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Rather than launching the fireworks himself Morticon, relaxed with Portia, local red panda, and had his minion, Aina, local tiger, do the honors. Following are thumbnails of the fireworks which can be expanded. This year something new was tried in making the fireworks display appear in color. Although the color display could only be seen on muck clients with the capability to read the color coding, the screen captures, kindly provided by Morticon, are in color, so you can see what you missed:

All in all, everyone had a good time. Soul Fox was a great host and the color fireworks were an interesting change. Hopefully next year, schedules will permit the celebration to return to its traditional date of the 4th of July.

An old Popeye cartoon based on the Arabian Nights has Popeye seeing a tent with a camel as tall as the tent standing just behind it. Out steps Bluto, and when Popeye looks in the tent it's a palace going back as far as the eye can see. How can this be, cartoon physics?

Or Dr. Who's Tardis, Which looks like an ordinary London Police Box on the outside, but is a much larger, well equiped scientfic laboratory and control room for the Tardis' travels through time and space. What makes this possible, creative TV script writers?

And the interior of Snoopy's, Charlie Brown's beagal in the "Peanuts" comic strip, doghouse was something extraordinary as well. It defied physics, being dramatically larger on the inside than the outside, with a carpeted foyer, a den, a library, a guest room, a stairway and a basement. The first indication of the doghouse's unique layout occurred on January 31, 1954 when Charlie Brown was puzzled to see all his neighbourhood friends crawling into it for a visit. The doghouse was destroyed several times over the years, being hit by a tree due to a chase over Linus' blanket (July 26, 1959), crushed by a large icicle (February 13, 1960), and finally burned to the ground (September 19, 1966). In each case the doghouse was soon rebuilt. Although individual items were lost in the fire, each replacement doghouse appears to have retained the spaciousness and opulence of its predecessor.

The interior was decorated with several pricey acquisitions including a painting by Van Gogh, first mentioned on February 29, 1964. After the fire destroyed the Van Gogh, it was replaced by an Andrew Wyeth. At various times the interior of Snoopy's doghouse also held bunk beds, a pool table, a ping pong table, a television, a mural (painted by Linus), a shower, a cedar closet, a grandfather clock, and a jacuzzi.[3]

Features established in the television specials include a fine kitchen (A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving), and sound equipment (A Boy Named Charlie Brown). In It's Magic, Charlie Brown, Snoopy enters his dog house and the underground interior is depicted as spacious and well equipped for anything he needs. How can these items be possible? it is a mystery that may never be solved.

As clever and interesting as these deviations in the laws of physics are, an even far more facinating anomaly is found in the reality of the inside of the cat basket of Patch O'Black, local Jellicle cat. Patch's cat basket is about the size you would expect on its outside, about 2 feet by 2.5 feet. However its actual size was revealed when this reporter, an 8.5 foot one ton plus centaur was invited inside.

The interior was found to be very cosy and "Jellicle". It was nicely decorated and amazingly roomy. Not only was there a nice main room, but there was a well equiped home theater, a full kitchen, a garage, guest rooms, an observatory, a science lab, a TV studio, a hot tub, a swimming pool, computer room, power generator room, nuclear reactor, control room for the cat basket's movements and accesories, and, as you might expect, a regular cat basket in a corner by the heating duct where Patch sleeps. There was much more to see, but after several hours touring Patch's basket, it was time to leave.

So if you get a chance and Patch O'Black offers you an invitation, step inside his cat basket. You'll be suprised what you'll find!

Patch O'Black, local Jellicle cat offered to tell a story in the style of Baron Munchhausen. Patchy spiced up his telling of his tale with a request for listener paricipation, as he tells below...

PatchO'Black's cat basket raised a platform, which had Patchy sitting on a regal looking chair. Next to him was a bust of Baron Munchhausen.

He mewed,"So, anyone care to hear a tale of one of my great adventures?"

Austin, local elastic coati said,"Sure, Patchy, let's hear it."

Patch noted, "Ah, but there are some rules to my telling a tale, Austin! I will be telling a tale that is much like those of Baron Munchhausen. Now, to keep things interesting, each person here may, once, interrupt me to point out some fact or observation, to introduce some complication into my story!"

"Now, what tale of mine would you like me to tell, Austin?"

Austin said, "Oh, how about the story of how you built Raccoonfeller Center, Patchy?"

Patchy mewed, "Ah, yes, Austin, I remember it well! This happened in my youth, when I was traveling the world, and had arrived in New Coon City. In those days, there was great excitement. The Great Shiny Depression was ending, and there was plenty of work for a go-getter. Of course, the talents of a Jellicle cat such as myself were in much demand!"

"As I looked over the various offers that came in by the truck-load, who should call, but J.D. Raccoonfeller himself! Of course, J.D. Raccoonfeller had made a fortune from drilling for shinies. However, that is another story. Mr. Raccoonfeller, or J.D. as his friends called him, was looking to build a huge complex of buildings, something both practical and a sense of style. Of course, he knew that only I could design such architectural wonders..."

Austin asked, "You were designing, then, Patchy, and not growing them from seeds like the other buildings?"

Patchy mewed, "Well, you see, Austin, that was one of the problems with the project. The ground lacked good top soil, thus growing them wasn't practical."

Austin suggested, "Better bedrock, I imagine."

Patchy continued, "I took the job, of course, as I could never resist a challenge. Now, even I knew I would need help on a project of this scope. Therefore I brought in two experts, one being the reknowned fox builder, John R. Todd, and the other was the master architect, Raymond Hound.John Todd, who had tan fur, was an extremely active fellow. It seemed like, no matter what hour of the day or night, he was on the job. Raymond, on the other hand, was a very relaxed canine. Oh, not to say he didn't get his work done, just at a more casual pace..."

Patchy went on, "Now, of course, the differences in the pace of my two partners did cause some issues. Near the end of the project, Todd would complete building from the blueprints he had and would then have to wait for Hound to send over more!"

Austin asked, "He kept the blueprints in blue, then, and didn't find another colour more practical? Or were they just called blueprints for camouflage?"

Patchy noted, "Austin, you have asked your one question. Someone else should ask a question, or this story will end quickly."

Suri, local lemur, asked, "Why did Todd go berserk?"

Patchy answered, "Well, Suri, he was a very energetic individual. He was incredibly insightful as well! In fact, he was able to understand Hound's plans and even figure out what he would be planning before he even got it down on paper!" Suri nods. WhyteShadow, local red panda, asked

, "Is that why you lost your military commission to the Great Turnabout Recession and had to draw your circles with sawdust?"

Patch mewed, "Actually, that was part of a brilliant plan we had. It was all a plot to keep Hitler's Nazis out of the center. By making it a civilian project, and using sawdust to plot out the boundaries for the circles, we both keep the fascists out and saved money! Anyway, as time started to run out on the project. We need to keep building as fast as we could. That is when I came up with a brilliant idea!"

Patch continued, "Since Todd was able to figure out what needed to be built even before Hound got the plans finished, we let Todd just go ahead and build. Then Hound could send him the plans, which would match anyway!"

Patchy mewed, "It, in fact, lead to a famous saying...."

Argon, local centaur, wondered what the famous saying is. Suri was going to guess "There's always room for more gunpowder!"

Patchy broke the tension with the answer mewing, "'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog'."

Patchy concluded, "And that is how I helped build Raccoonfeller Center! And this tale is as true as the word of Baron Munchhausen. I thank you!"

Let us start with the most well-known underwater protector, Aquaman! Created back in 1941, he is perhaps best known for his inclusion in the SuperFriends. Unfortunately, this has lead quite a number of folks to think he was a rather ineffective, even laughable, character. Of course, you put most heroes next to Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman, and they are going to be looking a mite puny.

Aquaman is the son of a human and a mermaid. Original, the human was a deep-sea explorer, but that was revised to become a lighthouse keeper. Their son, named Arthur Curry by his father, discovered that his unique heritage gave him several abilities. Most folks know he is able to breath underwater, as well as to communicate with sea life. Again, this was changed from being able to simply speak to the creatures of the deep, to being a special form of telepathy. What most folks don't realize is that he also tremendous strength, speed, and stamina, being able to survive the extreme pressures of the oceans. One more thing: He is the ruler of Atlantis, which means he has a whole underwater nation at his command. Does Superman have his own army? I think not!

Now, Aquaman isn't the only hero in the seven seas. There is Mera, who he was married to. An alien from a watery dimension, this blue-eyed, redheaded lady possess "aquakinesis", meaning she can form solid structures and shapes out of water. Very handy. Also, there is Aqualad, who is now known as Tempest. Originally having powers similar to Aquaman, he latter was granted additional powers of a mystical sort, including being able to direct the flow of streams of water, freeze or boil water, and create purple force-blasts from his eyes. He has also been a regular member of the Teen Titans.

Now, over in the Marvel Universe, they have a few seagoing super-heroes as well. The big one is Namor, the Sub-Mariner! Now, stop me if you have heard this one before, but Namor, the son of a human and a Atlantean, is the monarch of an undersea kingdom! Okay, while it may sound a bit like Namor is an Aquaman knockoff, he was actually created a couple years before his blonde counterpart. Now, Namor does share several of Aquaman's abilities (the whole swim-under-water, telepathic communication with sea-life thing), he does have a couple of extra powers. For example, he has a pair of little wings on his ankles. As we all know, if you have wings, no matter what size and position on your body, it means you can fly!Yep, Namor can do the whole "Up and Away" thing. He also ages really slowly. In fact, he fought along side Captain America in WW II, and was still around when the Cap defrosted in modern times!

Now, Namor has his own family of below-the-waves heroes. Quite literally, in fact. A female cousin of his, Aquaria Nautica Neptunia had a family party crashed by deep-sea diving crooks who stole a load of valuable gems and pearls and killed her father. She met up with Namor, and changed her name to Namora, the Atlantean term for "Female spin-off"....I mean, "Avenging Daughter". She later was thought to be killed, but she was survived by a clone of herself. This clone came to be known as Namorita, and is considered to be her daughter. Namora herself appears to have been in hibernation, appearing to be mummified in a coffin, but the mummy appearance is a hologram, and underneath it is a rather alive and well-preserved Namora!

Well, I think we will come up for air at this point, and let this edition of Four-Kolor Kitty dry off. Remember, send your comic book questions and future column suggestions in via page-mail to PatchO'Black. Until next time, see you in the funny pages!

Make Diamonds!

You'll Need:

• Zinc Foil
• Charcoal

Save up all Your used zinc foil. Ask Your friends and relations to help - You'll need a lot of it. Pile the zinc foil on top of Your charcoal. Eventually, if you collect enough zinc foil, the pressure will turn the charcoal into diamonds!

Try introducing tiny amounts of boron into the charcoal to get blue diamonds!

Though it's not funny, this week it was announced that the Baiji, or Yangtze River Dolphin went extinct due to pollution and to harmful fishing practices that accidentally drowned them in nets meant for fish. After so many cetaceans were hunted almost to extinction, first one that actually went all the way was just from careless neglect. In their honor, this week's puns are about dolphins.

Q: Why was the Baiji driven to extinction?
A: It wasn't intentional, just a tragedy totally without porpoise.

Q: What is the reaction of all the other cetaceans on hearing about it?
A: Many wailing whales.

Q: What else?
A: Lots of blubbering.

Q: What do young girl porpoises play with?
A: 'Phin dolls.

Q: What do angry dolphins say?
A: Ah, blow it out your hole!

Q: How did the dolphin feel after he was surprised by a school of predatory fish?
A: Totally sharked and awed!

Q: Why was the mother dolphin sad?
A: Her calves were sore.

Q: What do you call a dolphin without money?
A: A poor poise.

Q: Why did Saruman cut down the kelp forest?
A: So he could pod-breed Orcas.

Q: What was the yellow cloud in the dolphin tank?
A: Por p***. (Figure it out yourselves.)

Q: Did you hear about the dolphin who picked two sets of winning lottery numbers with his tail?
A: It was just a couple of flukes.

Q: Why did the blind man insist on touching and smelling a live dolphin?
A: So he could have a real sense of porpoise.

Q: How do dolphins keep their sonar lenses in shape?
A: Melon ballers.

Q: What sort of entry level job do high-school dolphins often take for the summer?
A: Flippering burgers in a fast food chain.

Q: What NFL Hall of Famer dolphin swimming back was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1977 and was later traded to the Denver Broncos in 1988?
A: Tony Dorsalfin.

Q: What does the Second Dolphin Amendment state?
A: The right to keep and bear fins shall not be infringed.

Q: What is the most famous song from the dolphin version of Sesame River?
A: Blubber Duckie.

Q: How did the dolphin feel when he came home to find his wife wearing a lace teddy and holding a feather?
A: Tickled pinkbellied.

Greetings all, Ba'ar here with your Spindizzy @Action News survey for this week. How much time (per day or whatever) do you spend at the popular video clip site You Tube?

• Xiaoming says, "I never go to Youtube, actually."
• Gilead chirps, "Depends on what videos there are. I spent almsot three days straight watching dancing lizard girls to DARE."
• Andros yips, "I'd say a couple hours a week at most."
• Diam04 says, "None."
• WhyteShadow says, "A couple of hours a week here, too."
• Dingo says, "I never do."
• DTF ponders "Maybe an hour or so per week."
• Darius says, "That's easy. Usually none. Maximum of 5-10 minutes."
• Toledo doesn't hear any choices, so he pencils one in. "A very liberal estimate is about a half hour a week, and that's if the music-video and Ask-a-Ninja bugs are biting me that week."
• Nyni cutely giggles, "I sit and watch My Little Pony there!"
• Nova says, "I only go there to watch vbideos of video games and catch up on some anime series"
• Argon says, "Oh, maybe 5 minutes a month. I only go there if someone points a link out to me."
• Anjil doesn't either, "It's not something I surf on much."

Got something that You'd like to contribute to @Action News, but aren't sure if You should, or how to do it? Just get in touch with Argon, Skyler, or Findra, and they'll be happy to help! Here are some basic guidelines, though.

Contributing a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it to newspaper@spindizzy.org, or qmail/pagemail Argon, Findra, or Skyler, with Your article!

• @Action News is published weekly sometime on Sunday.
• Articles received after midnight Pacific time on Saturday may be held and published in the next edition of @Action News.
• Most any type of story or article of interest to SpinDizzy's newspaper readers 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