Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

??? Do you have a source for this?

I can not find it in the web.

And either way, a ban in a single ban in one country is not the same as a world-wide ban.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

In any case local bans are certainly allowed, even some highly eccentric ones.

Media that necessarily has to do with laws already in existence is obviously banned such as any art form involving psionics.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Here's a story from The New Yorker largely talking about a time of rioting in 1960s Detroit that mentions the rumor, as well as putting some context around the notion of the song as a radical anthem.

Just last year, Fort Smith, Arkansas, repealed their 1953 ban on public dancing on Sundays, but that applied irrespective of the music you might be playing. I don't know if Kevin Bacon had any comment on the news.

It is when the planet is one country -- as is the case for most worlds in the Imperium (all the non-balkanized ones).

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

"Dancing in the Street" and no it wasn't. Actually it was a number 1 hit there.

As for the Empire it's quite mechanically incapable of doing any large scale suppression of pop culture. There's too much local autonomy and too many virtually unregulated grubby little Free Traders who love compact cargo like computer memory loaded with cultural goods. The more dictatorial or oligarchic Individual planets can and do suppress popular culture, but that suppression ends at their atmosphere. One of the Patrons was actually a touring musical act, and not at all a high brow one.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Tramp Banking.

On frontier worlds banking is often not well established. To facilitate movement of capital and other abstract properties to and from, a tramp vessel is sometimes used. The small cargo space needed often makes this niche attractive. Some specialize in this, and others as part of a diversified business. The ship will carry records of the accounts of customers on different worlds and sometimes collateral. Sometimes they will carry cash from one branch to another to facilitate withdrawls or simply reinforce credibility.

Adventure seed: There is a run on the one bank of Boondocksworld which is franchised by the Bank of Decadentworld. A big store of cash is stuffed aboard your ship and sent to Boondockworld (that is based on a real incident on the East Coast in the turn of the century where Morgan stopped a collapse by the use of his name and the promise of a shipment).

Adventure seed: You find out that the money you are carrying belonged to a criminal syndicate. The law is likely to be after you. Plus if ANY of it disappears, your customers will be very, very, unhappy...

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Zhodani nobles generally wear turbans. Intendants generally wear headbands. Why?

Superstition. Many Zhodani believe that some substances, devices, etc. enhance their psi powers, so they incorporate them into their headgear. This has never been conclusively proved to be true, and although professional psi researchers pooh-pooh the idea, the beliefs persist. After all, it can't *hurt* to have a scrap of cloth that wiped away your mother's tears, or part of your umbilical cord, or a wire of electrum in your headgear.

Of course, getting, keeping, or recovering the right stuff for your headgear has adventure possibilites.

Proles have their own versions of these beliefs, often involving how to insure your child will be psionic. Or *not* psionic, since psionic prole children are adopted into intendant families, which makes having your prole child identified as a psi emotionally complicated.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Roamer's Ease, LIC:

A corporation maintaining spacer themed public houses found to Spinward. They are known for their highly trained baristas and bartenders and their copious library of cocktails, many of which use coffee as a mixer. Also served are various light foods including mixed nuts or fruits, chips (either potato or unleavened bread) of various flavors, sandwichs, etc. The normal music played is soft instrumental jazz, but on Karaoke night, customers are invited to sing; and on guest night an entertainer is invited to sing or tell tales. Often enough, given the nature spacer folk ballads are played or sung.

Decorations include the typical work used to decorate the interior or exterior of a starship (indeed it has been known for Roamer's Ease to buy retired starships and convert them). Typical is a cream-colored wall with various and sundry pictures or models.

Prices range from what is available to a plain spacer (a plain coffee, or drink if he is really pinched) to highly elaborate mixes with rare products for captains and merchant princes. It is not of course only spacers who come here but often ordinary citizens. Some come to "connect" with the feeling of adventure, but others just like the food and drink. Like Brubecks with which it is a close competitor, it cultivates regular membership often giving such things as discounts and free orders to those who enter.

Recreational facilities are provided. Power plugs are allowed for those who wish such for their electronic equipment, and as well books, board games, and so on are allowed. Roamer's Ease maintains it's own electronic equipment not only to allow patrons to rent, but to allow take-out patrons to enjoy the experience from a distance.

Roamer's Ease takes care of it's reputation as a dignified establishment. Security is well-trained and does not show itself but can handle most disturbances.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

The Grand Raceway of Mora:

This is the most famous horse racing center of the Marches. The greatest horses and jockeys have been known to ride here and powerful people both native and offworld visit to watch the sport, to wine and dine, gamble, as well as to negotiate deals on the side.

Surrounding the race way is a giant stadium. Each seat is provided with suitable seating, and equipment to watch it either visually or electronically. A drone hovers over to beam a top view to guests. The favored seats of course are within visual distance but that is not needed.

The Grand Raceway is also a social center with restaurants, drinking spots, stores, and so on all either inside the stadium or around it. Adventures around it could include, espionage or political based plots, organized crime, etc.

This was inspired by the Jockey Club of Hong Kong.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

Blackwatch the Great

Alternate name for the Principality of Caledonia. According to legend the British Black Watch infantry was adopted into the Terran Marines and grew into a division. Along the Main Line of Advance it formed towns at every depot formed when a new base was secured. It was surrounded by civilians as fleet followers joined them both from the previous depot, and from local natives, and by merchants selling to the fleet. Many of whom were culturally assimilated. Each town was named "Blackwatch" with a designation of "second", "third" etc (much like Alexander naming a series of Alexandrias). finally ending up at the border of the Second Imperium named Blackwatch the Last. History is vague and contradictory at this point, arguably more tale than history. But it seems that for some reason or other a group of clans attached to the last Marine town, migrated to Caledon for some reason. The new colony was named Blackwatch the Great. Each clan settled on it's own territory and lived in a decentralized state (with no more than a nominal paramount chief who sometimes was overthrown of even his meager authority). Finally the Clans became united and the Principality formed under the name of "Caledonia".

The effect of this is still remembered. The national tartan is that of the original regiment. The Prince's Own in alternative to their individual regimental garb often wear ceremonial dress copied from a romanticized version of the ancient Black Watch when it served the Hanover dynasty. And of course nobility and chieftains claim to trace their ancestry to the original marine division, or even the original regiment on Terra.

Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)
 

And doubtless immediately called for independence from the planet ;)