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      Welcome!   03/05/2016

      Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change.  If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away.  I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!

Pharaoh RutinTutin

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Everything posted by Pharaoh RutinTutin

  1. This Day In History

    18 August 1572 – Marriage in Paris, France, of the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre to Margaret of Valois, in a supposed attempt to reconcile Protestants and Catholics. Because a politically arranged marriage will resolve the religious differences of millions of unrelated people. 1587 – Virginia Dare, granddaughter of Governor John White of the Colony of Roanoke, becomes the first English child born in the Americas. Perhaps not funny, but when I was a child this fact was still recited as "Virginia Dare was the first child born in America". 1590 – John White, the governor of the Roanoke Colony, returns from a supply trip to England and finds his settlement deserted. That grand daughter of his was a disruptive influence. 1612 – The trial of the Pendle witches, one of England's most famous witch trials, begins at Lancaster Assizes. There is nothing like the justice of a Witch Trial, because you will find nothing like justice at a witch trial. 1634 – Urbain Grandier, accused and convicted of sorcery, is burned alive in Loudun, France. As I was saying... 1783 – A huge fireball meteor is seen across Great Britain as it passes over the east coast. A lot of contradictory testimony surrounded the event. Too bad the people of England weren't using dashboard cameras like the Russians of Chelyabinsk would in 2013. 1868 – French astronomer Pierre Janssen discovers helium. Until then, no one knew why the Sun had such a high pitched and squeaky voice. 1920 – The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing women's suffrage. I don't know how to prove it, but it seems that as the ability to vote is spread to more people, the appeal of the candidates goes down. 1938 – The Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting New York, United States with Ontario, Canada over the Saint Lawrence River, is dedicated by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The bridge is built on a lie. It touches less than a dozen islands between the US and Canadian sides of the St Lawrence River. No where near the Thousand Islands promised. 1958 – Vladimir Nabokov's controversial novel Lolita is published in the United States. If Nabokov had replaced Humbert with a Tentacle Monster, he could have illustrated the story as a Manga and the critics would have left it alone.
  2. Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

    By everything that is good, may your insurance approve a better facility than that which took in my mother after her hip broke.
  3. This Day In History

    17 August 1498 – Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI (Yes, the Son of the Pope by his mistress), becomes the first person in history to resign the cardinalate; later that same day, King Louis XII of France names him Duke of Valentinois. His struggle, and ultimate failure, to maintain rule over lands given to him by relatives and friends becomes the inspiration for The Prince by Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. 1585 – A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. SPOILER ALERT: This does not turn out well. 1907 – Pike Place Market, a popular tourist destination and registered historic district in Seattle, opened. If you want to catch a fish, they will throw you a 11/2 foot, 10 pound Sockeye. Or they might knock you over with a 3 foot, 40 pound Chinook. 1930 – World Premier of The Wrath Of Harve Bennett. 1943 – World War II: A busy day for the Allies. The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. They might want to rethink having bombers without fighter escort fly deep into enemy territory. The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily. Wasn't Montgomery supposed to capture the city of Messina? Why didn't Patton stick to the plan? First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins. Since they were meeting in Canada, Churchill and Roosevelt thought it would be nice to invite the Canadian Prime Minister. At least for the Photo Op. Hail Hydra? The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program. 1945 – The novella Animal Farm by George Orwell is first published. Because it was critical of Stalin, nobody in Britain would publish it until after the war was over. But who would believe politics could be dominated by pigs who have their mindless followers shut down all discussion and dissent by repeatedly shouting slogans? 1958 – Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country. It would have been even more notable if it had gotten any where near the moon. 1959 – Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana. And they had just printed all those maps. 1998 – Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship. Did we mention that five hundred years earlier the POPE had several children with more than one woman? 2008 – American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games. At what point does "success" become "ostentatious"? Also, 17 August is National Vanilla Custard Day. Although I really don't know why.
  4. This Day In History

    I must disagree with your meticulous analysis of history. Have you been to Detroit? Hull was probably under orders to get rid of the silly thing. And while I'm at it for 16 August... 1916 – The Migratory Bird Treaty between Canada and the United States is signed. Now the population of Florida swells six months each year as "Snowbirds" drive south for the winter. 1933 – Birth of Julie Newmar. Meow. 1962 – Pete Best is discharged from The Beatles, to be replaced two days later by Ringo Starr. What ever it was, I'm sure Mr Best is sorry and promises not to do it again if Sir James Paul McCartney would take him back.
  5. Things that make you sad.

    Aretha Louise Franklin March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018 R-E-S-P-E-C-T
  6. NP Monday August 13, 2018

    Let us all pray sincerely to whatever powers we believe in that Jack Snyder there will never be pegged to direct another Pokémon movie.
  7. Just one little thing. These two are wearing gloves. Shouldn't little kittens be wearing mittens?
  8. NP Monday August 13, 2018

    What happens when the "Good Guys" attack the "Fake Bad Guys" with real force because they don't know that the fake baddies are fake?
  9. This Day In History

    13 August 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. Everybody likes a nice parade and a big party. Three consecutive Triumphs must be even better. Right? Oh, and make sure everyone knows that even though you conquered the Dalmatian people, their dogs are still available for fire house duty. 1516 – The Treaty of Noyon between France and Spain is signed. Francis I of France recognizes Charles's claim to Naples, and Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, recognizes Francis's claim to Milan. Do the people living in Naples and Milan have any say in the matter? 1521 – After an extended siege, forces led by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés capture Tlatoani Cuauhtémoc and conquer the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Montezuma would have his revenge. 1624 – The French king Louis XIII appoints Cardinal Richelieu as prime minister. “Upon learning of Cardinal Richelieu’s death, Pope Urban VIII is alleged to have said, “If there is a God, the Cardinal de Richelieu will have much to answer for. If not… well, he had a successful life.” ― Henry Kissinger, Diplomacy 1889 – William Gray of Hartford, Connecticut is granted United States Patent Number 408,709 for "Coin-controlled apparatus for telephones." He did not know it at the time, but until the invention of the Cell Phone, Mr Gray's invention was an indispensable tool for mild mannered reporters in a never ending battle for Truth, Justice, and The American Way! 1898 – Spanish–American War: Spanish and American forces engage in a mock battle for Manila. The Spanish commander knew he couldn't win. So he negotiated a plan to have Manila occupied by the Americans rather than let the city be taken by the revolting Filipinos. 1898 – Carl Gustav Witt discovers 433 Eros, the first near-Earth asteroid to be found BEFORE it became an Earth-impacting asteroid. 1940 – Battle of Britain: Adlertag, the first day of the Luftwaffe operation to destroy RAF. This one wouldn't work out as Germany expected. 1961 – Cold War: East Germany closes the border between the eastern and western sectors of Berlin to thwart its inhabitants' attempts to escape to the West, and construction of the Berlin Wall is started. And who is going to pay for this wall? 1967 – For the first time in the 57-year history of Montana's Glacier National Park, two young women become fatal victims of grizzly bear attacks in two separate incidents. I learned almost everything I know about bears from Yogi, and I don't recall that topic being discussed in the cartoons. 1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts are featured in a New York City ticker tape parade. Later that evening in Los Angeles (that was a very long parade), At an official dinner, US President Richard Nixon awards them the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Of course, "Freedom" is a relative concept. These astronauts will be on call for several years. 1976 – International Left Handers Day was created to celebrate certain people's sinistrality by Dean R. Campbell, founder of the Lefthanders International, Inc. Or, as Yogi Berra stated it so well, “I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.”
  10. This Day In History

    12 August 30 BC– Death of Cleopatra, Egyptian queen. Sometimes history bites you in the asp. 1492 – Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the New World. The place is for the birds. 1831 – The Game Act 1831 enshrines The Glorious Twelfth as the start of the Red Grouse shooting season in Britain. Because what could be a better game than standing in a hide waiting to shoot birds that other people and/or dogs have driven toward you by beating the ground where they were nesting? 1865 – Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist, performs the first antiseptic surgery. Who would have thought that cleaning hands and surgical tools before putting them into a patient's body would keep the patient from getting infections after the surgery? For this, the surgeon's name would be applied to the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, as well as the slime mould genus Listerella. Did any one bring some Listerine? 1883 – The last quagga dies at the Natura Artis Magistra, a zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Don't horse around with extinction. 1898 – The Hawaiian flag is lowered from ʻIolani Palace in an elaborate annexation ceremony and replaced with the flag of the United States to signify the transfer of sovereignty from the Republic of Hawaii to the United States. The Pacific kingdom had been dominated by Britain and/or the United States for decades, so the Americans might as well make it official. 1907 – Birth of Joe Besser, American actor. Perhaps best known for being the third Stooge following the deaths of Curly and Shemp Howard. In his later years, he did voice acting work for Hanna-Barbera. This included the animated version of "Jeannie" where he played the bumbling apprentice genie Babu in a cast that included pre-Star Wars Mark Hamill as Jeannie's master/love interest Corey. 1960 – Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, is launched. A shiny, Mylar balloon orbiting about one thousand miles above the Earth. Isn't this what happens to every balloon that gets loose from a child? 1964 – Death of Ian Fleming, English spy, journalist, and author. It seems he could not write his way out of every death trap. 1977 – The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. A massive fan effort convinced NASA to change the name of the atmospheric test version of the Space Shuttle to "Enterprise". Should we be upset or grateful that fans don't expend that kind of effort on more meaningful matters? 1981 – The IBM Personal Computer is released. But it crashed and froze so often that it never got far. No need for a leash.
  11. NP Friday August 10, 2018

    A joke about television? This is EGS. Not Family Guy.
  12. This Day In History

    11 August 3114 BC – The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, notably the Maya, begins. This is according to the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. Working back on the Julian calendar, it was September 06. And the Astronomical Julian Calendar insists the year was -3113. Either way, acording to the Popol Vuh, a book compiling details of creation accounts known to the K'iche' Maya of the Colonial-era highlands, we are living in the fourth world. The Popol Vuh describes the first three creations that the gods failed in making and the creation of the successful fourth world where men were placed. In the Maya Long Count, the previous creation ended at the start of a 14th b'ak'tun. The previous creation ended on a Long Count of 12.19.19.17.19. Another 12.19.19.17.19 occurred on December 20, 2012 (Gregorian Calendar), followed by the start of another 14th b'ak'tun, 13.0.0.0.0, on December 21, 2012. So the world ended six years ago and we didn't notice. 355 – Claudius Silvanus, accused of treason, proclaims himself Roman Emperor against Constantius II. Interesting defense. You can't be a traitor to the government if you ARE the government. 1920 – The Latvian–Soviet Peace Treaty, which relinquished Russia's authority and pretenses to Latvia, is signed, ending the Latvian War of Independence. That's settled. This Baltic state can now rest easy knowing their neighbors will respect their borders forever. Or at least until Germany and Russia need a place to fight. 1921 – Birth of Alex Haley, American Cost Guardsman, journalist, historian, and author. Oft overlooked is his contribution to horticulture. No one else better demonstrated the importance of Roots. 1929 – Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs in his career with a home run at League Park in Cleveland, Ohio. When an actual kid hits a baseball out of the yard and loses it, he or she might get punished. But when a grown man called "Babe" loses 500 balls, he is declared a hero. 1934 – The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island. Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage... but they sure help. 1942 – Actress Hedy Lamarr (Not the Harvey Korman character) and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a Frequency-hopping spread spectrum communication system based on player piano rolls that was intended to keep radio guided torpedoes from being jammed. The US Navy didn't use the system in the war, but principles and details were later incorporated into technologies like wireless telephones, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. The War Department continued to insist that Hedy Lamarr could best serve the war effort by making movies and selling war bonds. 1969 – The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine following their liftoff from the moon. So why was three weeks the magic number? What if the potential alien micro organisms had an incubation period of three months? Three years? Three decades? 1984 – "We begin bombing in five minutes": United States President Ronald Reagan, while running for re-election, jokes during a sound check before his weekly Saturday address on National Public Radio. Contrary to some persistent rumors, the joke was not broadcast live. But it was recorded and leaked. The Soviet Union was not amused. 2009 – Death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American activist. After her father, Ambassador Joseph Kennedy Sr, had her sister lobotomized Eunice dedicated her life to finding better ways to treat the disabled. Eventually founding the Special Olympics. 2014 – Death of Robin Williams, American actor and comedian. Sometimes the laughter and love of others can't overcome the sadness and loneliness inside.
  13. This Day In History

    09 August 48 BC – Caesar's Civil War: Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus and Pompey flees to Egypt. SPOILER ALERT: This does not work out well for Pompey. Or Pharaoh Ptolemy the Last. Or Ptolemy's sister/wife/queen/co-ruler Cleopatra. Or Egypt. Or Julius Caesar. Or Mark Antony... 435 – "Casper" (see 08 August) succeeds K'uk' Bahlam I as Ajaw of the Maya city of Palenque in Mexico. Your civilization may be in decline if your ruler is a ghost. 1173 – Construction of the campanile of the Cathedral of Pisa (now known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa) begins. Due to Pisa's frequent wars, construction will be interrupted for extended periods over the next two centuries. Which is the only reason why it is standing at all. If the tower was built to its full height at one time, the unstable ground would have made it collapse. But with frequent interruptions, the building had repeated opportunities to settle. But why did they keep building after it started leaning? 1842 – The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains. After a few more decades of bluster and posturing, they eventually agree to continue the same border west of the Rocky Mountains. 1854 – Henry David Thoreau publishes Walden. Advocate for the simple life by writing a best seller. 1930 – Betty Boop makes her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes. Apparently, the pretty cartoon girl singing in the background was more popular than the goofy animated men acting out a stale vaudeville sketch. 1944 – The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. So why are you reading some cheesy "This Day In History" forum? You should be out there preventing forest fires. 1965 – Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the only country to date to gain independence unwillingly. So apparently it is bad for a city or region to voluntarily leave a country the city doesn't like. But it is ok for a country to kick out a city or region the country doesn't like? I've got a list of about fifty places on which the American government might want to consider imposing unwilling independence. 1999 – Russian President Boris Yeltsin fires his Prime Minister, Sergei Stepashin, and for the fourth time fires his entire cabinet. If you've fired everyone in the government, and the government is still not doing well, then perhaps the one who should be fired is the one who had been firing the others?
  14. Favorite Quotes

    Another Florence Ambrose quote from Mark Stanley's Freefall. http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff3200/fc03159.png Freefall 3159, August 8, 2018 "Almost all discipline problems can be traced back directly to being conscious."
  15. This Day In History

    08 August 422 – Birth of the man who would rule the Mayan city of Palenque in Mexico from 435 to 487. Based on Mayan Calendar details, he is officially known as "11 Rabbit". However, he did have a personal name that so far has eluded translation. But thanks to an American archeologist mentioning that he thought this Mayan's name glyph resembled a cartoon ghost, this Ajaw of Palenque is known in archeological circles as "Casper". In a thousand years, will people look at the oversized ears of Prince Charles or Barack Obama and call either one "Mickey Mouse"? 1576 – The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on the island of Hven. The most important astronomical observatory in Europe before the invention of the telescope is built on an island in (at that time) Denmark by a man with a gold nose. This really should be the plot of a Bond film. 1876 – Thomas Edison receives a patent for Autographic Printing involving the Electric Pen for making printing stencils. Albert Dick would license this and other patents from Edison and coin the name "Mimeograph" in 1887. For a century after that time, almost every thing printed with less that a hundred copies was produced on a mimeograph. Anyone born in America after that century mark has probably never even seen a mimeograph. 1969 – At a zebra crossing in London, photographer Iain Macmillan takes the iconic photo that becomes the cover image of the Beatles' album Abbey Road. Instead of posing for pictures, the band should have been watching for crossing zebras. Those things move quickly. They kick and bite. And it hurts if they hit you when they're crossing. 1974 – President Richard Nixon, in a nationwide television address, announces his resignation from the office of the President of the United States effective noon the next day. And just to add one more insult to Nixon's injured credibility, Gerald Ford is sworn in as President while in a different room of the White House than the one Nixon had specified. 1989 – Space Shuttle program: STS-28 Mission: Space Shuttle Columbia takes off on a secret five-day military mission. We know exactly when and where the shuttle launched and landed. We know exactly how many times it orbited the Earth. And many people and groups in many countries routinely tracked the shuttle every moment it was in orbit. What part of this mission was "Secret"? 2002 – International Fund for Animal Welfare designates this as International Cat Day. Some places celebrate Cat Day as 17 February, 01 March, or 29 October. This is amusing to those of us who know better. To Felines, and the humans who serve them, EVERY day is Cat Day. 2004 – Original Hollywood "Scream Queen" Fay Wray performs her final death scene. Also, 8/8, or Ate/Ate, is Vore Day. What can be said in good taste?
  16. This Day In History

    Whoops! Forgot an important birthday for 07 August 1560 – Birth of Ecsedi Báthory Erzsébet, aka, Elizabeth Báthory, aka, Countess Dracula. Hungarian aristocrat and serial killer. Officially, she died in 1614. But the location of her remains are "unknown".
  17. This Day In History

    07 August 461 – Roman Emperor Majorian is beheaded near the river Iria in north-west Italy following his arrest and deposition by the magister militum Ricimer. It seems that Western Roman Emperor Majorian committed the unforgivable sin of attempting to rule as an Emperor. Leading without the backing of the Barbarian Generals or the Byzantine Emperor. And enacting laws that took away wealth and privilege from the Senate. 1679 – René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, has a brigantine towed to the south-eastern end of the Niagara River. Le Griffon becomes the first large European style ship to sail the upper Great Lakes of North America. Griffons in the Midwest are nothing new. 1782 – George Washington orders the creation of the Badge of Military Merit, the figure of a heart in purple cloth, or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding. This medal could be awarded for many things to officers or enlisted soldiers. But history seems to indicate that only three soldiers, all non commissioned officers, received the award in the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, the Badge of Military Merit fell into disuse although it was never officially abolished. In 1932, the United States War Department authorized the new Purple Heart Medal for soldiers who had previously received either a Wound Chevron or the Army Wound Ribbon. At that time, it was also determined that the Purple Heart Medal would be considered the official "successor decoration" to the Badge of Military Merit. Is issuing a medal retroactively really the same as the medal being in continuous use? 1789 – The United States Department of War is established. The other departments? Ground floor: Perfumery, stationary, and leather goods, wigs and haberdashery, kitchenware and food. Going up... First floor: Telephones, gents ready made suits, shirts, suits, ties, hats, underwear, and shoes. Going up... 1794 – U.S. President George Washington invokes the Militia Acts of 1792 to suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. Congress should have expected people to be upset over any measure involving taxes and alcohol. But who could have anticipated needing the National Guard? 1858 – The first Australian rules football match is played between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College. For those not familiar with Australian Rules... The seven faculty rules at the University of Woolamaloo: No poofters. No member of the faculty is to maltreat the "Abos" in any way whatsoever—if there's anyone watching. No poofters. I don't want to catch anyone not drinking in their room after lights out. No poofters. There is no rule six. No poofters. 1876 – Birth of Mata Hari. If history is discussing your work as a spy a century later, were you really all that good as a spy? 1909 – Alice Huyler Ramsey and three friends (none of whom could drive a car) become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, taking 59 days to travel from New York, New York to San Francisco, California. How do four people spend two months in a car without killing each other? 1955 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, sells its first transistor radios in Japan. This is just a fad, People trust their vacuum tubes. 1987 – Lynne Cox becomes first person to swim from the United States to the Soviet Union, crossing the Bering Strait from Little Diomede Island in Alaska to Big Diomede in the Soviet Union. The Cold War doesn't get much colder than swimming the Bering Strait.
  18. This Day In History

    04 August 1693 – Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon's invention of champagne. Whether or not he actually invented the drink or developed the methods for producing and storing sparkling wine is a bit uncertain. The historian may have over sampled the subject matter in the research. 1790 – On the advice of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, a newly passed tariff act creates the Revenue Cutter Service. This agency would eventually become the United States Coast Guard. So that's another great idea from Hamilton. Did Aaron Burr have any opinion on the matter? 1821 – The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper. It would be 95 years before Norman Rockwell would paint his first cover 1892 – Andrew Jackson Bordon and Abby Durfee Gray Bordon, father and step-mother of Lizzie Bordon, are discovered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. Dead from multiple axe wounds. The court may have acquitted Miss Bordon. But will we deny the truth of a snappy playground poem? 1900 – Birth of Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. If Herr Schicklgruber believed her to be the Most Dangerous Woman in Europe, she must have done something right. 1914 – After Germany invaded Belgium, the British Empire and Belgium declare war on Germany. Fine gesture on the part of Britain. But is it actually necessary for Belgium to declare war on a country that has already invaded them? Did Germany really expect the Belgians to treat the German Army as tourists? 1956 – Elvis Presley's recording of Hound Dog is released. Does the birth of Rock mean the death of Grammar? 1957 – The Everly Brothers appear on Ed Sullivan performing Bye Bye Love and Wake Up Little Suzie, which should be the line Susan utters to activate her fairy dolls. 1958 – Billboard Magazine published its first Hot 100 chart. A single chart to track popular music from juke boxes, radio play, and sales across all musical genres? There may be some possibility for controversy there. 1987 – The Federal Communications Commission rescinds the Fairness Doctrine which had required radio and television stations to present controversial issues "fairly". It can be difficult to present a narrative of opinion unencumbered by fact if you must remain "fair". 2007 – NASA's Phoenix spacecraft is launched. Amazingly, the probe arrive at Mars as scheduled and did the job it was designed to do. Didn't anyone at NASA know the story of the Mythical Phoenix? Is that really the legend you want associated with your flying machines? Also, August 04 is the Feast of Saint Sithney. Patron Saint of Mad Dogs. Apparently he liked to go out in the noon day sun.
  19. This Day In History

    Whoops! This got posted late. 03 August 881 – Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France defeats the Vikings, an event celebrated in the poem Ludwigslied. The French BEAT the Vikings? Well, if enough battles are fought, statistically there is bound to be that one time everything goes right for the underdog. 1492 – Christopher Columbus sets sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain. Let's check back in a few months. 1852 – Harvard University wins the first Boat Race between Yale University and Harvard. The race is also the first American intercollegiate athletic event. What was the point of college before intercollegiate athletics? 1859 – The American Dental Association is founded in Niagara Falls, New York. Don't let the secret out, but they actually do more than just slap their logo on tubes of toothpaste. 1900 – The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is founded. Time to retire. 1914 – World War I: Germany declares war against France, while Romania declares its neutrality. Romania, you have the only petroleum reserves in central Europe. Good luck maintaining that neutrality. 1921 – Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis confirms the ban of the eight Chicago Black Sox, the day after they were acquitted by a Chicago court. Just like Captain Renault in Casablanca, Judge Landis was shocked! Shocked to find that gambling is going on in here. 1936 – Jesse Owens wins the 100 metre dash at the Berlin Olympics. "Master Race" doesn't apply to the 100m? 1977 – Tandy Corporation announces the TRS-80, one of the world's first mass-produced personal computers. Even when they were new and state-of-the-art, they were well known as the "TRaSh-80" computers. Didn't Radio Shack run the name past a fifth grade class before putting it up for sale?
  20. NP Friday 03 August, 2018

    http://egscomics.com/egsnp/gam-21 Anyone calling Feather Grace a "Bird-Brain" gets pecked. And all things considered, that looks like a more comfortable way to fly than coach.
  21. NP Friday 03 August, 2018

    I know this NP story is not canon. Or even cannon. Shoot. But is 1/10 scale Justin the smallest we have ever seen someone shrunk in an EGS setting?
  22. This Day In History

    02 August 338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. All of Greece ruled by one King. Will anyone be able to top that? 216 BC – The Carthaginian army led by Hannibal defeats a numerically superior Roman army at the Battle of Cannae. And without Elephants. 1776 – The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence took place. It took nearly a month to make a pen big enough for John Hancock to write his enormous signature. 1870 – Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, England, United Kingdom. 1873 – The Clay Street Hill Railroad begins operating the first cable car in San Francisco's famous cable car system. Must be the day for opening municipal mass transit. 1914 – The German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I begins. Not to condone the violation of neutrality, but with an army of under 400 and a total national population smaller than most large cities, how difficult is it for a foreign power to actually "occupy" the Grand Duchy? 1932 – The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson. Aunti Matter finally lets herself be photographed for the family album. 1943 – World War II: The Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 is rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri and sinks. Lt. John F. Kennedy saves all but two of his crew. This story will be told a few more times from the Pacific to the White House.
  23. Story Wednesday August 1, 2018

    Did Pandora have any children before her last reset?
  24. NP Wednesday Aug 1 2018

    Wouldn't the ability to move in and out of parallel realities be a bigger deal than trained monsters?