the charge came from him it made sense he had to make it through the Court of Electors. We were both members of immediate houses, subject to no overlord but the Emperor. Technically, I answered to my father’s jurisdiction, but Zweitzer would never subject himself to the court of a lesser lord. So it was the Court of Electors or an appeal to the Emperor, and Otto IX was getting old.
I rode casually with the Imperial Bodyguard to the halls of the Diet. That legislative body had been called to debate a stack of banal issues of no great urgency. But the session spawned the social calendar at court, and the resultant need to buy the latest fashions. Even if that meant borrowing the funds from people like me. The halls were an imposing structure faced in black basalt, with ornate spires. Large windows and elaborate friezes filled the spaces between the buttresses and interiors of the arches. Each frieze depicted a different polity of the Volkmund. There were many, many friezes along the exterior of the massive building. Confident that I wasn’t going to flee, half of my escort took the horses to the stables, and I was left with the four yellow coats who’d met me at my door.
The entry gallery ran along the front of the three main halls of the building. The middle chamber was the grand assembly hall, where the entire Diet would meet when such occasion required it. This room was the largest and most richly decorated, as its name implied. It was also the least used. The greater and lesser circle met in the chambers flanking it. Here, the arguing and posturing took place. None of these rooms were our destination. I accompanied the yellow coats past the Greater Circle Chamber and up a polished marble staircase. A densely woven rug in yellow and black muted our footsteps on the risers. The back gallery was lined in portraits of Emperors past, each depicted and dressed in the styles and fashions of their day. The last was of a younger Otto IX, with some black still in his hair. His hand rested on a globe in a decorative stand. It was a small detail, but the globe was one made by my father to show where the trade delegation from Yothos had originated.
Opposite this portrait of Otto was a seating gallery, and a pair of doors. The blue velvet seats held a number of waiting people. The yellow coats gestured at the doors, and I approached them. The guards at that portal, however, blocked me.
“You can’t bring your swords into the Hall of Electors.”
I looked down at my belt where my left hand absent-mindedly rested on the pommel of my shorter sword, then back at the guards.
“Does Imperial law not hold sway within?”
“What?”
“I am a Dragonslayer of the Order of Dragonslayers. I have the right to wear my arms wherever Imperial law holds.”
The guards exchanged uncomfortable glances. I knew what quandary they were in. Legally, I was in the right, but the room beyond them was where the most powerful nobles in the Volkmund met. It was possible they were all unarmed, and it was the responsibility of the guards to keep them unharmed. One eased the door open and poked his head in, passing the decision to those on the other side. My bluster deflated when the door opened the rest of the way and the man for whom I’d been named glared at me.
“Kord, don’t make a scene,” Prince Kord said.
Wordlessly, I unfastened my sword belt and let the blades be locked away. In scale, the Hall of Electors was nowhere near as grandiose as any of the other halls in the Diet. In any other building, it would have been regarded as a large space. It had to accommodate a horseshoe-shaped table with seating for the highest princes of the land. Each throne-like chair was in front of a buttressed pillar. The spaces in between were filled with stained glass to let light in, but make it difficult to strike at the occupants from the outside. An open rectangle of floor sat before the open end of the horseshoe table. Here, there were three low-backed chairs. One in the center, and one against either wall.
The Prince-Electors of the Volkmund were men of varying ages, though the youngest looked to be in his thirties, and my grandfather appeared to be the oldest. At the middle of the table sat Verner Stipe von Wachsenveld. He carried the title of Grossherzog, and was first among the Electors, but the Grand Duchy of Wachsenveld was a weak and fractured polity. He had a neatly waxed mustache, and a coif that looked designed to hide the fact that his hair was thinning. I stood there and met Verner’s gaze, waiting to be addressed.
“Graf Kord FitzHelen von Zesrin,” he said, his voice sounding weary and drawn. “You have been called here to answer for a charge levied by his Serene Highness, the Herzog Gunther Zweitzer von Stirnberg. He asserts that you attempted to kill him by means of poison.”
“I- That’s preposterous,” I said.
“It is a serious accusation, and this body must take it as such. We will examine the witnesses and evidence and find the truth. We recognize that this is a rather busy time, and will endeavor to conclude this as promptly as possible.”
I looked at Gunther over at the leftmost seat along the table. His gaze was cold, emotionless.
“I’m sure we can reach the truth,” I said.
“Good, we will begin.”
“Now?” I asked.
“We will not make a ruling without giving you the chance to summon witnesses in your defense. But the initial witnesses are here, and our schedules are rather full. Please take a seat.” Verner gestured to the seat at my right. I sat down.
“For my first witness,” Gunther said, “I call Grafin Annika von Zesrin.” I raised an eyebrow, but a figure I’d not paid much heed to stepped to the door and spoke with the guards. His head was shaved, and he was dressed in white robes with a purple silk stole draped over his shoulders. The scales of Azerion hung from a long chain about his neck. Annika entered with poise and dignity. She was not dressed for a courtly ball, but she was elegant enough that several of the electors visibly took second glances.
“What is going on?” Annika asked in a demure tone she rarely used.
“You have been summoned to testify before the Court of Electors,” Verner said. “Truthseeker Andris will administer the oath to you, then just answer honestly.”
The priest of Azerion, Andris, held out the emblem of the scales, and Annika rested her hand upon it. “Do you, Annika FitzHelen von Zesrin, swear, before the sight of Azerion and all the other gods, to answer truthfully any matter put to you in this court?”
“I so swear,” Annika said. Andris stepped away and took the seat opposite me. Annika daintily took the remaining seat in the room.
“Your Illustrious Highness,” Gunther said, “Last week, you were seen by many attending a ball at the Imperial Palace, were you not?”
“I assume people saw me,” she said.
“You wore a corsage containing ordinary white lilies and three flame lilies, did you not?”
“Yes.”
“Do flame lilies normally grow around Stirnberg?” Zweitzer asked.
“No.”
“Where did you get them?”
Annika hesitated, but answered. “From my brother.”
“Which one? You have three.”
“Kord.”
“Where did he get them?”
“He grows them in our conservatory.”
“Why?”
Annika drew in a deep breath and shot me an apologetic look. “He is trying to develop antidotes for poisons within the plants.”
“So he knows flame lilies are poisonous?”
“Yes.”
“And he knows how to extract the poison from the plant?”
“Yes,” Annika said, sounding defeated.
“Are those the only poisonous plants he grows?” Gunther asked.
“No.”
“What else are you aware of?”
“He has specifically warned me not to approach the black lotus enclosure.”
This statement grew a gasp of surprise from one of the Electors who had only been partly paying attention to the actual testimony.
“Thank you, that is all of my questions.”
“Graf von Zesrin,” Verner said, “You may question the witness.”
“Annika, how deadly is black lotus?”
“Legendarily,” she said.
“So if I wanted to poison somebody, I have at my disposal one of the most potent toxins known, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. That is all.”
“You are dismissed, your Illustrious Highness,” Von Wachsenveld said. Annika glanced at me again before rising and leaving.
“My second witness is my personal physician, Lars Dietmann,” Gunther said. Dietmann was a thin man, with long limbs and a pronounced, beak-like nose. His gray hair was neat, and his gray eyes were somewhat bloodshot. Andris administered the same oath as he had for Annika. Lars took his seat, folded his hands, and sat like a lump. “A few days ago, you were summoned to my house.”
“Yes,” Dietmann said. His voice honked as if echoing through his nasal cavity.
“What was my condition when you arrived?” Gunther asked.
“You were pale, vomiting, reporting abdominal pains, and purging of the bowels.”
“What did you do?”
“I administered several treatments against common causes, in particular antitoxins. After a while, your condition stabilized. We were able to get you rehydrated, and you began to improve.”
“Are you familiar with the toxic effects of the flame lily?”
“Yes,” Lars said.
“What are its symptoms?”
“In acute cases, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and purging of the bowels.”
“Thank you. I have no additional questions,” Gunther said.
I leaned forward, a thought occurring to me. “Herr Doktor, what are the symptoms of arsenic poisoning?”
“Chronic or-”
“Acute arsenic poisoning.”
“Vomiting, abdominal pain, and purging of the bowels.”
“What are the symptoms of having eaten spoiled meat?”
“Fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, and purging of the bowels.”
“What are the symptoms of cholera?”
Dietmann sighed. “Vomiting and purging of the bowels. But his purges did not have the consistency indicative of cholera.”
“It seems to me that vomiting, abdominal pain, and purging of the bowels are symptoms common to a lot of ailments. Are they not?”
“They are.”
“What is the test to see if someone is the victim of poison?”
“We would have to open the body and check the entrails and organs for indicators, particularly the stomach.”
“Was this test performed on his Serene Highness?”
Lars looked at me aghast. “No, it is only done at autopsy.”
“So you can’t say for certain that Herzog von Stirnberg was poisoned?”
“We ruled out several common ailments.”
“Admirable, but can you say for certain that Gunther Zweitzer von Stirnberg was poisoned?”
“Not with certainty, no.”
“Thank you, Herr Doktor,” I said, sitting back.
Dietmann was dismissed, and left the room. Gunther looked annoyed, but I tried not to appear smug. There was a whole table full of political animals I needed to convince of the truth, and appearing to gloat over one of their peers wouldn’t help me.
“My next witness is Rudolf Bauer, my treasurer,” Von Stirnberg said. I raised an eyebrow at that one. Bringing money into this didn’t seem like a bright move. The red-haired young man was brought forth and Andris repeated the ritual of swearing him to truthfulness.
“Rudolf,” the Herzog began, “Did Graf Kord von Zesrin visit me the day I fell ill?”
“He did.”
“What was the visit about?”
“He said he had bought debts you purportedly owed to other moneylenders.”
“And then what happened?”
“You ejected him from the property. Quite vocally. You remarked on his profession, his parentage, and speculated on his bedroom proclivities.”
“It would be safe to say that my… lapse of decorum would not have endeared me to his Illustrious Highness, wouldn’t it?”
“I would not think he found it flattering.”
“Have you had cause to see Graf von Zesrin before?”
“Yes. I visited his office on several occasions, and secured small loans totaling some six thousand or so marks.”
“What did you see the last time you were there?”
“On my way out, I passed Walther Nussenbaum, your court wizard.”
“Walther has access to my kitchens and pantries, does he not?” Gunther asked.
“He has free run of the house,” Rudolf said.
“Thank you.”
I leaned forward. “Did you have opportunity to examine the papers I presented his Serene Highness on my visit?”
“I did.”
“What were they?”
“They appeared to be copies of contracts for sale of debt.”
“You are familiar with all of the Herzog’s finances, are you not?”
“I am.”
“Did he borrow large sums of money from the Aurifex Group?”
Rudolf glanced at his employer, then said, “Yes.”
“What about the Freinmarkt Mercer’s Guild?”
“Yes.”
“Lothar Smit and Gervais Laurent?”
“Them as well.”
“Assuming the contracts I presented are valid; which I can summon representatives of these parties to attest to if need be; how much money does your employer owe me?”
“About four million, one hundred and thirty three thousand marks.”
There was a bit of a murmur and a few glances Gunther’s way at the figure. I waited for it to die down before my next question.
“Are you also responsible for ensuring that Walther Nussenbaum gets paid?”
“No.”
“How do you pay for his services?”
“We pay the Academy at Zhalskrag, and they pay him.”
“How does he collect? Do you let him travel to Zhalskrag on a regular basis?”
“No. He would go to an Annex of the Bursar, or someone who holds their concession within a given city.”
“Who holds the Academy Bursar’s concession in Stirnberg?”
Rudolf bit his lower lip. As Verner was looking annoyed, he answered, “You do.”
“So every journeyman wizard in the city has cause to come to my office?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Herr Bauer.”
“I have additional questions,” Gunther interrupted before his treasurer was dismissed.
“Go ahead,” Von Wachsenveld said.
“Rudolf, in the event that I had perished, how would a creditor collect a debt from me?”
“They would petition this court before your heir had been recognized and get them to order the transfer of sufficient assets to cover the debt.”
“So if I had died, Graf von Zesrin would be poised to plunder my holdings for over four million marks?”
“Theoretically, yes.”
* * *
Continued in Part 4
As I told the overnight glibs, work events (read – Meetings) will take me away for a chunk or two of the afternoon. I will come back and read the comments though.
Thoroughly enjoying this, thanks again.
You’re welcome, I’m glad you’re enjoying the story.
Paying off a debt is hardly ‘plunder’.
Gunter is a douche. Kord needs to call the notes.
Getting Gunther to pay up via coersion actually risks civil war, depending upon how many of the Electors go “Pay up, Gunther” and how many go “Your vocation is unbecoming a nobleman, von Zesrin.”
Interesting turn of events.
I really enjoy these. Thanks!
Debt collection via poison… it has possibilities.
– Killing me won’t make you richer.
– But it’ll make me feel better.
If dude has a wizard on staff, why wouldn’t he summon the wizard to cure him of his poison?
He is the wrong type of wizard.
I didn’t go into the matter in detail, but Nussenbaum is a Jade Wizard, which I believe I have dealing with plants in my notes.
Court Wizards are a status symbol, something nobles keep around because they’re expected to. They don’t necessarily have to be useful.
Gotcha.
I suppose he could know a thing or two in the area of poison-antidote, but then it’s a question of whether Gunther trusts Nussenbaum wasn’t the one to slip the poison in.
OT: Where the Hell were events like this when I was in college?
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=14332
Pro: ostensibly easy to pick up freaky chicks
Con: potential #metoo, said freaky chicks are proggy nutbags and possibly quite unattractive
Indiana: We’re not just for guns!
Pro: ostensibly easy to pick up freaky chicks
Until you realize that the audience makes a libertarian convention look like the target demographic of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.
They absolutely had shit like this at Berkeley, and it’s exactly what you’d expect.
Real life isn’t Penthouse letters.
Ask me about the 5th floor orgy at my dorm sometime. Not today, but sometime.
In the mid/late 80s, Penn State had a Friday night porno at the Forum (campus lecture hall).
It was pretty mainstream AND a fun time.
Good thing that was before smartphones, or there’d be video of you on the internet somewhere.
Sponsored by the psi student government and Jerry Sandusky’s private collection.
I specifically state in my syllabus that videotaping is not allowed!
Con: potential #metoo
Well, there’s a reason some of the kinkier stuff involves masks, is there not? Sweet anonymity.
Gee, way to give the poor guy time to prepare his defense. Good thing he’s (apparently) quick-thinking.
Minor continuity question only relevant in the context of all the related stories (and noticed only because I’ve read Beyond the Edge of the Map): “…my grandfather appeared to be the oldest.” Should that be “great-uncle,” or am I misunderstanding how our hero is related to the hero of BtEotM?
Thoroughly enjoying, as always, but now more frustrated than ever about the wait between installments.
Spiler warning (for some book not yet written) – Prince Kord had a tryst with his wife’s sister, and the result was Dug. He promised not to make the relationship public while his wife was still alive, so Dug grew up referring to Prince Kord as his Uncle (as fits the husband of his aunt.)
*spoiler
Aha! Thanks! And don’t worry – knowing that little tidbit makes things clearer and doesn’t spile a thing as far as I’m concerned.
Thanks for that. I didnt realize that “the man I was named for” and “my grandfather” were referring to the same person.
What do words mean?
Rashida Tlaib
@RashidaTlaib
It’s worse than letting a criminal get off. Their vote created a dictatorship.
MoveOn
@MoveOn
· 20h
.@SenateGOP just knowingly allowed a criminal to get off scot-free. Each and every one of their names will go down in the history books as having betrayed our nation. It’s time to vote these cover-up collaborators out. #VoteThemOut #ImpeachmentVote
There was no crime alleged. And the irony of MoveOn is something to behold.
That’s the best part. he’s a “criminal” who hasn’t been accused of an actual crime. And if Trump was really a dictator, Rashida and the other asshats would be too frightened of the consequences to spew their bullshit.
If Trump has a dictatorship, how can citizens vote the collaborators out? It really is an Orwellian case of 2+2=5 for the Dems.
I doubt that the Dems believe their own bullshit, but they think their followers are stupid enough to believe it.
I believe many of them are also.
I think obstruction of Congress is an actual crime.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the Dems even plead the elements of the crime, much less present evidence as to each element. Can’t be arsed to look at the articles to see if they were even that minimally competent.
But what of the relationship among the branches of government? The legislature doesn’t get to run roughshod over the executive.
The issue would be whether Trump telling his people not to respond while until there are subpoenas, or challenging subpoenas in court, amounts to “corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede” etc.
Regardless of whether they are a member of the executive branch, anyone should be free to tell Congress to pound sand unless and until a valid subpoena is delivered. I think it is laughable to claim that telling people they don’t have to respond until they are compelled, via a subpoena that has survived a court challenge, is a crime.
Congress should be able to call, and compel, people who work in the vast (as in hundreds of thousands, millions?) executive bureaucracy to testify. The balance between Congress and the executive is policed, as it should be in our tripartite system, by the courts ruling on subpoenas.
“due and proper”
threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication
Well, Schiff did feel threatened by a Tweet by Trump so IMPEACH.
“Their vote created a dictatorship.”
Complete and utter bullshit.
The executive branch is a de facto dictatorship because Congress is staffed by 500+ chickenshits too afraid of losing their gravy trains to do their actual jobs and instead create executive-level departments to do all the work.
You reap what you sow.
I think it’s more sinister than that.
For decades both parties had a Gentleman’s agreement. Congress wouldn’t say boo about the increasing power of the executive in that both recognized that the pendulum eventually swings and each party gets a turn in the driver’s seat. What we’re seeing now is that while the Republicans kept their end of the bargain during the “imperial Presidency” of Obama, the Democrats reneged on it when Trump was elected. Which is why all their crocodile tears about “country over party” mean nothing.
Congress wouldn’t say boo about the increasing power of the executive in that both recognized that the pendulum eventually swings and each party gets a turn in the driver’s seat.
I think you’re right. This was a deal that was bound to fail at some point. Which made it a stupid deal from the get-go.
And I think Obama’s Chicago-machine weaponization of the federal bureaucracy is what really broke the deal. He made it impossible for a Republican to govern, and freed up the bureaucracy to commit crimes that meant they had to have a Democrat, lest a Republican unmask what they were doing. Sure, these were pre-existing trends/problems, but they reached critical mass under Obama.
Well they believed their own bullshit that there would never again be a Republican president.
Also a violation of the deal.
There was an op-ed on the CNN website a few days back that could be summarized as “the impeachment acquittal creates a precedent for unlimited power under the current interpretation of Article I, but think of all Bernie Sanders can now do when he is elected President!”
Do yourselves a favor and don’t google Tomohon Extreme Market.
Rat fresh from the rice paddy that grew up on eating rice shoots is quite sweet and not bad. Dog was meh.
Was the dog dry brined? Sous vide? Slow smoked? Dry rub or sauce?
Grilled on a spit while basted, basically like a suckling pig. Served with dipping sauce.
Well, no wonder it was meh. I’m sure our numerous Glibs meat experts (heh) could do a better job with dog.
Is there even enough meat on a rat to justify the time spent BBQing it?
Rice field rat can grow quite big. About the size of a squirrel, sometimes bigger.
If it didn’t still have the head and the tail it would kind of look like a rotisserie chicken.
-1 BBQ shrimp
Some bamboo rats can reach the size of a small cat, as well.
I would assume different breeds have different tastes.
The thing that is most horrifying about that is also probably what makes it safer: the blowtorch.
Surface contamination? It’s nothing that 3,600 degrees of fire can’t handle.
Bushmaster, DPMS, and TAPCO websites pretty much shuttered
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/is-remington-leaving-the-msr-market-dpms-bushamster-and-tapco-sites-are-shuttered/?utm_source=wideopen&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wos_daily&utm_content=%5B%5Brssitem_title
Sounds like the craft AR revolution has claimed another scalp.
I guess I should probably pick up a Bushmaster.
One hand behind the head, the other further down the body.
Trump going full scorched Earth on Romney, Hillary emails, Comey and Mueller.
Got a link?
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1225485150143877121
Stop it, I can’t take any more! I’ll injure myself laughing!
It was 4chan making those darn Trump supporters call that done them in!
As if that excuse made them look any better.
If a handful of internet-addicted autists can bring down your entire system, you probably shouldn’t be in charge of anything.
They’re working out the kinks of their voter fraud.
I see Judicial Watch just brought suit for the following:
The Iowa secretary of state’s release of interim voter registration data further confirms our concerns and shows that five of the eight counties we listed are still over 100%. Nearly three dozen counties have a registration rate over 95% of the voter age population, which is extraordinarily high.
Raycissssss
Is that the movie where Dirk Benedict turns into a snake?
Our election security is a joke, a total shambles.
Good thing there’s nothing much at stake.
Nothing to see here. Move along, citizen.
Oh, FFS. Drive them down to Des Moines, you lazy fucks. Snail mail? Please. If you just hafta, shell out for FedEx.
What. A. Complete. Top. To. Bottom. Farce.
and was flooded with calls from supporters of President Trump
MAGA’ing at its finest.
LOL!
The caucuses have always just had a “straw poll” that means nothing but bragging rights. This straw poll has no binding result on the county, district, or state level delegates for the Republican party. For the Dems, there is some notion that the delegates are locked until the first round (I think) of the state convention. In practical terms, the nominee is known by time the state convention rolls around and the party will elect a slate of delegates to national in line with the known nominee (unless Ron Paul is running I guess).
The 2016 fiasco with the virtual tie between Sanders and Clinton forced the national party to impose some new rules. But even the new rules would not have caused serious problems if it had been a two-horse race this year.
The real truth, is the caucuses are a fund raiser for both parties. The sites are free; the caucus is run by volunteers; the attendees are asked to donate to cover expenses. Anyone that is selected as a delegate going forward has to pay their own way to get into the county, district, and state conventions. The parties make money off the conventions.
Primaries cost money to run. Iowa bills the parties for any elections they run for the parties (Iowa will have primaries this summer for state and national offices other than the president).
A formal primary for president is not going to happen in Iowa. The legislature won’t let it.
I’d love to know how few calls amount to a “flood”.
Have you ever supported a phone system for users? One group I support was complaining that they were getting too many calls. They were averaging under 10 calls per 8 hour shift.
I’ve also had people report issues in smaller offices that they were “getting bombarded with calls that just beep at them”… someone dialed the wrong number trying to send in a fax. It called them 5 times retrying after 60 seconds.
More on the appalling incompetence of the Dems:
No fucking way would I install an app that I had to disable security for.
They also “tested” it on a free trial version of TestFairy, which only allows 100 users.
The more i hear, the more it makes me question capitalism (not really). How is it possible for them to be this incompetent and still get the kind of money they got? Meanwhile, my company circa 2000-2012 created great stuff for our clients and struggled to make decent money.
I know the answers, but it pisses me off.
“I take full responsibility for this. By firing underlings who didn’t warn me loudly enough to prevent the rollout.”
This is why you never put a Democrat in charge of a software project. See: Obamacare.
But the IT staff came highly recommended from Wasserman-Schulz!
“Let’s test the software on the dumb hicks!”
So, basically they should have had plenty of warning that things were going wrong before the night of, but nothing was done?
But that app was developed by Top Men who were funded by a Top Women in the Democratic Party.
So it was totally trustworthy.
Who needs testing?
Do Over!
Democrats® Always corrupt, never competent.
Because why not kick them while they are down?
L
E
S
T
I
O
How can one focus on fantasy stories in the last day of the nba trade deadline? Exciting stuff going on. Angel goes to wolves and shit
the last day of the nba trade deadline
*rolls over, goes back to sleep*
Wait, there’s a professional league for basketball?
Yeah, it’s sort of like the WWE.
The way players go into the lane does remind me of WWE.
I think its kinda like basketball, only with different rules. You can carry the ball and walk, for example. Not sure if defense is allowed.
What’s the nba trade deadline?
Last day before a 120-day moratorium on slave trading.
Okay, which of you Tulpae wrote “Tighten your gloves” in your amazon review of “Beyond the Edge of the Map”?
That should be tighten your designated reading gloves.
Strangling gloves?
The more you know…
https://housemethod.com/lifestyle/most-popular-breweries/
What definition of “craft breweries” were they using? Several on that list have long been acquired by non-craft brands (5 in the top 10), and I’d question counting different locations as different breweries.
Shhhhhush on defining craft breweries.
I stick with my definition of craft in general – it applies to beer too:
Craft is the synthesis of art and engineering.
By my definition, neither Coors nor Fantome are craft…for opposite reasons.
Just pointing it out, as otherwise I would expect Miller, Bud, PBR, etc. to be showing up as more popular in more locations.
I know, but it is clear what definition they are using:
“Not BMC.”
Which is how you get Goose in there despite them being A-B.
Holy City Hefeweizen is one of the few American hefes I will buy. Its not as good as Kellerweis or mine, but still pretty good.
West Sixth flooded KY (and surrounding states) with their IPA when they started up. It is decent, but nothing spectacular. Their lawsuit probably didnt hurt them any.
Equillibrium (number 49 I think) is semi local to me. All MIT grads they make decent stuff, nothing too great. Yet every Saturday they release a new brew there is a line at 6am waiting to buy $20 four packs. Don’t understand it.
Most of my office is located on one floor. I am in the additional office up one floor. We finally got some rolling white boards yesterday and one of my fellow floor mates drew a quick sketch of all of on that floor.
My new avatar is supposedly me. It is probably too accurate.
DOX ALERT! DOX ALERT!
If anyone can identify me from that, good for them.
If I do make it out to Tucson some time, now you can find me!
Stop it already! Seriously, I will injure myself laughing!
Trump’s victory lap is amusing.
Tom Perez✔
@TomPerez
Enough is enough. In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.
The public in Iowa doesn’t give a shit what Tom Perez thinks.
If “Jimmy Who?” hadn’t come in second place to “Undecided” in 1976, no one outside Iowa would give a shit what the straw poll results are at the Iowa caucuses.
But as long as your paying attention, bring your money every four years and keep putting dull, white people on camera and asking them the opinions on topics of world importance.
The Iowa public may not care, but key Dem players (AKA Government class) in Iowa certainly do and have been marching the state more towards DNC talking points.
HISTORY’S GREATEST MONSTER
Home brew. Just saying.
Are you saying the Simpsons could ever be wrong?
Homebrew, airline, and trucking deregulation. And still….
The carter years were a disaster because he was utterly incompetent at pretty much everything.
But “monster” should be reserved for Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, and other tyrants and dictators.
I hated the guy with a passion, but I won’t even jokingly call him a monster.
He’s definitely more of a milquetoast than a monster.
It’s still beer.
It is freedom beer.
I demand that we get to the bottom of this fiasco that I caused!
Before I forget.
Unciv. Great story. I am hooked.
That’s reel good news 😀
Look at you bobbering up when you see the lure of a compliment.
What can I say, some lines just work.
Now you’ve got him putting on his celebration gloves.
Just came in from shoveling 5″ of wet snow off of the porches, walks and vehicles. It 34 now but the temp is supposed to start dropping later this afternoon and if I didn’t get it off everything would be coated in 5″ of solid ice. Then it snows again.
Feels like Spring in February. Greta, you’re right.
The possibly freezing rain we had didn’t cause the roads to freeze (thankfully), but all the evergreens have limbs that are drooping from a coating of ice.
It’s supposed to do something tonight and then possibly turn to snow tomorrow afternoon, but who knows.
Up here we’re supposed to get snow, but the temperature is also supposed to rise above freezing tomorrow, and the weekend is supposed* to be clear
*as much as the augurs can tell.
who knows
We know for a FACT, because SCIENCE, that it will be two (2) faggy Eurodegrees warmer in 100 years than it is now!
Also, that we will all be DEAD in 11 years, so there will be nobody to measure it.
UCS –
I went back and read Part 1 and now I’m all caught up. Great story. I’m hooked – and that’s for a guy who no longer reads F&SF.
(It dominated my early years, all the way into college, but almost nil in a long time.)
Lord is an interesting character and the world you’ve created is compelling in its details, both what’s “seen” and “not seen” (i.e. written and implied).
Thank you for contributing this.
I like this.