MILES vV, HOST: Good morning! I'm Miles, guest-less for the first time in months, and this is Jump Start.

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MILES: Power outages cripple the tech industry out of South West Palisades - how this will have ripple effects on the market at large. Also, long haulers going on strike - the hidden heroes of the Empire and how you can support the effort. Last, a new form for the show - how transcription software has opened new doors here at EFPR.

MILES: Let's get a Jump Start on the week.

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MILES: Severe electrical storms over the weekend took out power to major portions of the South West Palisades, causing social media spell Glamr to shut down for the weekend - as many of you well know - as well as major server disruptions at arcanotech giant Meta's HQ. Residential and small businesses were back up in hours thanks to city-provided mana reserves - but was it enough? We go to EFPR's business correspondent Grimmax the Hungering for more.

GRIMMAX: "Unexpected weather conditions" is the name of the game at Crixo, the major mana provider for the still-without power Palisades. They cite a change in Thunderbird migration patterns for multiple strikes on under-shielded arcane reservoirs in their first post after the spell's return. Left out of the post, that the resulting explosion tragically ended the lives of one goblin and three elven crew at the scene - something they decline to acknowledge until a full investigation has completed, according to comments in their post. But was this fatal mistake really so difficult to predict? Experts - and locals - think not. 

GRIMMAX: Every year, migrations of Greater Thunder Birds famously pass what some have come to call the Social Media Mesa at a safe distance. These birds, each over two dozen feet across, have taken this same route since before the Empire. Tourists from across the world gather to take pictures with the ancient birds. You may have seen EFPR's coverage, just last month, of the innovative conduits lining the nearby valleys that keep most of the region with a steady supply of mana. Here's a clip from an interview I had with ferrofowl expert John L'chleign last month.

GRIMMAX: So John, tell us a little about these Thunder Birds.

JOHN: Sure can. Despite the name, they're have the least to do with thunder - they don't even make the lightning.

GRIMMAX: They don't? Can you tell us more?

JOHN: I'd be happy to, Grimmax. As with their reclassification to "Ferrofowl" last decade, we've found that they're mostly animated metal.

GRIMMAX: Mostly?

JOHN: That's right, which is why there's some contention on the classification - trust me I could do my own podcast on it.

GRIMMAX: I believe you! So they aren't strictly arcane, then?

JOHN: Right. The birds, neither chick nor full grown adult, cannot produce lightning on their own. Each are merely conductors to a natural electrical phenomenon found in a few magically dense places in the world. These birds, powerful as they are, don't control this weather - no. It's no more arcane than the average Ironhide Dove.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

GRIMMAX: ... and here's a short interview I had with local witch Bauhinia P. as she was charging her broom at a neighborhood Locus about the storms.

BAUHINIA: "Well, yknow, people have been living here since before Glamr and them all moved in. We've been putting up towers and whatnot since before the birds, I'd say. And we've been tellin Ol' Joe and his lot for years that those reservoirs they have are gonna get hit one day. Tellin' them for years we have."

GRIMMAX: Joseph Amplos, better known simply as Ol' Joe, has been the mayor in this town for over sixty decades, but a resident since before The Traveller arrived. He acknowledged the problem, promised a swift resolution, but made clear they were not responsible for the oversight. His office wanted to emphasize that the city infrastructure was entirely unaffected thanks to the historic architecture - it's the many private networks brought in by Crixo that have failed. And while Crixo engineers have been more than visible across the city restoring power to the businesses most affected, no official company representative was available for comment by this broadcast. 

GRIMMAX: I had hoped to find out what caused the change in migration path. When reached out to by spell, John L'chleign, the Ferrofowl expert I consulted last month, had this to say, quote,

JOHN: I and much of the Aetherverian community have turned out to observe the birds, so if I could tell you, I would be a very rich man right now.

GRIMMAX: Clearly, we won't have answers right away, but we'll update you as research develops.

MILES: That was Grimmax the Hungering, business correspondent with member station SWPPR. To Jump Start your week, make sure friends and family can contact you by other methods besides social media spells until this issue gets fully resolved.

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MILES: Prices for just about everything may be going up as long haul magic carpet pilots begin their first week of strikes. Pilots for many major hauling companies, including shipping giant Mercury Global, have begun a picket line that spirals up a few hundred feet over Capital parade grounds. Industries such as produce, manufacturing, and textiles will be out of stock or a few gold more until such time as the quartermaster's guild can come to an agreement.

MILES: This strike has been on the horizon for several months as talks over breaks, restroom access, and fair base pay have broken down. The Emperor has interceded twice now to keep things running as they are, but it seems this was the last straw and even The Almighty Ruler has limits on Their executive power. This may come down to private resolutions for specific industries to keep the Empire from collapse or a tournament of duels from union and company heads.

MILES: but what is it really about? Here's an interview taken by Capital street report Marvin Marvin this morning.

[City Traffic with additional whirring from many carpets. Picket chants can be heard overhead.]

ANONYMOUS PILOT: Look, it's a matter of looking up and looking down, right? No one looks up at us but they're always looking down at us. But this Empire, it runs on our backs. Everyday I'm in my rig, sun on my neck, few dozen trees strapped to a Claron McLinton V8 which, let me tell you, is not a big carpet. Eleven hours a day, but when I drop off that load, I gotta leave? I can't come inside for a few, cool off, get a drink, have a piss? What is this, America? No, we're here working together, us pilots are holding each other up so no one can hold us down.

[Chants of "We haul your shit / we're tired of it / we work all day / we want more pay" fade out]

MILES: if you would like to know more, or how you can show your support for the cause, you can find more information on our gemsite,           . Donations go to keeping pilots fed and hydrated during demonstrations.

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MILES: As many dedicated listeners may know, this show has been through dozens of versions and hosts in the hundreds of years that it's been on and off the air. Today, coincidentally on our six hundred and forty third anniversary no less, we go through one more change. We'll be putting up transcripts of episodes of this program for free public access. But what does it take to get these made?

MILES: Once, you had to bind a demon to a True Book, but today, you only need to open your crystal, open your messages, and hit the record button. That's for the average user at home - but what about for producers like us at EFPR or video sharing spells? Things are surprisingly still fairly pre-Traveller - or they were. That's where professional greater ritual services comes in to do huge amounts of transcriptions in moments. But is it accurate, how is it verified, and how does it work? To find these answers and more, check out CRYSTAL CRYSIS, hosted by EFPR's own technologies desk correspondent, Olivia Street. CRYSTAL CRYSIS, ad free on EFPR Next every week.

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MILES: Lastly, here's a few things to get a jump on your week ahead.

MILES: Dwemmernacht, a yearly Dwarven tradition under attack. Check out our Friday episode with guest Hardi Byr'dordt for more on a recent decree quietly targeting Dwarven festivals.

MILES: Also, Mountain Hider has awoken and may be active for several weeks. As always, be sure to avert your gaze and tune into your local stations for updates and sightings.

MILES: Lastly, a new Shadow Council bill gives mages a handful of new restrictions on casting - and a surprising reclassification. Are your spells prepared? Tune into Spellbook Today with me and my cohost A Head of Mead every new moon.

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MILES: Thanks to EFPR's executive producer, Malik First of His Line, editors Portia Marti' and Xip, with technical support by the Lov'vovk brothers. Our theme was composed by Drip the Inspired. This is EFPR's Jump Start.

MILES: Have a good week everyone.