"Look at you all! Mere sheep, following through the motions of your lives, because you know nothing else!" It was a sadly familiar sight in Steel
Canyon. A Vortex Adjutant and a squad of Nebulas standing on a street corner, harassing those that passed by with the propaganda of the council, insults, and
even outright threats. The modern day version of a press gang. The fact that an organization born from the Nazis and the second world war could openly walk the
streets of Paragon City was depressing, yet all too common in a world still healing from the Rikti Invasion.

People didn't look at the Council soldiers as they walked past as fast as possible without drawing attention. While mere cannon fodder by the standards of
the Council, the Nebulas were still deadly to the everyday citizen. With so few police officers left in Paragon City, it was safer to keep your head down and
not get noticed. After all, what if they decided you'd make a good addition to the Council and there wasn't a hero nearby?

The Adjutant stepped off his box suddenly, marching towards a slightly overweight man in his late twenties. "You are exactly the kind of failure I speak
of," the Council solder said, voice nearly dripping with disgust. "You have wasted your life. Your body has been neglected, mistreated. Now it slowly
rots away, just like your mind," he said as the man backed up, visibly terrified by the Nazi, but at the same time, drawn in by the sheer force of his
words.

"It is not your fault. It is the fault of a society that teaches the lesson that 'close enough is good enough.' They tell you not to try, not to
find your limits. Just sit back, watch television, and buy things that make you feel better." The disgust seemed to fade as he placed a hand on the mans
shoulder. "I was the same way once, before the Council opened my eyes. They helped me to rediscover who I was meant to be. They could do it for you
also..."

"After the invasive surgery, mind-altering drugs and mental reprogramming," added a new voice. "Then you'll be all set for life as a Nazi
henchman, threatening people, shooting innocents, and generally being the scum of society."

The Adjutant scowled, turning, then paled at the sight of a trio of heroes standing there. Well, two heroes and what looked like a Lost Headman, mutated
features hidden in the hood of his jumper and a face mask. The voice had to belong to the man in green power armor, as it obviously didn't belong to the
fairy girl in rather decorative formal wear.

"Kill them!" the Adjutant ordered, grabbing his flamethrower and pulling it up. The trio scattered instantly as the Council squad moved to obey. As
he opened fire on the fairy, the squad leader identified two of them. Lady of the Peace and Sell-Sword, founding members of the new supergroup Riot Force 6.1.
Low ranking heroes, but against the 'children' he was leading...

Lady jumped into the air, wings lifting her even higher as flames appeared around her hands. Smirking, she threw the flames like a baseball into the Nebulas,
scattering them across the street. One didn't have a chance to get up before Sell-Sword nailed him in the chest with a short burst.

Ignoring the seeming death of one of his men (The death of a mere Nebula was the Councils 'survival of the fittest' at work' ethic after all), the
Adjutant unhooked a grenade from his belt and tossed it at Sword. He leapt clear, but was stunned for a moment as he caught the very edge of the blast. The
Nazi smirked coldly, stepping forward, only to find himself lifting into the air, feet danging a foot off the ground as his whole body felt like it was being
held in a vice. Forcing his head to the side, he saw the 'Lost' standing back, a hand held out in front of him.

Seconds later, Lady dropped, fists glowing with arcane energy as she slammed them down on his head. The world seemed to explode for a moment, then spun as he
tried to get his bearings. "He's a durable one," Lady mused.

"Boss, move please," the 'Lost' said in a surprisingly normal voice. Lady stepped clear, then the Vortex saw a trash can pick itself up and
fly towards him at high speed.

Lady of the Peace winced as the Nazis body made a rather nasty sounding crunch at the impact, bouncing along the ground. "He's not getting up
soon," she said, pulling a teleport tag from out of nowhere and walking over to him.

"This one is," Sword noted as a Nebula tried to get up. Raising his rifle, he took aim.

"Sword, alive."

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"He's easier to question then Vortex boy."

"Good point," he agreed, walking over and punching the Council goon in the face. He dropped back to the ground, out cold.

As Lady secured the Council goons and teleported all but the one Nebula away, the 'Lost' walked over to the man the Vortex had been harassing. "My
apologies for that sir," he said, nodding his head respectfully. "A few minutes sooner, and you wouldn't have had to deal with their abuse."

"That's quite alright," he managed. "I... I thought you were a Lost at first," he admitted, embarrassed.

The giant chuckled. "Understandable," he said. "Sadly, there are very few clothing options for a man of my size. It's made for some..
interesting encounters." The friendly tone in his voice made the man smile, despite the situation.

As Sword walked up, he paused, looking at the armored hero. "Invasive surgery?" he asked.

"Oh yes," Sell-Sword replied. "They pump you full of combat drugs, tweak your DNA and thought patterns, and suject you to brainwashing until all
you can think of is serving the Council and their quest for world conquest and Fourth Reich." The man looked slightly horrified. "Scary, isn't
it?"

"...yes," he said after a moment. "Very. He made it sound so... appealing..."

"He's a fanatic that knows the right thing to say," Lady of the Peace said. "Blame everything on things outside your control and tell you he
could make it all better. He had a lot more stuff to feed you," she added. "Not your fault. He's trained to mess with peoples heads." The
man looked thoughtful as he thanked them again and went on his way. Lady watched him for a moment, then turned to Sell-Sword. "You know a bit about the
Council."

The armored hero nodded. "They gave me a job offer back before I got this gear," he admitted. "Had potential, then it fell apart when I took a
closer look. I'm a mercenary, not a fanatic. Turns out they don't do contractors." He glanced over at the giants snicker. "What's so
funny Horizon?"

Iridium Horizon shrugged. "Just love the fact you dislike villain groups based off their hiring practices," he commented, drawing a giggle from Lady.

"Whatever," he said, going over and picking up the one Nebula they hadn't teleported. "Lets get started on questioning this guy
already."

Acme catalogue

Needs more description, but amusing if you know the films.

-It is *much* more fun to be at the high end of the TF level range than the low end. At least if your job requires actually hitting anything.

-Positron's TF really does suck. I never really knew how much until I'd done other TF's to compare it to.

-Moonfire's TF, on the other hand, is awesome. With all the doors in one zone, I never got the lag from hell!

-And most importantly, whenever anyone says anything about my outfit (and the amount of material it involves), all I have to do is look at Jackie Frost and say
"...".

-Morgan, will not be around for a TF tonight, because now it's her turn to go see Iron Man.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/0 ... holes.html

Maybe we need a "cool science/geek news" thread?
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

The Inquirer: http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/ ... utters-tip]Han Solo ties the knot as Chewbacca, Obi Wan Kenobi look on

(Follow the link to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1955054 ... world.html]the Telegraph story for a photo and more details.)

Sorry, folks - you're geeks.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

...I have no words to describe
the awesome.

--Sam

"How the hell did I do that?"

Is the Steve Jackson website down (www.sjgames.com)? I haven't been able to access it in over 6 hours, and a new turn
on the Ultracorps game is coming up.

I hope it is just a temporary problem with their site rather than something with my service provider. For some reason, I haven't been able to access a
certain Potter fan site in six months (www.siye.co.uk), despite the fact that others can access it just fine.
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

ETA2: Thanks to all y'all who donated money to support the ride. It was a fantastic event with
around 1700 riders, raising close to $2 milllion!

ETA: Just a reminder to all of you who said "That's a good cause, I'll do that...
later" that the ride is in 2 weeks and I'd really, really, really like to meet my goal before then. Thanks.
-Z

Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. That's why I registered for the Bike MS Ride, a 150 mile ride from Boston to
Provincetown, and why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to creating a world free of MS but they can't do it without our help. It's faster and easier than
ever to support this cause that's so important to me. Simply click on the link at the bottom of this message. If you prefer, you can send your
contribution to the address listed below.

Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I
do.



If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from MS Bike Ride are used, or the other ways you can get
involved in creating a world free of MS, please visit www.msnewengland.org.

Support MS Research.
Sponsor My Ride.

Why We Fight MS

Having multiple sclerosis means that you may suddenly have blurry vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. Or that
you may not always be able to walk, let alone ride a bike. The symptoms of MS are different, and devastating, for everyone - the only certainty is that it will
affect yet another person every hour of every day.

Why I Ride

I've registered for the MS Bike Ride because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed - and because I want to do
everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis
occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.

Why You Should Sponsor Me
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central New England Chapter will use
funds collected from the MS Bike Ride to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living
with MS today. Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to the MS
Bike Ride, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."
-Z, Post-reader at Medium
----
If architects built buildings the way programmers write programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.

No, but it's about the coolest thing ever.

------------------

Epsilon

My inner eight year wants one.

What the heck was happening Tuesday night (5/13/08) to pull 48 people in all at once?
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.