Please don't forget tread the bulletin board. Enter +read from anywhere.

Recently it has come to my attention that a new, secret society has formed on Spindizzy, using the evil service called livejournal. Run by Tarka's alter ego Chahala, this new community claims to be just another part of Spindizzy life, but I, Tarquol, will bring you the truth.

What is Tarka trying to hide using the alias Chahala? Could it be that he is trying to trick the innocent into thinking he isn't evil?* Or does he, blast it, she, have even darker motives? You be the judge!

This isn't about community building, this is about creating a world of haves and have-nots. A world where the elite have livejournal accounts and the rest of us don't. So, before they get away with it I will break the story to you and give you a link to their new secret web page.

http://www.livejournal.com/community/spindizzy_muck/

I will perform my right as a reporter to keep an eye on this new nefarious plot and keep you, my loyal readers, updated on all of their isolationist deeps.

Investigative Reporter!
Tarquol

* Editor's Note: Tarka also has strong, historic ties with the SED. Also, anyone can get a Linejournal account for free. The account is a place for discussion that can be sort of out of character and ideas and thoughts can be shared.

Due to Hurricane Charlie, I was unable to visit SpinDizzy regularly this week. As some of you know, I go back and forth between SpinDizzy, and my home on Earth, a place some of you are familiar with. I often talk about the trials and travails of being a centaur in the "human world", and the experience of dealing with the hurricane as a centaur is a story I will tell, hopefully in next week's issue of the paper.

As the picture shows, my cable TV, and my broadband Internet connection, which runs through the same wire, was brought down by the storm. As was true of hundreds of thousands of residents of Central Florida, I too lost power.

Luckily, I had already arranged for vacation time from work, so after two days with 90+ temperatures, no air conditioning, no TV and no Internet, I decided to load up my truck (A stepvan, what else would a centaur drive?) and go ahead and enjoy my vacation in the comfort of a centaur friendly hotel.

Next week, I'll tell about my trip to Tallahassee, Florida, the state capital, Jacksonville, and Savannah, Georgia.

I would like to thank Chanspot, local coffee fossa, for collectng and editing this week's edition of @Action News. The fossa did a fine job, and has my sincere thanks for the fine work!

The Cafe des Cieux in the French Quarter (No E3) reported a fried chicken missing this past tuesday. The poultry had just finished the frying process when it jumped out of its oil and ran out the cafe's kitchen. The chicken has remained missing, despite the desperate searches of various cafe waitstaff. "I swear, that li'l fryer's been causin' us more problems!" exclaimed Dolores, a waitress from the cafe, "I went running after him when he first went missing, but at my age, I jus' couldn't keep up with him no more. So I've been sendin' Rolando [a waiter from the cafe] after 'im. We're gonna dress that chicken real good! He was supposed to be our special last week..."

The chicken has been described as a whole bird (minus the head, of course), fried to a delicious golden brown. The suspect is considered armed and greasy. If you see him, please capture him, and be prepared to pay $20.00 if you eat him.

The Spindizzy Olympics will begin this coming monday at 19:00 MUCK time. The events will be held at Helios Stadium at S4 W3. The following is a description of the events, their times, and the participants we have so far. Remember: in order to participate in any event, YOU **MUST** PAGE MAIL ME BY SUNDAY NIGHT!

Archery Competition (Monday, August 23, 19:00 to 20:00): Competetors will shoot arrows at a bulls-eye. The first round will be shot from a close (relative to the distances in other rounds) distance. The set of winners (the exact number of winners is determined by the number of participants) move on to round 2, which is shot from a farther distance. Again, a smaller set of winners moves on the third round. The final winner is the winner of the third round. Participants so far are Becky, Selethrial, Logan, Lupinetiger, Morticon, Cye, and possibly Argon. The judge will be Adara.

Shiny Competition (Tuesday, August 24, 20:00 to 21:00): This race, obviously, involves chasing a shiny around the stadium. There is a catch, however. This shiny is actually a small robot, and catching it will be no easy task! We are currently creating technology that will build "The Shiniest Robot Ever". Participants are Felina, Selethrial, Beltrami, and Julia. The judge will be Alicia.

Swiming Competition (Wednesday, August 25th, 20:00 to 21:00): The swimming race will be a tag-team effort, providing we can get enough participants. One fur from each team will swim from one end of the pool and back. When the first swimmer comes back, the second jumps in to do his/her/its lap. This continues until everyone has participated. Participants are Becky, Lupinetiger, Borris, Sunshine, and Christina. The judge will be Adara.

Kit Competition (Thursday, August 26th, 19:00 to 20:00): The kit event is an obstacle course! Kits will have to run, jump, wade, and climb to get to the finish line! Participants are Becky, Mosi, Slug, and Vesper. Currently, we have no judge for the kit competition, and we need one desperately.

Fencing Competition (Friday, August 27th, 19:00 to 20:00): This competition should be self-explanitory. Basically, it's swordfighting. Contestants will be paired into teams. Winners play winners until the game ends with a final winner. Participants will be Becky and Selethrial. The judges will be KevMan and Fate.

Food Competition (Saturday, August 28th, 20:00 to 21:00): Part I is a pie-eating contest, where contestants try to be the first to finish an entire pie (with a filling of their choice!) Part II is a food sculpture contest. Every contestant is supplied with certain food items. The sculptures are judged on mechanics (how well they're made), looks, and overall creativity. (By the way, you do NOT have to participate in both parts if you chose to compete in the food competition, but be sure to tell me which part you want to be in!) Particpants in Part I are Selethrial, Slug and possibly Argon. The participant in Part II will be Becky (please note that unless we get more participants for part II, we will have to cancel it!). The judge will be Adara.

Banquet (Sunday, August 29th, 19:00 to 21:00): This is our awards banquet! It will be held at the Cafe des Cieux (N3 E0) at Table 2.

I'd like as many participants as possible for each event, so please sign up! Also, note that even if you aren't participating in a particular event, it's always nice to stop by and cheer everyone on!

Welcome to the latest edition of Bearing up, the advice column where Ba'ar (That'ss me!) has answers to your most challenging questions.

Dear Bearing Up:
If they made a new Flintstones cartoon, what animals would do the jobs of being their CD and Internet terminals, and how would they do it? George Jetson

Dear George Jetson:
They'd use CDs and computers out of stone and birds would be their e-mail clients.

Dear Bearing Up:
Tarka's known as the 'Doom Otter'. Why is this? Morti.

Dear Morti:
Tarka's quite clumsy, and causes trouble wherever she goes. Hence her name.

Dear Bearing Up:
Who do you think should be the site of the 2008 Summer Olympic games? Phoenix, AZ, Tokyo, Japan, Canberra, Australia or Ottowa, Canada? M L Retton

Dear ML Retton:
None of these! Spindizzy!

Dear Bearing Up:
My rabbits are multplying like crazy. How do I go about stopping this? B. Bunny

Dear B. Bunny:
Take away their sliderules and calculators. That should do it.

Dear Bearing Up:
I want to get a game for my Atari Lynx. Where should I look? N. Bushnell

Dear N. Bushnell:
Look in any pet shop. They're bound to have balls and toys for your Lynx to play with.

Remember possums (to steal a term from Dame Edna ;-D), if you have any questions, please page mail me (Ba'ar) online or send mail to big_bear@operamail.com. Thanks.

@Action News, SpinDizzy's weekly paper, apparently has a fairly healthy circulation, swe figured we'd show just how healthy it is.

Each week, as long as there's room. I'll show the 'hit graph' for the @Action News website.

This week, Ba'ar asked: "I'm arranging to do this week's @Action News Survey. Here it is...with election season approaching, who on Spindizzy do you think would make a great President and Why?"

• Argon says, "I'd vote for Chanspot. It seems pretty calm and open to new ideas. It listens to all sides of a discussion and can usually incorporate most of the ideas into a final decision that is acceptable to everyone."
• Lilahfae responds to the survey question with, "Morticon, esteemed leader of the SED, of course! Besides his multiple talents and obvious intelligence, he's a wallaby that's always been dedicated to the rulership of SpinDizzy." She's not biased, no, never! ;)
• Adara purrs, "Argon. He just seems so president-y to me. Or mayor-ish, perhaps.
• Marcus says, "I vote for the local currency for president. At least there's a chance that flipping a coin-of-the-week might not always give the same pat answer. Either that or Skyler, considering that we'd have both a left and right in office."
• Sasha says, "I think Findra, because she is very smart and fair, and has a good undertsanding of people."
• Scandal says, "I want George Carling for President. He'd be plenty of laughs and he'd call the politicians on all the BS."
• Logan squeaks, "Perhaps Morticon. I'd rather have someone who's honestly evil than a politician."
• Gilead oohs and votes for Rose. There's precedent for a raccoon in the White House.
• Timesheart says "Answer to your survey: I think the President of Spindizzy should be someone who isn't going to be muck'ing after the end of the year, or so she says... and that's Nikon."

Submitting a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it tnewspaper@spindizzy.org or qmail or page @Action or sdnews about it.
@Action News is published weekly on or after 12:01 AM Eastern Time on Sunday. Most any type of story or article will be accepted. Generally, we'd prefer things that aren" t out and out lies or flames about other folks, and have a basis in the reality of SpinDizzy. Things that occur in public areas are fair game. The things reported dont have thave actually happened, (any more than anything that happens here does) but make sure you don't overstep the social boundaries and rules of interaction that we have. These are pretty broad guidelines, but we expect good sense tapply.

Thanks! Argon, Editor @Action News