Part 1 - Pre 2/28, Chapter 2d
The ad for the line of clothing based on simple patterns drawn by Raydars players' spouses came on. It was another one of Tsunglei Tong's genius ideas. He had asked the spouses to design, with crayons, a pattern within a 5 inch by 2 inch box, then asked for their most artistic signatures. Then he had repeated the pattern horizontally, vertically, whatever direction it would take to make what the spouse had drawn somewhat visually pleasing. Finally he created a new line of clothing with the pattern printed on a cheap line of clothing produced by a firm that Tsunglei himself was on the board of directors.
The line was marketed as a "signature" line from the players spouses. Unsurprisingly, the line was a huge hit with lower middle income families and Tsunglei was made richer every day. The spouses? They got fame... which they were happy to get. Corey marveled at how well Tsunglei understood people as to what would make them give up money and security for.
After the ad, came a special report presented by Reverend Ryker about how Shon is the one God, who made it possible for the Raydars to get their spectacular win today. Though the West family and Danvers family were believers of Shon, they didn't quite swallow the claptrap that Reverend Ryker and his type hyped. The DV was quickly muted and conversation revolved around Owen's activities for the following week.
When Rich got up to get the dessert for everyone, Corey glanced back at the DigiVision and saw that Terra Bloom was on. He reached for the remote and turning the volume back on, he listened for a second.
"... story we had for tonight will have to be put off until tomorrow. Instead, we will bring you this update on Moraffa Khaladiff, the president-for-life of Elum.
Strange, Corey thought, Tessa rarely has to put off a story. Wasn't she supposed to be doing a story on... the... new... brewery... "Oh, Frick!" he said aloud as he pushed his chair back abruptly. "I was supposed to be meeting Tessa Bloom an hour and a half ago to help her with that story! I gotta go!"
He grabbed his coat and left the housing running, followed by Rick's and Drew's laughter and Raqi's scolding voice, "Stop that... it's been a long day for him. Leave Core alone."
"...tried to interview Moraffa Khaladiff, but his people said that he was incommunicado at the moment; therefore, we are bringing you this segment about how far he fares as leader of Elum, a city-state built around the team of Stinging Scorpions, a small-time Pro-Am Zingball team. Not only as leader of Elum but also owner-for-life of the Stinging Scorpions.
"The curious thing about Elum is that though Khundin is the predominant religion just like the other city-states in the region, it is unlike its neighbors in the Central East whose governmental and religious leaders are one and the same because Elum is firm about keeping religion separate from goverment. As a result, The Stinging Scorpions' matches with its neighbors in the Central East division of the Pro-Am Zingball League, often end up bloodied and bruised. Fans of the Scorpions tend not to be as zealous about Khundinism as its neighbors' fans.
"This aloofness about religion is needed to keep the balance in Elum. Khundinism, like all other religions, had differing factions as well, and Elum, by quirks of many territorial battles over eons, has a ruling minority - the Fehstes who comprised the majority of the members in the government. The majority who lived in seeming contentment, despite their lack of numbers in the ruling class, were the Fiddhes. Most Fiddhish Khundinites who lived in surrounding city-states were usually quite fanatic about their particular brand of religion but not the ones who lived in Elum.
"Whether the peace is forcibly kept by Moraffa Khaladiff, Elum's president-for-life or whether the people choose to live peacefully is the subject of tonight's debate. But it is clear; Khaladiff does not want fanaticism in his city-state. With fanaticism, he says, comes ultimatums. When ultimatums come from two sources, in this case the city-state and the religion, then conflicts happen. To avoid conflict, fanaticism must be stamped out. [The images of Khaladiff intersperse with handcuffed and blindfolded prisoners, with rows of people in prayers, with fire, with bombs and explosions, with fisticuffs.]
"At one point, when Khaladiff had first emerged as leader of Elum 20 years earlier, the Raydars organization had eagerly supported him and the emergent Stinging Scorpions by sending food supplies and possible bylaws for the Scorpions to follow, bylaws that would give the Raydars some advantages through trades for young talent. But Khaladiff proved to have a mind of his own. He defied the region's mandate that all city-states be firmly linked with religion AND he defied the mighty Raydars in not adopting most of their suggested bylaws.
"The Stinging Scorpions have become quite a team in the Central East division of the Pro-Am Zingball League. They have now the sixth largest fan base, with 99% of Elum's citizens as fans, as well as some existing in nearby city-states. Years ago, before Russell Grant's decade of solidity when he was president of the Raydars and its surrounding territories, one of the Raydars' owners, Eugene H.W. Braun to be exact, the father of the current Raydars' owner, Gene Braun, tried to do a takeover of Elum's and the Stinging Scorpions' revenue flow. However, due to the instability of the area surrouding the Scorpions, Braun Sr., opted not to finish the job, and pulled out. Russell Grant, though he heard rumors about how Khaladiff treated his own people, chose to stay out and not interfere in a Pro-Am ballclub's decisions about its present and future.
"It remains to be seen whether Khaladiff will remain a thorn in Braun's side, calling the Raydars organization, 'a vessel of the Devil's.' As it is now, Braun has chosen to ignore this petty player Khaladiff and his team the Stinging Scorpions, with its revenue flow of 1 billion credits, as opposed to the Raydars' revenue flow of 600 billion credits.
This ends tonight's segment of 'Minor Influences of the Raydars.' This is Tessa Bloom, reporting live from Raydars HQ."
The line was marketed as a "signature" line from the players spouses. Unsurprisingly, the line was a huge hit with lower middle income families and Tsunglei was made richer every day. The spouses? They got fame... which they were happy to get. Corey marveled at how well Tsunglei understood people as to what would make them give up money and security for.
After the ad, came a special report presented by Reverend Ryker about how Shon is the one God, who made it possible for the Raydars to get their spectacular win today. Though the West family and Danvers family were believers of Shon, they didn't quite swallow the claptrap that Reverend Ryker and his type hyped. The DV was quickly muted and conversation revolved around Owen's activities for the following week.
When Rich got up to get the dessert for everyone, Corey glanced back at the DigiVision and saw that Terra Bloom was on. He reached for the remote and turning the volume back on, he listened for a second.
"... story we had for tonight will have to be put off until tomorrow. Instead, we will bring you this update on Moraffa Khaladiff, the president-for-life of Elum.
Strange, Corey thought, Tessa rarely has to put off a story. Wasn't she supposed to be doing a story on... the... new... brewery... "Oh, Frick!" he said aloud as he pushed his chair back abruptly. "I was supposed to be meeting Tessa Bloom an hour and a half ago to help her with that story! I gotta go!"
He grabbed his coat and left the housing running, followed by Rick's and Drew's laughter and Raqi's scolding voice, "Stop that... it's been a long day for him. Leave Core alone."
"...tried to interview Moraffa Khaladiff, but his people said that he was incommunicado at the moment; therefore, we are bringing you this segment about how far he fares as leader of Elum, a city-state built around the team of Stinging Scorpions, a small-time Pro-Am Zingball team. Not only as leader of Elum but also owner-for-life of the Stinging Scorpions.
"The curious thing about Elum is that though Khundin is the predominant religion just like the other city-states in the region, it is unlike its neighbors in the Central East whose governmental and religious leaders are one and the same because Elum is firm about keeping religion separate from goverment. As a result, The Stinging Scorpions' matches with its neighbors in the Central East division of the Pro-Am Zingball League, often end up bloodied and bruised. Fans of the Scorpions tend not to be as zealous about Khundinism as its neighbors' fans.
"This aloofness about religion is needed to keep the balance in Elum. Khundinism, like all other religions, had differing factions as well, and Elum, by quirks of many territorial battles over eons, has a ruling minority - the Fehstes who comprised the majority of the members in the government. The majority who lived in seeming contentment, despite their lack of numbers in the ruling class, were the Fiddhes. Most Fiddhish Khundinites who lived in surrounding city-states were usually quite fanatic about their particular brand of religion but not the ones who lived in Elum.
"Whether the peace is forcibly kept by Moraffa Khaladiff, Elum's president-for-life or whether the people choose to live peacefully is the subject of tonight's debate. But it is clear; Khaladiff does not want fanaticism in his city-state. With fanaticism, he says, comes ultimatums. When ultimatums come from two sources, in this case the city-state and the religion, then conflicts happen. To avoid conflict, fanaticism must be stamped out. [The images of Khaladiff intersperse with handcuffed and blindfolded prisoners, with rows of people in prayers, with fire, with bombs and explosions, with fisticuffs.]
"At one point, when Khaladiff had first emerged as leader of Elum 20 years earlier, the Raydars organization had eagerly supported him and the emergent Stinging Scorpions by sending food supplies and possible bylaws for the Scorpions to follow, bylaws that would give the Raydars some advantages through trades for young talent. But Khaladiff proved to have a mind of his own. He defied the region's mandate that all city-states be firmly linked with religion AND he defied the mighty Raydars in not adopting most of their suggested bylaws.
"The Stinging Scorpions have become quite a team in the Central East division of the Pro-Am Zingball League. They have now the sixth largest fan base, with 99% of Elum's citizens as fans, as well as some existing in nearby city-states. Years ago, before Russell Grant's decade of solidity when he was president of the Raydars and its surrounding territories, one of the Raydars' owners, Eugene H.W. Braun to be exact, the father of the current Raydars' owner, Gene Braun, tried to do a takeover of Elum's and the Stinging Scorpions' revenue flow. However, due to the instability of the area surrouding the Scorpions, Braun Sr., opted not to finish the job, and pulled out. Russell Grant, though he heard rumors about how Khaladiff treated his own people, chose to stay out and not interfere in a Pro-Am ballclub's decisions about its present and future.
"It remains to be seen whether Khaladiff will remain a thorn in Braun's side, calling the Raydars organization, 'a vessel of the Devil's.' As it is now, Braun has chosen to ignore this petty player Khaladiff and his team the Stinging Scorpions, with its revenue flow of 1 billion credits, as opposed to the Raydars' revenue flow of 600 billion credits.
This ends tonight's segment of 'Minor Influences of the Raydars.' This is Tessa Bloom, reporting live from Raydars HQ."
posted by resigned idealist at 2:27 PM
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