Westie

Hmmmm, I'm sorry Mark but your request for a vacation has been denied. Our policy clearly states that we require 4 weeks written notice of an intention to take annual leave.... Oh wait.... You don't work for me... Damn In that case have a great time!

Living in London is great; we got to see much of the festivities first hand. Many of you will know me as an ardent royalist. I have to admit that I got teary-eyed when God Save The Queen was played both during the river procession and the concert last night. When people suggest to me that we become a republic, my first response is always to ask them to name a single president in the world today who you would rather have over the Queen? To those who are suggesting that Prince Charles cannot inherit, there is not, nor has their ever been a bar on a divorcée becoming monarch. However, even if there was, the fact is that in the eyes of the church, Charles is not divorced but a widower. And to Bill W who claims that Churchill wanted Edward VIII out of the way.... I think you need to check your history. The Prime Minister at the time was Stanley Baldwin. And despite what recent film adaptations will tell you, Churchill at this time was one of the Duke's few supporters - advocating the formation of a "King's Party" to ensure he could marry and remain on the throne. It was one of the (many, many) good reasons that Churchill was unpopular with the Royal Family until a good few months into his premiership. That said, back on subject.... God Save The Queen.

or given the nature of that story, you could do a "desperate housewives" type "mary alice young" narration (i.e. a dead person) and have Tonto do it

It was truly evil. And while I'm sure that something buried deep inside me feels something akin to guilt, I have no regrets for what I've done. Should I feel shame? Probably. If there was any shred of humanity left within me, I would probably feel something - anything - for the people I have hurt. But I don't. It's just coldness inside. I should start at the beginning, but I don't even know where that is anymore. How did I become this? Picture this for me. The london underground. The air is thick with sweat and pollution. The walls are deep with grime and soot from the "london air". Hotter and more uncomfortable than the strongest heatwave, and after a long tiresome day, the weary tread their way home in this oppressing smog of unpleasantness. So I'm stood at the platform, and 5 trains go by, each one too full to let more than two or three people on. But finally I'm at the front. I will get on the next one, and I will be on my way home. The train arrives... **thump** - something hit my back! "Move, Move, Move, get on the train you F#&!ing fat bastard" **thump thump thump** on my back. I get on the train and turn to see the ugliest woman, around 40, pushing me into the people, jarring us in like sardines. "Its people like you that stop normal sized people getting home" says the bitch. I start to seeth. My anger boils, but as my mother taught me, I control it. I feel the burn behind my eyes, my insecurities raging. And as we move station to station I start to plot my revenge. The train is getting hotter and hotter, and all the bodies are pressed together in a sticky, sweaty, funk-mass of people. The bitch complains about the smell at the top of her voice. I feel like screaming at her.... but I don't. I wait. i bide my time. Finally, excruciatingly, we get to my station. But I don't get off immediately. I wait a few moments, I turn to the woman and say... "you deserve this". My plan falls in place.... and as the doors are closing, i lightly step off the train. I turn, and see that she noticed. I see the disgust in her eyes. I see the utter revulsion in her face.... as she smells the ripe freshness of a fart in the stale tube air. I don't regret it. Not for a moment. West **Please note, true story, slightly embellished. Don't judge me. I did what I had to do. I know some innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. I don't regret it. Cold.

Double Damn. I reread that story around 20 times now. Still in my view.... THE.BEST.CAP.STORY.EVER!

He's hot once he gets older, BUT, I just can't get past the fact he used to be THIS in "about a boy".... Somehow, knowing that, I just can't get worked up by this guy. Though, Im not sure I would get worked up over JJ either....

Well, we all remember the hottest admin at GA (sorry Myr ) And your latest story is particularly awesome so I want to bully you encourage you to post more so heres the deal.... you get 3 more chapters out, and I will lose my review virginity to you.... (well, i might have written one before, but if i can't remember it, it doesn't count, right?)

Like the the British Queen.... Mark Arbour is Queen enough to have 2 birthdays ...

Do you have much trouble with the abattoir regulations? i guess you can't slaughter your own meat anymore... which is better in some ways if you become attached to the animals I guess. And I guess I just worked out where abouts you are living.... and if I'm right, all I can say is.... Bravo.

Oh gimme a break. this is the second place Ive seen mmike1969 post on this topic and it's getting pretty old. I was one of the people who asked DK to stay, but HE made the choice to leave. You need a thick skin to play in the soapbox. But your childish defence of a guy who really doesnt need defending is completely out of order. Maybe DK isnt the only one who should consider his GA position....

So would a Viscountcy. It places George just ahead of his brother in the Order of Precedence of Great Britain until the death of his father (when Freddie would become an Earl). Moreover, Freddie would have to call his younger brother "my Lord" until such a time as he is elevated.

I'm just re-reading PMS, chapter 13 Just thought its interesting to note that Brad promised Will that when he asked him to do something, he would always tell him the reason. Seems to me that he's broken that promise a number of times.... no wonder he's losing his son

We all know better.... Sharon obviously already holds this position... well, so she says. im not so sure but I dont dare argue with her

Well you know the saying.... Power Corrupts. And absolute power.... is actually pretty neat

Yeah, but having to choose which rooms to heat and which to leave cold would put a bit of a downer on the whole experience....

They didn't vote to "advise" the king even then. The king didn't have the power to defy both the commons and the lords assembled without popular support. George III was not an absolute monarch. He was an executive monarch to be sure, but make no mistake that a vote in the house of lords was as binding on the king then as it would be today on the Queen. This is post- glorious revolution politics, with years of monarchs delegating more and more responsibility to ministers. And then as now, money was power. A baron with a fortune and friends was more powerful than an impoverished duke with many enemies (again, Dukes of marlborough are good examples). Seniority was no match for favour and influence.

This is where I get to be really geeky and discuss this point; Its actually been bugging me for some time now because Mark is a little ahead of his time here. Iron tanks weren't actually trialled in the royal Navy until 1809 (limited trials has taken place earlier, but these were actually wooden tanks with a metal lining, and not true metal tanks). The pumps that kept the water filtered and fresh were only invented in 1811, and so Granger being ahead of his time also meant the water he was drinking would have been progressively lower in quality. The original designs for the tanks involved them being painted internally to prevent rust. But the truth is that iron tanks didn't really take off until galvanization became viable some 50 years after this story takes place. One additional point is that each tank would have 2 tons of water, and for a full supply you would actually have needed over 50 tanks, it is very unlikely that any ship would have had SO MUCH water stored in iron tanks. More likely there would be a compliment of wooden caskets too. Mark's description here of "the tank" being fitted is therefore of slight poetic license. Though this doesn't detract from the story. Want to know how they filtered the water otherwise? Answer - in similar ways to the filtering of wine. "fining" is a process whereby an agent is added that will bind organic molecules and sink them to the bottom of a container. Common in winemaking, some of the things are pretty gruesome (dried blood for instance, is a good fining agent). It is more likely that on a ship they would have used products derived from the swim bladder of a fish, or some form of gelatin.

Not quite. Prior to 1707 the peerage existed separately in England, Scotland and Ireland (note that Wales was not considered a separate country: it was part of England). Titles created within these peerages are considered the most senior. From 1707 (following the act of Union 1707 which joined Scotland to England as one nation) There was the Peerage of Great Britain. That lasted until the Act of Union 1800 joining Ireland and creating the Peerage of the United Kingdom (which is the most junior). In terms of forms of address, to call him Lord granger would be incorrect, unless the letters patent stated that as his specific title.

A baronetcy is not a rank of the peerage. Baron is the lowest rank of the peerage, It then ascends in the following order: Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke. Technically there would be "Thane" in the Scottish parlance, but not used in this period (roughly equivalent to an earl). I have explained this a number of times before, but for the sake of clarity: a peerage is distinct and separate from any land or property. If granger is awarded a peerage, the title would in no way be linked to any land, except that he may be given a peerage named for some area or estate to which he has a connection. The fact that the peerage is NAMED after that land, does not mean that the peer need have anything to do with the ownership or management of that land. Mark uses the example of the Duke of Marlborough being given a grant of land and cash to build Blenheim Palace; its worth noting that the creation of John Churchill as the Duke of Marlborough predates the grant of the manor of woodstock by some 3 years, and so the title and land were not in any way linked.

Anything less than a baron wouldn't be a peerage

Well well well.... we have a peerage being mooted. I actually predicted this back in the thread for HMS Belvidera, because its a logical progression. And its a finely balanced line that the King will have to maneuver. You have to remember that the King at this time was not an absolute monarch. Much of his influence was gained through the loyalty of powerful figures in parliament. The earl of Bridgemont is a powerful man, and this is his third son who has done exceptional service to His Majesty. The King has to pitch the level of the award right - certainly he can't make George senior to his father. However, pitch it too low and the earl might be offended, or worse, his friends might be. Granger has a cult following, and so the award needs to be enough that the mob are sated, but too much risks demoralizing the entire naval command structure. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to the next chapter.

erm, not to be harsh but.... fire her. i dont allow my employees to question my authority. And she is exactly that - an employee. Get rid and save yourself the hassle

Well, i want to visit Paris, but (again) we will have a very full agenda. I just dont want to feel like we are letting people down by not turning up at all the meetings etc. its easier not to be beholden to the arrangements of others. But, IDk, we are still "negotiating" with each other on the subject

Inputted. its just wrong. the past tense in input is input. inputed IS a word however, but pronounced differently

And what a great, awesome, spectacular first chapter. I'm a little disappointed that you didn't go the whole way with the mutiny thing, but that just me being a geek - I suspect that there wasn't much story mileage in it. Though hopefully we will see a bit of the action anyway Really well done