text:
Romance, Science Fiction, and Fantasy by Margaret McGaffey Fisk
Tales to Tide You Over
What You Can Expect to Find
Overall News
Interviews and Guest Posts
My Series
Uncommon Lords and Ladies
Seeds Among the Stars
The Steamship Chronicles
Foster's Way
TTO Publishing
Where to Find My Books
What My Readers Think
Browse Excerpts
A Short Personal History…
Drop Me a Note
Creativity Exercises
Favorite Conventions
Recommendations for Writers
Shafter Excerpt
Chapter 1Coins sounded faintly as Trina dropped the purse on their metal table, the noise dampened by a scarf she'd twisted between them. The shafter big man paid a good sum for what she could steal from the polit houses up in the sun, enough to feed them and pay for Mother's medicine.Trina turned to smile at her sister, but her expression faded when she met Katie's gaze.Her sister's round face bore lines from fatigue. Even her curls, carrot-red to Trina's blond, hung lank. Dark shadows gave her translucent skin an almost haunted cast. For a moment, Trina saw a reflection of Big Man Fence in her sister's pale features. Neither he nor Katie ever left the tunnels below First City.Without smiling, her sister took the pouch and spilled its contents on the table, shaking the coins free of the scarf. "Twelve silvers, a half silver and three copper?" If anything, her haunted look deepened. "What did you do? How did you get the money?"Trina felt her jaw tighten but forced the muscles to relax under her sister's pleading look. "It's from the find I told you about. I got the necklace and some earrings. Bargained well for them too." She could not keep the pride from her voice after beating Fence at his own game."Nothing more?"Trina pulled Katie into a tight hug. "Nothing more. The necklace held pure gems. Almost had to walk away from Fence to get a good deal." She launched into the tale of her latest encounter with the trader, trying her best to make it amusing. Katie didn't need another excuse to worry. Trina could manage Fence as long as Katie watched over their mother."I could work. Like Mother did. I already bring in some when I sell my patchwork blankets."Trina choked on the next part of her story, but her sister ignored the sound as she continued, "Then you wouldn't have to go out on the surface, and especially not into polit houses. It's too dangerous. You could stay with Mother, and I'd go do nursing in one of the shafter hostels. They'd never know Mother was part of the experiments.""Mother needs you."Trina left no room for argument, but Katie argued anyway. "You can watch her as well as I can. We'd do okay. Like before Mother fell sick. You wouldn't have to take chances. You'd be safe."Trina jerked away. She walked to the back wall, tracing her fingers along the embedded tunnel map that hung beneath their timekeeper as she often did. "Mother kept us on the remains of what our father left her and you know it. No shafter would work with a victim of the experiments. Besides, shafter jobs don't pay enough to cover her meds." She looked away, unable to face her sister when she'd deliberately kept the costs hidden."How much?" The strangled words sounded forced as they passed Katie's lips.Trina gave her head a mute shake."I need to know. You tell me everything, or I'll go seek a job and you'll have to choose between abandoning Mother and thieving. Maybe you enjoy it too much."Trina stared at the wall as she answered, "Nine silvers."Her sister sank to the floor as if shock removed the ability to support her limbs. "Nine silvers," she repeated blindly. "So much."Trina wrapped thin arms around Katie's stout form, rocking her sister back and forth. "Hush. It'll be okay. I'll make it okay."Their mother had called Trina "My Protector" and she swore to live up to the name.Katie swiveled and pulled Trina into her arms, as though she were the one needing comfort. "It will be okay," she promised, tears tightening her voice. "We'll make it work somehow; we always do."
Trina knew Katie hadn't wanted her to leave so quickly, but Mother needed the medicine and that meant a trip back to the surface.She peered through the tiny opening, and blinked against the bright sunlight before she could check for anyone in the alleyway. Though going to a surface apothecary was dangerous, shafters believed any who were foolish enough to be trapped by polits deserved what they got. Shafter doctors wouldn't treat those who escaped the experiments because the scientists poisoned their subjects with fatal viruses, and no shafter wanted to risk infection.The apothecary Trina went to charged a steep price, but she didn't hide behind fancy lies. She was honest about their mother's state.If their polit father had stayed true to his promise, their mother would have been treated by the best of doctors with no thought to the cost. Instead, the tales about him had no more substance than the fairy dust in the books he'd left behind. His money ran out, and their mother bartered as many of the books as she could with Fence, who liked to collect polit treasures even though he couldn't read. Then, finally, Trina took up stealing to feed them and keep their mother alive.She wriggled free, stopping long enough to dust her clothes and rub the fabric over her face so she could pretend to come from one of the buildings. Once metal worms raced between the cities, carrying the polits and laborers. Now only shafters came from below, a world nestled in the bones of ancient times.When reasonably clean, Trina could still pass for a child thanks to her slight build instead of being marked a shafter.She glanced at the sun, surprised to see it hanging so low in the sky. She'd lost more time to arguing with Katie than she'd expected. If enforcers caught her, the extra coin would not keep Katie for long.Trina could speak like a surface dweller and so might be able to convince the patrol they had the wrong person, but she didn't want to test that theory. Her father taught Mother to read and use proper speech before leaving on a colony ship with the promise to send for her. The twins would have been born into the protected life of a polit had he claimed her from the start. As it was, he didn't even know his daughters existed, but their mother had spent every moment she could spare preparing them for when their father's courier arrived. She'd believed that he would send for them until she became too sick to care.Trina crossed the path and entered a side street, weaving in and out of the crowd without brushing or bumping anyone. Her smallest knife remained stowed despite the tempting items dangling a quick swipe away from her hands. She needed the medicine. Anything else just distracted from her purpose, thoughts of her father worst of all.The deep blue doors of the shop rose before her. A traditional mortar and pestle symbol hung above the window, the sign that brought fear to her mother's eyes when pressed on medicine bottles. The experiments may have ended years ago, but the disease kept those memories fresh.Trina knocked once, twice, then waited three breaths before rapping her knuckles three times in quick succession. Their secret signal. The apothecary would only open the door to her if no one else stood within. Though Trina felt exposed out on the street, it held many opportunities for escape. Inside the store, she'd be an easier target.The door swung open, its well-oiled hinges whispering against each other."I wondered when you'd get here. You are leaving it quite late, aren't you?"She followed the older woman into the darkened shop, happy when the door closed and its bulk protected her from prying eyes. "I came when I could. Last batch's almost gone.""You're lucky I put the ingredients aside for you. My polit customers like that medication, but you deserve it more." The apothecary grimaced, pushing dark brown curls away from her face and revealing features better suited for joy than the mixture of guilt and pity they held."I came when I could," Trina repeated stubbornly, placing her empty bottle on the counter. She tried not to give anything away, but the apothecary made it hard with her kind interest. Trina had already revealed her name even though she didn't know what the apothecary was called. Laborers, like polits, had nonsense names. Shafters — real shafters at least — earned their names like her friend Piper whose metal pipe proved so effective as a weapon."Go have some crackers. I'm afraid I already ate the cheese, but it's something. It will take me a little time to mix the potion. Go." She made a shooing gesture, waving Trina toward the table.Trina nibbled cracker after cracker, waiting until they softened in her mouth before sending them down her dry throat. She tried to make the treat last, but her stomach pressed against her spine.The rhythmic sound of the pestle grinding the ingredients for her mother's potion lulled Trina into a thoughtful state. She'd long grown used to the apothecary's muttering, the subject always the same."Some cully root and betline. Not much to offer as penance for what they did."The noise stopped for a moment, and Trina looked up."She'd better not miss a day. A body can't fight when overwhelmed, enhanced immune system or not. You're much too young to be on your own. Keep her strong. It's all you can do."Trina nodded, not bothering to reveal her true age of almost fifteen, or that her mother had been bedridden for more than three years now. The medicine kept some of the pain away, but it offered no cure. Maybe it would have if she'd found the apothecary in the beginning, but Piper hadn't taught her how to navigate the surface back then.She slipped another cracker into her mouth as the pounding started up again, but coughed when it dusted her throat."Get yourself a drink from the flask over there. It's berry juice. The one you like so much." The woman spoke without pausing as she ground the powders and herbs filling her mortar.Trina found the flask with ease. She reached for a cup, a rare item down in the shafts, and watched the purple liquid splash into kiln-hardened clay.The sweet-tart juice woke her senses, delighting them. Trina wished she could provide such treats for her sister even as she reminded herself to be grateful they had running water, something available to few shafters. The copper-stained liquid they drank at home had a strong flavor, but not a good one."There. That should hold for four weeks, more than usual, but I don't want you running out if you come late again." The woman's face stretched into a pained smile as she held two bottles where Trina had expected only one. "If I can't change what's been done to your people in the past, the least I can do is suffer whining from polits to give you this much."A blush heated Trina's cheeks as she stared at the bottles. "I don't have enough," she muttered. Something about the woman's expression made her embarrassed to offer even the coin she could, but she paid her debts."You'll bring extra next time. Two weeks. Don't waste this gift unless you have to. Keep your mother comfortable." The last made Trina wonder how much the apothecary suspected.The woman brushed a hand against Trina's straight hair but Trina jerked away from the touch. "Thanks. Nine silvers for the one?"A frown crossed the apothecary's face before she nodded. "Nine silvers." She waited for Trina to pull out the coins from her hidden purse before handing over the bottles. "You take care of your family and keep safe."As soon as the silver rested in the woman's hand and Trina had tucked the bottles into a hidden pocket under her tunic, she nodded, her smile more of a grimace. "As safe as I can."She pulled at the door without waiting for a reply, and with a quick glance up and down the street, Trina set off on a different path than she'd used to come here, a path that took her by the chain-link fence surrounding Ceric's only spaceport.Her feet slowed as if of their own will. She ran her fingers along the metal links. The faint tick made her smile, but the spaceship in the distance held her attention as it roared to life. A flash of light followed by a roll of thunder louder than the strongest summer storms transformed the ship into a backwards shooting star in the daytime sky.She rose on tiptoe as though she could ride its tail, her fingers clenched around the metal links barring her from dreams of stars and joining a space guild.No shafter ever crossed this fence. Trade with spacers was in polit hands, and the colony leaders pretended shafters didn't exist.The medicine said just what polits thought of those who lived in the shafts beneath the aging colony. She'd never live on the surface much less leave Ceric all together.
Chapter 2The cool glass bottle pressed against her skin, absorbing the chill air of the shafts. Here, she found reality. A shafter dying from an engineered disease. The disease should have ensured the genetic changes tested on Trina's mother couldn't be passed to the next generation. Instead, the enhanced immune system they'd given Mother had fought off the virus for years, long enough to bear and raise the twins. Neither Trina nor Katie ever got sick. And they showed no sign of the deadly infection.A fresh cry echoed from the back room as Trina relocked the door, their only defense should someone see the powered light that shined through the thick plastic covering the top of their raised front wall. Their mother wouldn't let them hide the light. She wanted to be sure it could guide a messenger who never came."Hard day?" Trina said as she caught sight of her sister once she mounted the short flight of stairs. The protector was back in full force, even down to the staccato language common among shafters. She reminded herself to gentle it."Mother's breaking through the medicine again. She's in so much pain.""Increase it.""At nine silvers? How will we pay?" Katie pushed up off the ground where she'd been sewing and headed for their mother's door, clearly regretting the question.Trina trailed after her, pausing at the head of their mother's cot. She struggled to connect the withered form with their vibrant mother, an image almost faded into a fairy tale."Pour her what remains. The apothecary gave us extra. If you don't, it won't matter anymore. She says pain kills Mother faster.""Sometimes I wonder if she'd find that a blessing."Trina grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her out of the room. "How can you say something like that? And right in front of Mother?"Katie sank into one of the salvaged desk chairs, letting the chair spin around once before dropping her foot to stop it. "Have you never thought it? I'm here every day and all she feels is pain. She barely eats, sleeps only fitfully, and the pain gets stronger. We've increased the dose four times already, far past what your surface apothecary said would kill her."Trina stalked toward Katie. "She didn't know our mother then. This medicine's as pure as polits take. If Mother wanted to go, she'd go. She's fighting too hard for us to give up on her."Katie lowered her face into both hands, a sigh whispering between her lips. "I know. It's just that you're not here every day, all day. You don't hear her. On days like today, well, I don't know if it's worth it."Trina crouched in front of the chair and peered up at her sister. "It is worth it. It has to be. Mother's in there somewhere. It might not seem like it, but her spirit's fighting to survive. If you look deep, you'll see her hiding."Katie responded with a shaky smile. "Maybe I will."Trina bounced up. "What you need is a break. You take the extra ha'silver and coppers." She shoved the pouch of what little remained into her sister's hands. "Go down to the market. Get some supplies. I'll stay with Mother."Glancing at the purse then at her mother's door, Katie nodded. "Maybe just for a little while. We do need some things. You'll be all right?""I'll be fine. Mother will sleep. You be careful though. It's getting late.""I know. Stay to the lit paths in the market and don't come straight back. It's like you don't know who gets the groceries around here." Katie said the last with a laugh.Ignoring the humor, Trina gave her sister a grim nod. "Better to wait than lead someone here. I can leave Mother sleeping if you don't get back soon enough. I'll come get you.""Maybe you should give me one of your knives," Katie said in a clear attempt to lighten the air.Trina barked a single laugh. "You'd be more likely to slice your own wrist. Just watch yourself.""Better than you do up there." Katie pointed to the ceiling.Before Trina could protest, her sister gathered up the coins, twisted them through the scarf to silence them once again, and stepped out into the darkness.
Chapter 3Trina stayed locked in their apartment for five days trying to keep busy. She cooked for Katie and her mother, patched shafter clothing only, because Trina's ugly needlework would mark her up on the surface, and tried not to track how quickly the medicine bottle emptied.She let her sister think worry kept her there, and Katie's exhaustion did make her nervous, but Katie didn't recognize, in the fanciful tale Trina had told, just how angry Big Man Fence would be that she'd bested him. Better to let his temper cool than chance turning him against them.She had many rules to keep them safe. No one knew where they lived, not even Piper who'd been a good friend to her. No one knew they had the power and water their father arranged before leaving.The apartment's remote location and strong lock wouldn't stand against a determined search and assault. She didn't hold on to what she stole longer than it took to exchange it, and Fence didn't reveal how much he paid. He couldn't thieve it back, either, because word would spread. Honoring the deals kept everyone where they wanted to be, and kept secret things secret.She still owed on the second bottle, though, and the heavy purses celebrants carried during Festival proved too much of a temptation. Fence would have to break any large coin, but she could gather enough smaller to pay her debts.Despite all those good reasons, the confinement drove her from apartment as much as any need, confinement and knowing Festival had begun.She'd grown too antsy to stay in their apartment another day.Trina pressed into a wedge of shadow made by the building's ornate facade and surveyed the square. The shade did little to protect against Ceric's muggy heat, but here she could survey all the polits, laborers, and even those responsible for what little tech had survived the early days. This square stood between most of the city and the fairgrounds, so Trina would have her pick of targets.She shifted slightly until a cool wind blew over her face as she scanned the crowd for a good mark. Two young ladies on a bench next to the central fountain caught her eye for a moment. From the smiles on their faces, they enjoyed the occasional splashes of water blown by the same breeze.Trina took a step toward them then noticed how their hems were frayed and grimy, not with dirt of one day, but with steady, ground-in mud from working outside. Even if those two had any coin, they needed it. They would have bought, or made, new Festival clothes otherwise.The sun rose higher and wind brought dust clouds with it, adding grit to the humid air.Trina pulled back into her corner and yawned. As much as she preferred it up here under the sun where they belonged, she needed to snag a few sizable purses and get back home. Katie seemed more irritable and tired lately. The dark patches under her sister's eyes could signal something much more frightening than exhaustion. Just because they hadn't caught their mother's sickness yet didn't mean they never would.At least trips to the shafter market seemed to help. Katie looked happier when she came back in, enjoying the time away without any pressure to rush home, happier even than when she sewed complicated patterns into their blankets with scraps of cloth. Mother had taught Katie the practice, and as their mother worsened, Katie sewed more often, living up to the first Ceric doctrine of performing manual labor to ease the spirit.Still, Trina wished the doctrine had not been necessary. It came into being when tech failed the early colony. If more tech had survived, or she could gain access to the spacers past the fence, maybe they'd have a cure for her mother.She muffled a sour laugh at the impossible thought. Even here at Festival where all types of people rubbed shoulders and enjoyed the annual celebration, shafters weren't welcome. Most surface dwellers thought shafters were barely human, as if they'd recognize a true shafter from a great distance. Trina hadn't revealed where she came from to the apothecary at first out of fear, but her mother's illness gave them away. Luckily, the woman hadn't been like most of her kind.In those early days when cryo losses took the work animals and disease struck down many who could run the technology, the cool darkness of the abandoned transit tunnels offered a better hope than found in the doctrine's promises. Shafters had little interest in a good afterlife, not when it meant hard manual labor for the local polits in a harsh climate. Shafter life might be difficult, but at least they weren't owned, or so shafters liked to tell themselves.She saw them as trapped. Even the lowest of laborers seemed to have enough to eat while most shafters had skin stretched tight over their bones. A shafter couldn't hide the truth well enough to work on the surface for more than a few days, and few from the surface were willing to trade extra foodstuffs.Trina came alert, her gaze watchful even as her thoughts wandered.Three men staggered into the square, held upright only by their linked arms and rhythmic sway. They'd started revelry early this morning from the look of them. Her lip curled in disgust. Most likely polits who'd forgotten the value of working with their own hands. They failed to follow the doctrine even in spirit. While laborers made the final changes to their Festival gear or caught up on other tasks, polits had servants who worked long into the night to prepare them. Bright and early on Festival days, the polits spilled into taverns, especially the young ones.She turned away to look for others. Drunken marks might seem easy to a new thief, but she found them unpredictable, making it hard to judge the snatch and grab. They tended to be more aggressive and harder to escape if they caught her, while any injury to a polit came with a death sentence if the enforcers captured her.A better chance would come.Her gaze drifted back over the thick purse that dangled from the shorter one's belt by a thin leather strap. It called out to her knife. Would he notice a simple toss? She sighed in regret, knowing better than to try for it.What wasted lives. They did nothing of value. Her talents gave her freedom to work with finesse while her knife skills kept her safe from other shafters. It might not be what the doctrine intended, but Trina wasn't afraid of hard work. She fed and protected her family with the labor of her own hands."How do you do, fine ladies?"The slurred words drew Trina's gaze back to the polits, their progress having stopped in front of the laborers she'd noticed earlier. The men's shaky attempts at elegant bows almost made her laugh until she saw the women shudder.The polit with the big purse leaned in, bracing his arm against the back of the bench.Trina flinched, imagining his hot, liquor-laden breath stroking her cheek as the woman shifted away."What? The young ladies won't speak with me? I'm a polit, you hear. The grand polit!"The nearer woman moved then, smothering her giggles behind a hand."You don't believe me?" He shifted his gaze to the second woman, almost toppling onto her friend's lap.Clearly unfamiliar with drunken men, the laborer looked him up and down. "You're much too young for such a position. And I'd like to think our grand polit could handle his drink." She turned away."Let them be, Paul. They meant no harm. What lady would acknowledge you in this state anyway?"Trina realized she'd been so involved in the pageant in front of her, she'd forgotten about his friends. From the words, at least one wasn't as drunk as this Paul. She saw the other eyeing the shadows and pulled in as far as she could to escape detection."It's not safe here. Let's go to the tavern. We'll find some real women to dally with there." The third man spoke this time, pulling on Paul's arm."Let go. Now you insult me." Paul pushed against his friend, the movement more of a lurch than a shove. "I don't need to find some tavern girl from the lowest of laborers. These ladies will do just as well. What's your name?" He grabbed the second woman's arm and pulled, jerking her tight against his side.Before she thought through her actions, Trina thrust free of her hiding spot and swaggered over to them, tossing her four-inch blade from hand to hand. "You're looking for a real woman, are you? No mere tavern wench?" She threw the knife into the sky so it tumbled over and over until she caught the sharp edge on the down curve. She'd practiced hard, knowing intimidation often made a better weapon than force.Paul shouldered the woman aside, leaving her to drop back onto the bench. He seemed more sober and dangerous than moments before.His friends flanked him, turning to face this new threat. They were smart enough to watch the knife instead of dismissing her slight form or apparent youth. Though her head barely reached their chests, Paul's friends were not fools."You should show courtesy to one who is surely greater than you'll ever be, Grand Polit." She emphasized the title with a sarcastic bite, showing off her sophisticated speech in another attempt to throw them and mask her shafter blood.Trina stopped just out of their reach, gesturing for the women to leave with a movement of her head. "I'd think your thin blood would teach you some manners, if only to keep that flesh clear of scars."Paul jerked forward at her words, but his friends held him tight. His movement startled the women out of their frozen terror and they rose. Paul grabbed the nearest, his grip firm enough that the woman gasped in pain.An image of Katie in the same position flashed before Trina. "Let her go." The words came out fast and furious, though quiet."Who're you to school me, shafter brat?" Despite his friends restraining his body, nothing controlled the man's tongue.She laughed at a truth he'd thought to use as an insult. If they'd known her to be a shafter, these men wouldn't hesitate to call the enforcers.The woman trapped under his hand whimpered. Her friend stood by, too far to be touched, but ready to grab the other woman and run if given an opening.Trina swore she'd offer them that chance."You think you can stop me? Are you really willing to risk death for these ladies?" He emphasized ladies until it sounded dirty, and even his friends looked surprised.Trina wished they had called the enforcers. She had the skills to evade security forces, and they wouldn't tolerate such rude behavior even in a polit. Not at Festival when all the surface folk were equals.Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her stance and half raised one arm. "You willing to risk a scar on that pretty face?"He paused, catching the meaning behind her words, but he didn't consider long.Trina lost the time to weigh the risks as he grabbed the woman's dress, her bodice separating with a sharp tear.She was hardly aware of the knife as it left her hand, or the swift movement replacing the blade with two others. Time seemed to slow, allowing her to understand just what she'd done too late to change it.Steel flashed in the light as it flew true.A bright red line appeared across the polit's wrist, and he dropped his hold on the woman.The knife hit cobblestones with a clatter that echoed through the stunned silence.Paul grabbed his wrist with a shout, blood appearing between his fingers.The women slipped away.She hadn't cut him deep enough to scar, but it bled enough to scare. His friends took a step toward her but stopped when they saw her new weapons.The three polits glared at her as Paul wrapped his wrist with a handkerchief. She looked each of them in the eye, hefting the knives in her hands. They stepped away together, but Paul gained enough arrogance with the distance to call back, "You may be grinning now, little thief, but my father will have a say in this matter. He'll treat you like a shafter for what you've done."His words reminded Trina why she'd come, and another knife left her hands.She waited until the polits disappeared around a corner before moving forward to collect the two knives and the heavy purse her second toss had brought to the ground. The polit hadn't even noticed his loss.A touch on her shoulder sent Trina into a defensive stance. She bounced away, her third knife at the ready and the purse thrust down her neckline where it made a solid lump against her waist.The woman jerked when faced with the blade, a small squeak emitting from her lips.Trina relaxed her defensive pose as she identified one of the two laborers. They must have waited just out of sight. The woman had patched her torn dress with a handkerchief covering the exposed skin."Thank you so much. I don't know what we would have done without you. How can we repay this aid?"Trina half turned, reaching for her first knife. She glanced at it, happy to see she'd made a clean cut with blood only welling up after the blade had gone. "I needed a diversion anyway. You served well. There's money enough in his purse." She kept her voice gruff and ran a finger along the knife, testing the edge. A frown creased her forehead when she felt new nicks. She'd have to sharpen it again, weakening the blade."But at such risk."Trina ducked under the woman's hand, wishing she hadn't heard the last as she snatched the knife she'd used to gain the purse. Without another word, she slipped away then jammed the dangling end of her scarf into the polit's coins as soon as she was hidden from view. Her fingers twisted the fabric around until it muffled their noise. She'd had no choice, but avoiding capture was even more urgent now.
5 Interesting Links for 01-15-2021
Chaos in Milan by Edale Lane Giveaway
Things That Make Me Smile No. 238: Unusual instruments – Glass Harp
Things That Make Me Smile No. 237: Celebrating Colors
Margaret McGaffey Fisk on Fairy Tales Punk'd edited by Phoebe Darqueling
Crysta on Fairy Tales Punk'd edited by Phoebe Darqueling
Elizabeth McGaffey on 5 Interesting Links for 12-18-2020
Margaret McGaffey Fisk on Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Eli on Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
Categories Select Category Appreciation (62) Art, Music, Crafts, etc. (381) Creativity Exercises (25) Culture (139) Deja Vu Posts (3) Excerpts (4) Behind the Scenes (2) General (207) Animals (13) Guest Posts (9) Author Interviews (2) History (153) Interesting Links (661) Economics (11) Education (53) Employment (46) Environment (69) Health (81) Research (169) Science (420) Anthropology (107) Paleontology (5) Psychology (75) Space (43) Spelling and Grammar (15) Steampunk (23) Technology (159) Writing (292) Interesting People (155) Disability (1) Heroes (11) Just for Fun (100) Meme (4) Language (44) Life (612) Canary (10) Entertainment (9) Foodie (12) Kids and Cats (76) Ostrich (1) Parenting (17) Smiles (243) News (181) Appearances/Interviews (65) Contests (9) Cover Art (2) Excerpts (32) Releases (67) Novels (56) But a Pretty Bauble (11) Dry Boiled (3) Karth's Story (4) Molly (25) Psychic Gran (1) Shadows of the Sun (2) Shafter (4) The Queen's Return (1) Philosophy (95) Programming (47) Publishing (459) Indie Journey (27) Indie Toolbox (5) Marketing (71) Promoting (204) Conventions (55) Submitting (50) Reading (207) Reposted (1) Reviews (577) Anthology Reviews (15) Book Reviews (514) deja vu reviews (8) Fantasy (1) Magazine Reviews (7) Non-Fiction (1) Novelette Reviews (4) Novella Reviews (23) Poetry Reviews (2) Romance (28) Science Fiction (1) Serial Reviews (1) Short Story Reviews (10) Short Stories (18) Theater (3) Uncategorized (144) Writing Process (364) Challenges (98) March Madness (17) NaNoWriMo (76) Story a Day (6) Classes (27) How to Revise Your Novel (3) Thinking Sideways (22) Critiquing (2) Editing (14) Goals (10) Learning (22) Muse (42) Inspirations (33) Outlining (19) Tools (17) World Building (5)
| Privacy and Site Policies |
| Bookshelf |
| What Readers Think |
| Find My Books |
| About Me |
| Contact Me |
| For Writers |
| For Fun |
This site created and maintained by Margaret M. Fisk.
All content Copyright © 2008 - 2021 by Margaret M. Fisk unless otherwise noted.
Blog header graphic by Hanna Sandvig
Proudly powered by WordPress. Google+


text:
NGC 5248 ist eine aktive Balken-Spiralgalaxie mit ausgedehnten Sternentstehungsgebieten vom Hubble-Typ SBbc und liegt im Sternbild Bootes an der Grenze zum Sternbild Jungfrau. Sie ist schätzungsweise 50 Millionen Lichtjahre von der Milchstraße entfernt und hat einen Durchmesser von etwa 95.000 Lichtjahren.

Im selben Himmelsareal befindet sich u. a. die Galaxie IC 900.

Das Objekt wurde am 15. April 1784 von Wilhelm Herschel entdeckt.

Weblinks
 SIMBAD Astronomical Database
 Aladin Lite

Einzelnachweise

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Minnesota Takings
Bogged Down in Minnesota's Regulatory Swamp
The Institute for Justice represented siblings and semi-retired farmers John and Josephine Bronczyk in its attempt to defend the right of Minnesota property owners to exclude outsiders from their property. In this case, we sought to force the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to make sense of a confusing and contradictory mess of wetlands regulation that labeled 104 out of 160 acres of the Bronczyks' property "public waters," although it is neither public nor water. There was a public road next to the "public water," and this was interpreted to mean that the public can use most of the Bronczyks' property. The Bronczyks asked for a declaration from the court stating either that they may exclude or that their property has been taken without just compensation.
On February 13, 1996, the Anoka County Court entered summary judgment in favor of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The court spoke favorably about property rights and suggested that the Bronczyks would be justified in excluding others from the parts of their "public water" that are not submerged under water. Unfortunately, the court also held that the case was "not justiciable." Because the DNR made so many concessions about the Bronczyks' right to exclude during the course of the litigation, the court found that there was not a true controversy and that it was being asked to give an advisory opinion. The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed. Although it held that the case was not justiciable, it also held that "the public has no right of access" to any land not covered by water.
One of the worst aspects of property regulations in the welfare state is that the laws and rules are so confusing that no one can understand them. At the same time, the penalties for violating the rules are becoming harsher. Thus, while the statutes put the Bronczyks' right to exclude into doubt, they also face criminal penalties for excluding hunters or other outdoor enthusiasts from areas to which they have legal access, including coming within 200 yards of their home. The right to exclude others from one's property is the essence of private ownership, yet government bureaucrats seem to believe that any perceived need for regulation suffices as a reason to violate this fundamental right. The Bronczyks have since passed away.
Bronczyk v. State of Minnesota
John and Josephine Bronczyk
Gretchen Embrey
Senior Paralegal
Dana Berliner
Senior Vice President and Litigation Director
Institute for Justice Lauds Decision Allowing Landowners to Exclude Trespassers From "Public Waters Wetlands"
Lake Woe, Be Gone: Minnesotans Seek Private Property Protection
John and Josephine Bronczyk (pronounced bronze-ik) are siblings and semi-retired farmers. They own 160 acres in Anoka County, Minnesota, where they have lived and farmed for nearly 70 years. Although they have given up dairy farming, they continue to grow rye and hay and to keep a vegetable garden. A friend also keeps a small bee farm on the property.
Less than one quarter of the land has been cleared; the Bronczyks use only a small area for their house and crops. Nine acres at the southern border of their land are covered by Columbus Lake, an open water wetland that also extends over the land of three neighbors. A large public road borders the Bronczyks' land on the northern side. Between the lake and the road, there is a continuous stretch of thick vegetation. The Bronczyks consider themselves conservationists; they have no wish to develop the property and enjoy their land in its natural state. John Bronczyk takes a long ramble across the property every morning.
The Bronczyks have watched in dismay as the state has imposed increasingly stringent regulations on their land. First the state prohibited draining the marsh at the bottom of the property. Then, when the state designated the marsh as a protected wetland, the Bronczyks discovered that an indeterminate amount of solid land surrounding the marsh also would be treated as protected wetland. In 1990, when the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) finally set the boundary of the wetland, the Bronczyks found that three-quarters of their land is now considered protected wetland.
But not just wetland—"public waters wetland." Under Minnesota law, any wetland that abuts a large lake is deemed "public water"—even if it is solid land. The distinction has serious ramifications: landowners cannot exclude other people from a public water, as long as they have access to it, either from a public road or adjacent property. Unfortunately for the Bronczyks, the public does have access to their property because it is bordered on one side by a large public road and on other sides by neighboring public water. Since most of their land is now "public water" (even though it is solid land), someone could walk from one of at least two public roads, across public water, and all over the Bronczyks' property. Only in the bizarre world of government regulation can a mere mortal walk on water! The land is ideal for duck and deer hunting, but the Bronczyks do not want hunters using their property without permission, especially since parts of their land designated as public water lie less than 200 yards from the Bronczyks' house, work, and recreational areas.
When the state declared the Bronczyks' land public water, it reduced the Bronczyks from owners of the land to mere custodians of a public park. Since they cannot enjoy the land in solitude, they actually have no greater rights to the property than any other member of the public. And the irony is that wetlands laws are ostensibly designed to protect the environment. Yet instead of protecting the environment, the state has granted the public the right to trample and hunt on the public water, surely causing more environmental damage than John Bronczyk's solitary walks. In the government's zeal to expand its regulatory reach, it has neglected to consider the rights of landowners.
The Regulatory Maze
The last twenty years have seen an explosion of land use regulation. From zoning restrictions to environmental regulations, landowners face an obstacle course in managing their land. As the quantity of regulations increase, so does their complexity. Thus, a single piece of land often is subject to an array of confusing federal, state, and local programs and restrictions, and it can be extremely difficult and costly to understand which regulations apply, let alone to comply with them.
Nowhere is the regulatory miasma thicker than in the realm of protected wetlands. Minnesota, for instance, has between 7.5 and 8.7 million acres of wetland. At least 261,000 acres are "public waters wetlands," large wetland areas that the state classifies as public water. Wetlands are regulated at the federal level by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Soil Conservation Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The State of Minnesota regulates its wetlands through the Department of Natural Resources, the Board of Water and Soil Resources, and the Pollution Control Agency. Local units of government, including counties, cities, soil and water conservation districts, and watershed districts, impose their own regulations as well.
Landowners must get separate permission from each government entity for any activity affecting wetland, so a Minnesota landowner usually will need to apply to at least three different agencies for a permit. For example, a landowner in Steenerson Township applied for and obtained permits from the Soil and Water Conservation District, the Department of Natural Resources, and his local watershed district for constructing a driveway on his property. Although these agencies all granted the permits, the Army Corps of Engineers delayed its response for a year and then denied the permit. Knowing the appropriate agencies to contact can also be a problem, and there are criminal penalties for neglecting to obtain a permit. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prosecuted one landowner for putting clean dirt into a muddy lot filled with beer cans.
Threading the way through the maze of restrictions, mandates, and incentive programs can be quite a challenge for the ordinary landowner. Federal law prohibits draining, filling, or removing material from wetlands. Various other federal statutes govern impacts on wildlife. There are two types of federal permits. General permits apply nationwide and allow activities like the construction of road crossings or utility installation. Individual permits require a separate application. The individual permit process takes so long that more than half of the applicants eventually withdraw. In Minnesota, separate regulations govern "public waters wetlands" and "wetlands." Even the standards for determining whether a piece of land is wetland differ. Over 80 pages of regulations cover restrictions on wetlands impact, exceptions to the regulations, wetland replacement requirements, and wetland banking programs.
Complexity of regulation is not the only problem Minnesota landowners face, however. Minnesota's laws have also become increasingly strict, and state bureaucrats have wielded their power by arbitrarily preventing local governments and landowners from performing even minor activities affecting wetlands. Under the latest regulations pursuant to the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act, a wetland may be as small as 400 square feet, and it may be wet for as little as 14 nonconsecutive days per year. Any effect upon a wetland must be "mitigated" by creating new wetland, and landowners are often required to create twice as much replacement wetland as they drain. Five Minnesota counties are so worried about the costs of enforcing the Act and defending lawsuits that they have refused to sign it.
The Department of Natural Resources and the Board of Soil and Water Resources, charged with the enforcement of these rules, arbitrarily prevent landowners from performing even the most basic repairs on their property or penalize them for making minor improvements, even if the owner's activity does not harm the land. In Veldt township, the DNR initiated criminal and then civil action against the township for repairing a drainage system, even though the repair drained only 1/10 of an acre of wetland. Without the drainage, the road was becoming soggy and dangerous. The DNR suggested a repair that could easily trip and injure passersby. The township noted that the DNR was more concerned with wetland than public safety. Similarly, the DNR prosecuted a Marshall County contractor for removing material left over from a road repair that he was required by contract to remove in order to widen a ditch. In Beltrami County, the DNR is forcing a landowner to remove six inches of fill soil that he used to create a backyard for his house.
Property owners have not taken kindly to this morass of regulation, and more than 500 grassroots property rights groups have sprung up all over the country to oppose excessive land regulation, including the new Minnesota Landowners Rights Association. Landowners become frustrated as regulations decrease the value and use of their land without providing compensation. Strict land regulation converts the private owner into a mere custodian of land for the perceived public good. Even though governments can exercise their power of eminent domain and acquire full title and rights to a piece of property by paying for it, they often prefer to regulate and avoid payment, thus forcing the private property owner to bear the cost of a public benefit.
The Bronczyks' situation shows in microcosm what is happening throughout the country. Their land is subject to regulation by Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources, local government, and several federal agencies as well. Regulations, bureaucracy, and confusion increased when Minnesota decided to inventory its wetlands. Defining regulated areas has become a major battleground, with environmentalists and government officials seeking a loose and ever-expanding definition and property owners seeking narrow and definite boundaries. In the case of the Bronczyks, the government has used a broad, vague definition in order to regulate the Bronczyks' land. When the State completed its public waters and wetlands inventory in 1984, the listing of Columbus Lake, the marsh the Bronczyks share with three other property owners, was included but the boundaries of the wetland were not specified. The official map did not do so either.
The Bronczyks brought the Department of Natural Resources to court, arguing that they needed to know just how much of their land was being regulated. Refusing to make a clear statement defining its regulatory reach, the DNR instead responded that the Bronczyks could simply submit a formal proposal if they wanted to make any changes on their land. At that point, the DNR would decide if that land was part of the wetland or not. The court held that the Bronczyks had a right to know how much of their land was regulated, but anticipated that a later map or action on the part of the DNR would indicate the boundaries. The Bronczyks' repeated requests to set the boundary of the wetland were finally answered six years later when the DNR performed a survey of the land.
As is all too typical, the law that determines how much of the Bronczyks' property is public water is confusing to a lawyer and incomprehensible to everyone else. When the Bronczyks looked to the law to determine which land was public water, they found the statutes contradicted each other. When they attempted to confirm their ability to exclude the public, they found the law was ambiguous at best. As is also typical, the DNR first showed a remarkable disinterest in the Bronczyks' desire to understand their rights and then interpreted confusing law by classifying as much land as possible as public water with public access. Imagine the Bronczyks' shock when they finally discovered that three-quarters of their land is public water and now open to the public. As the Bronczyks have learned, Minnesota has developed an insatiable appetite for regulation and control of private land.
Litigation Strategy
The Institute for Justice challenges Minnesota's deprivation of the Bronczyks' right to exclude as a taking of property. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I of the Minnesota Constitution require that Minnesota pay compensation for depriving landowners of the use of their property. This lawsuit seeks a declaration recognizing the Bronczyks' right to exclude people from their land or compensation for the loss of that right.
Regulation does not come without costs, and recognizing that the costs of land regulation increasingly fall upon the private property owner, the Supreme Court has begun revitalizing the "Takings Clause" of the Constitution to require local governments to pay compensation for regulating property in a way that deprives landowners of the value of their property.
After a period of time where other constitutional rights seemed to receive greater protection by the courts, the United States Supreme Court recently stressed the importance of property rights, stating that the right to compensation for a taking must not be "relegated to the status of a poor relation" in comparison to other rights. The Court rejected the argument that the regulations should be presumed constitutional because they were economic regulations, rather than restrictions on personal liberties. This is a false distinction. "Individual freedom finds tangible expression in property rights." The Dolan decision "signals a break in the false dichotomy of rights that permitted massive government regulation of property and economic affairs."
The Bronczyks' case is an important extension and necessary application of recent Supreme Court rulings protecting property rights. When South Carolina reclassified property owner David Lucas' land as a portion of the coast where building was not permitted, the Supreme Court held that South Carolina owed compensation. Likewise, Minnesota may not simply reclassify the Bronczyks' land as public water without paying compensation.
In two recent cases, the Supreme Court rejected the attempt of states to require landowners to grant public access to their land as a condition of receiving needed building permits. When California required James and Marilyn Nollan to allow the public to walk along their beachfront property in exchange for a permit to rebuild their house, the Supreme Court ruled that California engaged in a taking of the property. Most recently, the City of Tigard, Oregon required Florence Dolan to give part of her land to the city for a public bicycle path in exchange for a building permit. The Court again held that the city had taken the land and owed compensation. But since the Bronczyks have not tried to develop their land, Minnesota could not offer the Bronczyks a permit in exchange for public access to the public water on the Bronczyks' land. Minnesota gained additional land for public hunting and recreation, and the Bronczyks lost their most precious property right and gained nothing at all.
The Bronczyks' case is especially important because Minnesota did not state its intention to take the Bronczyks' land. Instead, it engaged in an insidious process of increasing regulation, a creeping taking rather than a swift one. The Bronczyks first realized that the lake was public water, then some of the surrounding land, and finally so much land that the "public water" abutted the public road and their right to exclude had disappeared as well.
By suing the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Institute forces the state to choose one of three options: (1) rein in its regulations by conceding that the Bronczyks' land is not public water; (2) admit that the public may not use the "public waters" situated on the Bronczyk's private land; or (3) pay the Bronczyks compensation for taking their land.
The Bronczyks' rights and the rights of other landowners will be vindicated by any of several possible outcomes in this case. If the state or court determines that the 104 acres in dispute are not public water, the Bronczyks will regain the right to exclude others from the land, and the land will be removed from the regulatory reach of the DNR. If the court rules that owners retain the right to exclude others from public waters wetlands, the Bronczyks will have secured the right they seek, and the Institute will have challenged the assumption that the Bronczyks are mere custodians of their land on behalf of the public. Finally, if the state admits that it has deprived the Bronczyks of their right to exclude, it will be forced to pay them for taking their property. All of these outcomes will stem overzealous regulation and bolster the rights of property owners, creating an important precedent for property rights.
The Institute's litigation team in this lawsuit includes staff attorney Dana Berliner and litigation director Clint Bolick. Local counsel in Minnesota is Erick G. Kaardal of Trimble & Associates in Anoka.
Land use regulations are out of control. Most small landowners do not have the resources or energy to challenge regulations. They simply give up. Once the process starts, the government regulates land more and more until, at the end, it is almost worthless. The goal of environmental protection does not justify running roughshod over property rights. It is time for property owners to demand meaningful limits on the power of government to control their property and their lives.
For more information contact: John Kramer Director of Communications Institute For Justice901 N. Glebe Road, Suite 900 NWArlington, VA 22203
Other Property Rights Abuses | Private Property
Seattle Housing Affordability
Seattle's Mandatory Housing Affordability law is making it unaffordable to build housing.
Economic Liberty | First Amendment | Food Freedom | Private Property
Small business owners sue to strike down Jacksonville regulations effectively banning food trucks from city
Jacksonville, North Carolina effectively bans food trucks from operating in 96 percent of the city. That's why a group of small business owners has teamed up with the Institute for Justice to file a lawsuit…
Indiana Jury Trials
Indiana Jury Trials The right to a trial by jury is fundamental to our system of justice. Particularly when the government is trying to confiscate property, the jury (as one court has put it) "stands…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


JUDCon China was held for the first time last week in Beijing, and it was a blast!
I had never been to China before, let alone a conference there, so it was interesting to compare it with other conferences around the world. The use of simulaneous translators meant those giving presentations in English had to pace themselves a bit more so that translators would have time to catch up. There's was a good bunch of presentation given by native Chinese speakers too, so the audience got the chance to attend more interactive sessions too.
During this two-day developer conference, I was showing Infinispan's capabilities as a powerful cache bulding a transactional EE application that neeeded to scale up live. In this presentation, which combines Infinispan with JSF and CDI, I showed how to go from a basic temporary cached, to a clustered cache that used consistent hashing to distribute data, showing the ability to scale up and failover. This presentation which was given shortly after the keynote on the first day generated a lot of interest in the audience, with a lot of users wanting to find out how we compared with other existing cache and data grid providers. This was a great opportunitiy to introduce the rest of Inifnispan talks that were happening that day and the day after, where they could learn more Infinsipan's other features as a data grid: i.e. querying, geographic failover...etc.
For those who attended, the presentations should be uploaded to the JUDCon China website within the next few weeks.
Not all was presentations though, we also had the chance to socialise with attendees and other Red Hat employees in China. After all talks finished the first day, Jim Ma and Yong Yang did a fantastics demo of a cluster of JBoss Application Server 7 instances running on Rasperry PIs, and the audience had the opportunity to win one a Rasperry Pi too!
If you're thinking of going to China, you can't leave without trying a hot pot place! On Friday night we went to a Hai Dai Lao Hot Pot restaurant for food, and from a culinary perspective, it was the best food I had during my China stay. Hot Pot restaurants have this concept of cooking different meats, vegetables and noodles in two hot pots, one spicy and the other not. On top of that, you get the chance to mix up some cold sauces yourself (sesame oil, coriander, nuts, chillies,,,etc) and mix that with the cooked meat/veg. Unfortunately, one of our colleagues who had a nut allergy had to be rushed to hospital, but it was all Ok in the end :).
From here I'd like to thank Cindy Dong, Jervis Liu, Jim Ma, Christina Lin and many others that helped us, Aliens (according to Chinese Immigration prospects), feel like at home :). Can't wait to get back to China.


Description: Military payment certificate used by the United States military during the Vietnam War worth 10 cents. The front of the bill has an illustration of a submarine in the ocean and the serial number is printed in black ink on the left side. There is a note on the bill that reads: "For use only in United States military establishments by United States authorized personnel in accordance with applicable rules and regulations." The back of the bill has an illustration of an astronaut in space surrounded by a purple border with "10 cents" printed within it.
Description: Military payment certificate used by the United States Military during the Vietnam War worth 10 cents. The front side of the bill has an illustration of a submarine in an ocean, the serial number is printed in black ink, and there is a note on the bottom that reads: "For use only in United States Military establishments by United States authorized personnel in accordance with applicable rules and regulations." The back of the bill has an illustration showing an astronaut floating in space bordered by a purple field with "10 cents" printed on either side.
Description: Military payment certificate used by the United States military during the Vietnam War worth 5 cents. The front of the bill has an illustration of a submarine in the ocean and the serial number printed in black ink on the left side. There is a note at the bottom of the bill that reads: "For use only in United States military establishments by United States authorized personnel in accordance with applicable rules and regulations." The back of the bill has an illustration of an astronaut working in space surrounded by a green border with "5 cents" printed on either side.
Description: This cross is wooden and a generic shape except that the base widens to 4 cm from 1 cm at the top. One side has a dark line in the natural pattern of the wood. The accompanying card has a printed note, "This cross hand carved of oak from the original cowboy's hitching post or mens prayer tree, Bloy's Cowboy Camp Meeting" and has a handwritten note on the back: "8-18-68. Carved by John Wilson, Pyote, Texas 79777."


text:
Lasioserica kulbei är en skalbaggsart som beskrevs av Ahrens 1999. Lasioserica kulbei ingår i släktet Lasioserica och familjen Melolonthidae. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Skalbaggar
kulbei


We had the pleasure of detailing this brand new Range Rover Evoque for one of our customers as he wanted to have his car protected from the elements from day one. The customer would normally keep his car for around four years. We decided that the Gtechniq crystal serum Light detailing package would be best suited for his car as this comes with a 5 year manufacturer Guarantee. This is a fantastic coating as it protects the cars paintwork long-term, and has fantastic hydrophobic properties that repels everything. After receiving this treatment washing the car is a breeze and so easy to maintain giving you more free time to enjoy your car. If you would like any more information on this coating then give us a call were we will be able to give you more advice regarding this service.
The man is a total professional in love with his work. Kept me fully informed of what was happening.
This is not some trainee looking after your pride and joy this is a skilled craftsman.