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With little advance warning, Argon, local centaur and site Web Master switched the servers on which the sites resided.

SpinDizzy was offered a great deal and I couldn't turn it down," the mild mannered centaur said, "Our web sites' host, Earthink, offered to upgrade us from 600 mb of space to a whopping 2 gigabites of space, with 20 gigs of bandwidth. This applies to both http://www.spindizzy.org and the @Action News site, http://www.spindizzynews.org and they offered this to us with a reduction in price."

"Earthlink is making an effort to move sites from older servers to new ones," Argon continued, "Because changing servers is a bit of a hassle, you have to upload the whole site to the new one, Earthlink offered a lower price and more space and bandwidth as an incentive to accept the trouble of moving. I discussed the offer with An Administrator, and decided to accept it."

At the same time, our Domain Host, Network Solutions made some adjustments in the "A DNS" settings, which effected our usual connection to the muck. This caused a problem but was quickly resolved.

As of press time, the sites have been restored and the DNS settings set to point to the new web spaces. Argon asked, "If anyone sees any problems with the web sites, please let me know!"

After last week and learning about reduced Jellicle levels as well as caring levels this investigator decided to probe deeper and look for solutions.

I spoke with Grumpybear, local Care Bear, last weekend informing him of what had transpired when I last visited Care-a-Lot (later referred in this article to as CaL). Grumpybear came to the conclusion that perhaps that CaL may be trying to call forth folks worthy of helping the kingdom.

Grumpybear informed me that there were few and in fact really only one in the kingdom regularly taking on the needs of the Spindizzians. I grew concerned and asked Grumpybear if I might be able to help. After considering what had happened at the playground Grumpybear got to thinking about it what it could mean.

Grumpybear explained that perhaps I might just make a good candidate for becoming a Care Critter. I had some fears at this, as the first time I visited CaL I turned blue and the second time I turned lavender. I thought to myself if I actually became one I just might just turn pink. Grumpybear eased my worries stating it would be rather silly of that to happen. With that apprehension allayed I ask what would be required of me.

He explained in order become a care critter a number of things would have to occur. The first was I had to have suitable values that co-inside with CaL. The next thing one needs is endorsement from the Council of Caring. Of course Grumpybear currently being the only member found this part to seem rather trivial. Next I myself would have to choose a title. A title as Grumpybear explained meant I would assume the likeness of an already existing Bear or Cousin. At this point I was at a loss as my knowledge is limited on Care Critters.

After hearing my motivations though I had seem to pass the first test. My values and motives for being a Care Critter run genuine. The endorsement if course was was a given if I just wanted to do it. The title is still in question as of this writing.

There were some other concerns that Grumpybear brought up to me though. The first was that the council truly needs to have at least twelve individuals in order to stabilize. I mentioned to Grumpybear I wasn't sure if this would be possible to fill all those positions.

The next was as much as I would be doing this part time there was a chance that the more I would get into a caring role the more my past image might fade. This simply means I may not be Zach ever again. This is rather scary to think about but seeing Grumpybear so overworked I felt sacrifice would be necessary and that I knew I was here to help or else I would not have returned to CaL.

Finally there is a clause that you have to be willing to uphold the most strict of moral standards, to hear and respond dutifully to the needs of any and everyone. As I had mentioned to Grumpybear I didn't see this so much as a trouble. Grumpybear pointed out if I were to give the role up, it would be gone until someone else take it. Since I have found trying to pass my quoter badge rather challenging, I am not sure how I will fare with this. I am positive though where my heart is and where my talents are needed.

So with that said my mind stays open and my willingness is there and I look forward to this chance. I will seek help from others and I will want to help others as well. Upon this reading you may feel the call that drew me here. It is nothing to be afraid of just something to consider.

The weekend was brightened by the Jellicle Ball, hosted by Patch O'Black, local Jellicle cat ably assisted by Zach, local pre-teen or perhaps mouse as of press time, and many others. Held at the Jellicle Crossroads, the ball drew quite a crowd and Patch's Jellicle levels, which had been low, rose well above normal levels for the first time in weeks.

The ball featured music and the singing of Jellicle songs, good food, and definitons and discussions of Jellicleness were discussed. Everyone had a good time, and once again, Patch O'Black is spreading Jellicleness throughout SpinDizzy!

Greetings all, Ba'ar here. This is the first in what will hopefully be a series of interviews with Spindizzy regulars. Our first interview is with Vixie, local vixen and Uber Diva.

Ba'ar growls, "Hello Vixie. Thanks for consenting to this interview."
Vixie says, "I'd never turn down a chance to please my public."
Ba'ar growls, "Okay let's start. Our readers know about you and some have even met you 'in the pelt' as it were. For one thing, how long have you been here in Spindizzy?"
Vixie says, "Not sure, I'd guess about three years."
Ba'ar growls, "Anything special that attracted you to Spindizzy?"
Vixie says, "I thought it would be another place I could spread my cuteness."
Ba'ar nods "And you are indeed cute."
Vixie says, "And everyone seems to enjoy my presence."
Ba'ar growls, "Vixie, you've recently been voted as the 'cutest' on Spindizzy. A few questions about this. First, how long have you known that you were cute?"
Vixie says, "Ever since I first saw myself in a mirror. All foxes are cute, but some are just cuter than others."
Ba'ar nods "What's the secret of your cutness? Does it come naturally or do you have to work at it?"
Vixie says, "It comes natural, although I do take good care of my fur."
Ba'ar smiles "and your figure, it looks like."
Ba'ar growls, "What do you think are your strengths?"
Vixie says, "Besides my cuteness, there's my sparkling personality and wit, and my high intelligence. And my humility."
Ba'ar smiles "There is that...but tell us, what would you change about yourself if you could? "
Vixie says, "Not a thing, I like who I am now."
Ba'ar smiles "I agree, you're perfection made flesh.."
Ba'ar growls, "What are your hobbies?"
Vixie says, "Being cute, eating chocolate, and did I mention being cute?"
Ba'ar nods "You did. Thanks. Now then.. If you were made Spindizzy's queen, what changes would you make?"
Vixie says, "I'd rename a few places, like the Rose Garden would be Vixie Garden. I'd make sure everyone gave me a tribute of chocolate, and catered to my every need."
Ba'ar nods. "Interesting. Next question...Who do you admire the most? "
Vixie says, "You mean outside of myself?"
Ba'ar nods
Vixie says, "Hmmm, I'll have to think on that one."
Ba'ar nods "We've got time...Now next question..Do you have any plans for the future?"
Vixie says, "One thing I want to do is retain my title of most cute for next year. Also, thinking about a statue of me at some point, so everyone can share in my cuteness even when I'm not here."
Ba'ar growls, "Statue of yourself? If I may ask, where would this statue be put?"
Vixie says, "Would probably have to create a place for it."
Ba'ar nods.
Ba'ar growls, "What secret fact or desire about you would surprise our readers?"
Vixie says, "That I was never asked to any dances while at fox school. Guess I was too cute."
Ba'ar smiles "Or that the only dance you knew was...'the FOXTROT'... All right, one more question."
Ba'ar growls, "In closing, do you have any words of wisdom for our readers?"
Vixie says, "If you want to see my at my cutest, feed me lots of chocolate."
Ba'ar nods "That's the end of our interview. Thanks a lot for agreeing to this. I'm sure it will be very educational to our readers."
Vixie says, "Bet it will be your best one yet."

Q: Why doesn't democracy work on a farm?
A: The horses always vote 'neigh' no matter what the issue.

Q: Why else?
A: The mules are the only ones who pull their own weight.

Q: Why else?
A: Everyone wants to vote everyone else's money for themselves, but only a handful of the animals get to be real pigs.

Q: Why else?
A: The sheep just go along with the flock.

Q: Why else?
A: The barn cats just pussyfoot around the bigger issues.

Q: Why else?
A: Many of the citizens are too chicken to vote.

Q: Why is that?
A: Their husbands can be real cocks to them on occasion.

Q: So, why else?
A: The chickens don't care about anything but their own nest eggs, anyway.

Q: Why else?
A: The oxen can't quite be bullish on any issues.

Q: Why else?
A: Everytime the mares speak, it degenerates into an argument as to whether the stallions do their share of the horsework.
A: And then the stallions accuse the mares of being incorrigible nags.
A: And their daughters stage a fillibuster.

Q: Why else doesn't it work?
A: Everybody's constantly putting a new motion upon the floor.

Q: Why else?
A: All their initiatives tend to stall every evening.

Q: Why else?
A: The baby goats' have no family values, because they were all raised by a Nanny.

Q: Why else?
A: Robert's Rules of Order never hold, because everyone was raised in a barn.

Q: Why else?
A: Nobody can get any reliable information, because the cows' husbands lay the BS on so thick, it draws flies.

This (or rather last) week's quote:

"The product's most promising aspect is that when you're done coloring your cookie, you can move onto other food items. Sandwiches, potatoes and breadsticks might be a good bet, but the marker is optimized for coloring on the dry, flat surface of the cookie..."

Atrocities: A free web hosting service with draconian hourly bandwidth limits. "I tried to look at Kelvin's comic on Atrocities, and only got to see two strips before it was blocked for an hour."

Autocracy: Being really gung-ho over cars. "She was so autocracy that she stopped at every dealership we walked past, even on our vacation."

Catastrophe: A joke award shaped like a golden feline posterior. "Bowser was so bad at chasing sticks, the meaner dogs gave him a catastrophe to make fun of him."

Devastation: On stage, front and center, at the end of the opera. "As the opera came to an end, the fat lady went to the devastation to sing."

Dictatorship: A boat full of stenographers. "Nobody was taking good notes on the island, so the government sent out a dictatorship."

Drought: A fast-swimming game fish popular with anglers. "In the movie 'A River Runs Through It,' the cast spent a lot of time fly-fishing for steelhead drought."

Famine: Colloquially, hanging out with your relatives. "I was famine wit' the folks at our annual reunion."

Gulag: A sweet but sticky desert resembling a segment of tree trunk. "Would you like a slice of my delicious raspberry, molasses, and honey gulag?"

Hurricane: Urging your psycho brother to move faster. "'Hurricane, or you'll be late to worship God...again!' nagged Abel, for the very last time."

Inferno: Finding something uninteresting. "I asked her if she wanted to play poker, but she was inferno games."

Pestilence: The piece of glass on the front of a gun that helps you see your target better. "He missed the target because there was a smudge on his pestilence."

Plague: A flat award. "For collecting the most money for charity in our group, he won an oak plague to hang on his wall."

Quake: Fast. "Come under this desk quake, or the ceiling might fall on you."

Riot: Something you are entitled to. "I can say whatever I want because I have the riot of free speech."

Sewage: What's clogging up the court system. "I had a legitimate complaint, but had to wait years for it to be heard because of all the frivolous sewage going on."

Torture: To start a fire in the commission of insurance fraud. "He wasn't making good money at his restaurant, so he decided to torture."

Tsunami: A contraction of pronouns implying the one speaking was personally spared. "I'm glad it's tsunami who got hit with a giant wave."

Volcano: A fictional alien with a rigid code of logic, green blood, and pointy ears. "Mr. Spock was the volcano science officer of the original Enterprise."

War: A Chinese seafood dish. "I usually order the sizzling war bar at my favorite Asian restaurant."

And remember, if you get really bad Chinese food, you can charge the chef with Wor crimes.

Back issues from a year and more ago. Remember when...?

• One Year Ago / Morticon Saves Mouser
• Three Years Ago / My Fiancé’, The Plushie

@Action News, SpinDizzy's weekly paper, apparently has a fairly healthy circulation, so we 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.

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

Dear Bearing Up:
In my apartment-building there is a carpet, the now pope used to walk on a lot. How do I properly address it?
- Paw Rug

Dear Paw Rug:
If it's rather careworn and tattered, you can address it as ...'Your Hole-ynexx'.

Dear Bearing Up,
How many trees were cut down to print this paper? Don't you have any respect for the environment?
- T. Hugger

Dear T. Hugger:
None. This newspaper has always been published on the internet.

Dear Bearing Up,
What ever happened to that Eleet Speak stuff, where they'd used number and things to make weird ways to print words?
- Hammer Time

Dear Hammer Time:
It went the way of Ebonics. Apparently the intellectuals got tired of sounding like 13 year old.

Dear Bearing up,
With all this extra space on our servers now, what should I put on the web site?
- Argon

Dear Argon:
How about the complete biographies (plus pictures) of the entire wizcorps.

Dear Bearing up:
What should Argon do about all the recent Internet trouble?
- M. Con.

Dear M. Con:
Use Findra's 'Rabbit Ears' to improve internet reception!

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.

This week, Argon asked, "I'm doing a survey for @Action News. The question this week, suggested by Zach is, 'What reward might you like to get at a Jellicle Ball?"

• My answer would be (what else?)...To get to go to the 'Heaviside Layer'".
• Georgia hmms... "None, actually. It's not a beauty pagent, it's a party."
• Mouser hisses, "A jillicle furpent?" (Not a typo.)
• Lhayn would like a mare as a prize.
• Shoe says, "The reward of being there."
• "I don't know," barks Tanuki.
• Alair barks, "A good feed."
• Leslie - Hi Mr Argon, how about a Jellicle Catcher's Mitt?
• Vixie - I'd want to get chocolate!
• Gina_Doberman pages - Shiney costume jewelry!
• Borris Hmssss "Borris would like Jelly Filled Seal!
• Carl - A can of cat food I'd guess.

This (last) week's quote was brought to you by Tree Food Supplier of Spindzzy. We supply the snacks you provide the tree. See our new spring line at the Jellicle Ball, you will jump for joy.

I wonder if you knew today quote location, which of course has returned to the Rose Garden. The quote was said by Adara.

Congratulation to all of you that guessed right!

Submitting a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it to newspaper@spindizzy.org or qmail or page Argon, Carl or SDN 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 don't have to have 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 to apply.

Thanks! Argon, Editor @Action News