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This weekend, the Rose Garden was turned into a very shiny, highly reflective sort of looking glass land. Everything was shiny and / or reflective and was quite dazzling, even at night.

As Austin Dern, local coati noted, it brought to mind Indra's Pearls with things being reflected by things then reflected again by other things so a sort of infinite reflectivity was caused in some cases.

In concert with the reflectivity of the Rose Garden, many SpinDizzy residents assumed shiny and reflective appearances and dress. Shine, local wolf, wore a glittering dress with some glitter even sprinkled in her fur. Patch O'Black, local Jellicle cat, had become a "stone" cat made of all sorts of sparkling stones and jewels. Argon and Mavra, local centaurs, had become shiny as well. The whole crowd was glowing with fun and mirroring the ideals of SpinDizzy and it's sometimes, "unusual" events!

This week saw a veritable explosion in the Care Bear population on SpinDizzy. The Care Bear count, which in previous weeks has usually only totaled one or two per day (most notably the normally pessimistic Grumpy Bear), suddenly rocketed to new heights, with at one point six Care Bear and Care Bear cousins seen awake on SpinDizzy at the same time.

The usual crew was joined by the Care Bears Birthday Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Tenderheart, and the Care Bear cousins Calicoheart, Timesheart, and briefly by Brightheart. This seemed to cause some consternation in the SED camp, with Morticon seen to visibly retreat from the abundance of Care Bear happiness and cheer in the rose garden, and went as far as to summon in his henchwoman, Aina, to protect him. Love-A-Lot Bear, after being intercepted by Aina when she was on her way to give Morticon a hug, turned her affection upon Morticon's flunky instead. After Aina withstood the snuggles for a good 30 seconds with nothing more than a clenched jaw, both Aina and Morticon fled the garden during the distraction of Zoie falling from the upper branches of the tree onto her tail.

Both Zoie and her tail are currently doing well, having received a healing hug from Love-A-Lot. "Love can heal a lot of things!" she was heard to explain later on when ask how she'd treated Zoie's cuts and bruises from her surprise fall. Other denizens of the rose garden were generally found to be favorably inclined towards the increase in Care Bear and cousin population, and hoped that it would continue.

Several Spindizzy residents have found mysterious injuries to their ankles lately, manifesting as four pinprick spots that don't quite break the skin, but just sting a little. These wounds are arranged two to a side, spaced approximately one otter muzzle width apart, and have baffled everyone, and though briefly painful, don't appear to cause any lasting damage.

Local Otter scientist, Gilead, commented that it's a total mystery to him, as he sucked on a Cool Mint Listerine strip. "Obviously something is going on," he said, "but why is a big unknown right now." The only trend he's noticed, and he stressed that it is a trend, not a statistical certainty, is that nobody who recently submitted an article to the Spindizzy News has been injured. "I'm just glad I've always been right there to treat these mysterious injuries that have no obvious cause, and are a total mystery, right when they happen, to ensure that nothing serious comes of them." He also pointed out that while some have noted some similarities to the otter bite injuries that people who sweep sleepers around him have suffered, he pointed out that they're totally different, much more minor, and of a cause completely unknown, unlike the injury that is becoming known as "sweeper's bite." "A complete mystery, totally unknown, but possibly linked to not writing articles for the paper," he reiterated, "at least that is the best we can say based on facts available."

Although he yet again stressed that it is an unproven trend rather than a proven prophylactic therapy, Gilead suggested that writing articles for the paper is harmless and indeed incredibly fun. There is therefore no downside to trying to use this technique to protect your ankles from slight harm. He did however note that protecting your ankle from severe harm requires not sweeping away any sleepers Gilead is curled up on, and that this trend is proven medical fact, in contrast to the minor and mysterious pinprick ankle injuries occurring of late.

Well, here once again is your lil midnight gamer, Zoie, ready to delve into the past of our old gaming cabinets.

Well, I had a little bit more response this time, three surprising votes. At the end of the day, I shall dive even further back into my childhood, to a game that I played on my dad's Commodore 64 back in the mid 80's...

Yes, the infamous game by MAD magazine after the White Spy and the Black Spy who went out of their way to knock off the other, trying to win their everlasting war. I remember the strips from the magazine where one would set up an elaborate trap for the other and either they would A. Fall for it or B. Counter it or C. Make it backfire on the other.

This game does the same!

You start off with a mission, to get 4 items, a briefcase, orders, passport and a key. After you get these four items, you must escape from the room. However, there is a timer where you MUST escape or "BOOM!" you're dead. At the same time, your opponent will try to stop you from getting them.

However you are not left unarmed. You can set traps throughout the game:

• Electrified water bucket - Set this by a door and let your opponent walk under it, fried spy.
• Spring - set this in a box and your opponent will go flying across the screen to the wall.
• Bomb - set this in a box or an item and DARE to let your opponent pick it up.
• Umbrella - find this and you are protected from the evilness of the water bucket.
• Cane - The basic of armed combat, you can fight one on one with your fellow spy like true swordsmen (very unspymanlike).
• Gun n rope - this is quite an evil weapon, leave it connected to a door and let your opponent walk into it *giggles*

However you are not left unarmed. You can set traps throughout the game:I can't remember much more because i thas been so long. This game is also a two player game so you can grow to be VERY vindictive against your opponent and even hope to lead him into a trap or hope he forgets one of his own *giggles*.

My younger brother and sister and I would play this game relentlessly because it was a two player game and we could take out our fustrations on each other more healthily than the usual way (with my brother and sister going at it with tooth, nail and blunt weapon of choice). We would be so cruel to each other that at every death, we would blow the other up with the island than let them escape! I would escape a bit more than the others cause I knew how to run like hell. My favorite trap was the bucket because I made sure I got the umbrella first (if I saw it). My brother and sister preferred the gun (obvious reasons, though a VERY interesting story about my brother and guns *giggles*)

As you win, you are treated to your player escaping on an airplane, if you lose, you have to stay in the rooms, waiting for your time to run out for the big boom!

There have been several sequels to this game. The other one I know of at the moment is Spy Vs Spy 2.

This one takes place at an island. the basic premise is the same but this time you must get the three parts of a rocket! Your weapons have changed a bit to the surrounding scene.

• Rope - go for the classic spy in the tree trap, evil cartoons!!
• Water - Make yourself a classic quicksand trap, sure to snag the unsuspecting.
• Coconut - Sure to crack your melon wide open!
• Shovel - another classic trap, the old pitfall, sure to leave you feeling down.

I rarely played this one because the copy I had was a bit buggy *sniffles* but the premise was pretty fun!

Well, until next week, I hope all of you take care. I shall be doing something a bit more modern, a classic game from the young years of the internet!

Zoie, the raccutie spy!

If you can guess what happened with my brother involving guns, I will do the game of your choice (if I played it).

(As SpinDizzy residents are from many places, it seems logical to talk about holidays from other cultures. Rin, local wintermouse, is a Japanese mouse, and has agreed to tell us about some of the holidays celebrated there. As many of us are fans of Anime and video gaming (Which seems to have been developed in Japan,) it would seem some knowlege about the culture would be of interest. - Argon, Editor.)

Kon-nichi wa, minna-san! Rin Yukidama here, for this week's Japanese holiday! This time, we're going into the Vernal Equinox, called 'Shunbun no Hi' in Japan. The actual day it's on corresponds with the equinox itself, which would be March 20, this year. Shunbun no Hi is a national holiday, during which it's customary to take a step back and appreciate nature and all the living things found in it. ...Not particularly the holiday of choice for myself, but I'm a bit spoiled on machinery, anyway!

Back to the holiday, though; on Shunbun no Hi, people also take the time to visit the graves of departed family members, recently deceased or otherwise, giving flowers and cleaning up the area in respect.

Also, interestingly enough, the equinox happens to correspond with another Japanese holiday, though it's specifically practiced by all kinds of branches of Buddhism. They call the holiday 'O-Higan', meaning 'Other Shore' (a reference to a comparison made regarding the path to enlightenment). Though its practices seem a little minimal to outsiders, the holiday is observed simply with gratitude toward Amida buddha for having given people awareness of his wisdom and compassion, done generally by being extra pious in their religion.

...Well, that's about it for this month! Think of Shunbun no Hi as a kind of Japanese 'Earth Day', and you've pretty much got the right idea. Next month has only the two holidays, but the second one kicks off what's called the Golden Week in Japan... I'll get into that in detail when the time comes! But for now...

Jikai made, sayounara!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the newspaper!

Special thanks go to:

Argon who described the Shiny Weekend,
Findra for the article about the Care Bears,
Gilead for the information about the ankle injuries,
Zoie for her "Classic Gaming" article,
Rin for her "Holidays from Home",
Patch O'Black for his "Four Kolor Kitty" article,
Gilead, again, for his puns,
Ba'ar for his his survey and
Argon for this week's cartoon.

Hello, friends and neighbors, to another edition of Four-Kolor Kitty. This week, we will be looking at super-hero nicknames! Now, we aren't talking about the "code-names" that ever super-hero must have, but the names that their fellow heroes and that the general public give them. These handles can be even more colorful than the hero's own nom-de-plume.

Let's start with the guy who may have the largest number of nicknames, Superman himself! First, he is known as the Man of Steel, for the obvious reason: His incredible strength and nigh - invulnerable form. He is also known as the Last Son of Krypton, again for the obvious reason that he is the last male survivor of the doomed planet, save for those folks caught in the Phantom Zone, or in the bottled city of Kandor, or maybe living on some remote planet or...hmm, may be that one is out-of-date. He is also called the Man of Tomorrow, as he has all those nifty abilities that come from being born from an advanced alien race. Some of his lesser known and used nicknames are The Metropolis Marvel, the Big Blue Boy scout, and sometimes simply Supes.

Batman also has a few nicknames. Of course, he is known as the Dark Knight, given his habit of jumping out of the shadows to save people. He is also known as the Caped Crusader, due to his fashionable bat-wing-shaped cape. However, he is also known as The World's Greatest Detective. Forget Sherlock Holmes, give Batman half a toothpick and a piece of gum, and he will not only track down the villain, but know his shoe size and how he likes his steaks done. Less formally, he is occasionally called "Bats" by those who know him well enough, and "The Bat" by most of the low-life punks that he has shaking in their boots.

Not all the heroes of the DC universe get a lot of colorful nicknames. The Flash is "The Scarlet Speedster" or simple "The Fastest Man Alive". Wonder Woman is "The Amazing Amazon", while the Green Lantern is "The Emerald Crusader" or "G.L." to friends. Robin is "The Boy Wonder", of course, while Aquaman gets the well deserved title as "King of the Seven Seas"!

Meanwhile, over on Earth-616, Marvel's super-heroes have there own nicknames for each other. We will start with one of their hallmark characters, Spider-Man. His first two are based on two of his well-know powers: the Wall-Crawler and the Web-Slinger. His enemies have called him on occasion "That troublesome arachnid", while friends have sometimes playfully refer to him as the "Ol' Web-Head". Of course, real friends of Peter Parker's heroic alter-ego just call him "Spidey".

Captain America has a few nicknames as well. First, he is known as "The Shield-Slinger", for his habit of throwing his indestructible shield like a discus and using it the take out the bad guys like tenpins. He is also "The Sentinel of Liberty" and "The Star-Spangled Avenger" for the obvious reasons. His friends call him "Cap", and sometimes "Winghead", for the little wings on the sides of his mask.

Actually, it seems like a lot of Marvel heroes have a nickname that ends in "head". Iron man, in addition to being "The Golden Avenger" and, later, "The Armored Avenger", is known as "Shellhead". Daredevil, who would is called "The Man Without Fear" is also called "Hornhead". One the other hand, Thor isn't known as "Thunderhead", but has been called the "Scion of Asgard" and, if you have earned his respect or are out of earshot, "Goldilocks".

Lastly, the first family of super-heroes, The Fantastic Four, have their own nicknames for each other. The Thing has been known to refer to Mr. Fanatic as "Stretch" or "Big Brain", and when he is roughhousing with Johnny "The Human Torch" Storm, he is known to call him "Matchstick". Meanwhile, Ben Grimm has been known to call himself the "Idol O' Millions", though Sue has been known to call him "Bashful Benjy", while friends sometime just call him "Rocky".

And it looks like we will call this edition of the Four-Kolor Kitty done! Remember, if you would like your comic book question answered, or would like to recommend a topic, page #mail it to PatchO'Black! Until next time, See you in the funny pages!

Q: What kind of giant reptile loses everything it owns on a frequent basis?
A: A dice-nosaur.

Q: How did dinosaur casinos deal with high rollers?
A: Compsognathus them a room, but charge them for lots of pricey amenities.

Q: Why should female dinosaurs of virtue avoid Styracosaurus?
A: Because they're so horny. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styracosaurus)

Q: What did the angry mother Brontosaurus say to her forgetful baby?
A: You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on! (Hence why they're called Apatosaurus today.)

Q: What do large, predatory dromeosaurs carry to pay for their prey?
A: Deinonychus' Club cards.

Q: What do large herbivorous sauropods carry to pay for their plants?
A: Apatosaurus Express.

Q: What do mammal-like reptiles carry to pay for their food?
A: Moschops Card or Visa.

Q: What large herbivorous reptile has big knockers and plays Yugioh cards?
A: A Mai Kujuaka-asaurus.

Q: What happens during the commute hours for large carnivorous dinosaurs, when the roads get slick with ice ages?
A: Tyrannosaurus wrecks.

Q: What do dinosaurs read to keep current on the happenings of the Jurassic period?
A: Oldspapers.

Q: What do nerdy nest-raiding dinosaurs become in high school?
A: AV-'raptors. (Note: in all fairness, oviraptor is badly named. The specimen that got them the name was actually a parent protecting its nest, not raiding the nest as originally and wrongly believed.)

Q: Why did birds survive the mass extinction that killed most of the other dinosaurs?
A: They managed to get a spot on Noah's Ark, hence the nickname of the ones who did, Ark-eopteryx.

Q: What did male dinosaurs do when one of their buddies was getting married?
A: Threw him a Stegosaur Party and hired some strippers.

Q: What kind of dinosaur blushes?
A: A Coelophysis with a kiss. o/~

Q: Why were dinosaurs more successful than the mammal-like reptiles?
A: Dinosaurs were quality. Mammal-like reptiles were a Dimetrodon a dozen.

Q: What royal dinosaur died when chased by paparazzi?
A: Lady Dilophosaur.

• Nyni cutely giggles, "I'd prolly create a Festival of Cuteness."
• Borris Gruffs, "Hm, Iceberg Day!"
• Ba'ar growls, "I'd like to have a centaur day. Centaurs are so much a part of the Spindizzy community and do so much for us, we should have a day where they're treated like kings."
• Astra squeaks, "Idle Day. Where everybody logs on and then goes to the Rose Garden. Then, nobody talks or does anything!"
• Beltrami would like to have a Remembrance day for Aushae.
• Pathfinder says, "I like a E-Hoilday. E as in Everything. A day where everybody talks about they things they love most. Open up and let people get to really know them. We should also have a Mecha day. The day when everybody pulls out those mechas, battlesuits, spacefighter that are gathering dust around here."
• PatchO'Black mews, "It would be nice if we could host an annual Jellicle Ball."
• Borris Gruffs, "D-Day, when we Storm Morti! :)"
• Mouser hisses, "I say we create a National Horizontal Day. Too much verticalism around here, people can't think clearly with all the blood rushing to theirfeet."
• BunnyHugger says, "I think there should be Morality Day. Everyone should read from his/her favorite work of moral philosophy."
• GrumpyBear grumbles, "I think a Jellicle Ball sounds lovely."
• Argon answers the survey, "I'd suggest a Founder's Day, to honor those who built and have sustained SpinDizzy.
• Clarisa says, "I'd call it Official Learn To Think Day."
• Love-A-LotBear says, "I think I'd like a Hugging Day, Ba'ar, where everyone has to hug everyone else that they meet. Just the first time. Otherwise you'd never get _anything_ done."
• DTF ponders "I think I suggested a kindness day at Aushae's memorial."

Got something that You'd like to contribute to @Action News, but aren't sure if you should, or how to do it? Here are some basic guidelines.

Contributing a story or artwork for @Action News is easy! Just send it to newspaper@spindizzy.org!

• @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