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Movie Review: The Crimes of Grindelwald
JK Rowling’s Wizarding World franchise promises many things to the audience. Whimsical worldbuilding, cool and visually-exciting magic, high stakes and high adventure, a clash between clearly-defined good and evil. These elements enchanted a generation of schoolchildren when her books were published in the late 1990s, and bedazzled two generations of moviegoers in the film adaptations.…
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How I Survived 17 Days in Japan on Onigiri, Yakitori and Nut Bars
In late October, my wife and I embarked on our greatest adventure yet: a 17-day trip in Japan, spanning Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima, without guides or local contacts, armed with nothing but our maps and our wits. We were no strangers to overseas travel, but we’d always traveled in group tours. The tour…
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Have Cash, Will Conjure Part 5
“You gave Federov to the Seebs?” Jansen asked. “Yes,” I said. “So that’s where he went.” Jansen jotted something down. “You were carrying other weapons with you. A pistol and two knives. Why didn’t you use them?” “Why didn’t my client kill Federov, you mean?” Greenwald asked. “Mr. Lee didn’t have to. And if he…
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Have Cash, Will Conjure
“What about Vandemeer?” Jansen asked. “Did you do a séance too?” I shrugged. “I tried. Dry hole.” “Your file says you’re Tier One. You served in the Arcane Legion for twelve years, over half that in the Special Operations Support Detachment, with multiple combat tours. You couldn’t call him back?” “I’m listed as Tier One…
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Have Cash, Will Conjure Part 3
Greenwald leaned forward. “My client would like to exercise his Fifth Amendment rights.” “No, it’s okay,” I said. “Dom—” “Look, we never actually committed a crime.” Jansen sneered. “Really? Sounds to me like a conspiracy to obstruct justice.” “Things aren’t black and white.” I straightened to my full seated height. “I knew Johnson was trouble…
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Have Cash, Will Conjure Part 2
Detective Jansen twirled his pen in surprisingly dexterous fingers. “I understand your contract granted you extraordinary powers.” “No more than regular police,” Greenwald said, “only for matters related to this case, and only because Mr. Lee is an accredited private peace officer in the employ of Lithsman Kinetics.” Distaste crawled across the troll’s face. “A…