 
Childhood's End, Postponed
When she was very little, she went to a park with a real, life-sized train engine, and a real fighter jet. Only three or four years old, she still vividly remembered playing inside the enormous train and the giant jet; pushing and pulling levers, climbing into compartments, and especially looking down on the tiny people from way up above.
When she was older, she asked about the magical playground with the train and the plane, and was told there was no such place. She was saddened by this news, but knew childhood must end sometime. How powerful her imagination must have been, she thought. They seemed so real, so true.
When she was older still, and chose a different path for no particular reason, she came upon a park with a life-sized train engine, and a real fighter jet. They both showed their age, but a little rust and weeds diminished them not at all. She watched a small girl climb out from a compartment, push and pull some levers, and look down on her from way up above.
Childhood's end would come another day.
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Uploaded on Nov 16, 2009
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Rainbow Vomiting Pandas: The Escape
They were found out. The secret hiding place of the pandas was discovered, and they would soon be overrun. Unable to move, distant attackers hacked their systems from a thousand directions at once. Ling Ling looked at Hsing Hsing, and nodded. Hsing Hsing rolled and stretched, pushing through the suffocating badges and awards, and pulled the emergency cord.
The ancient pneumatic tube hissed to life. It sputtered and rattled, and with a sudden burst of dust and air, spit out the Engineer. He coughed and wheezed, wiped the dust from his goggles, and set to work.
The Engineer asked Ling Ling if she had seen the donkey. Her eyes, covered in cataracts from intense HDR exposure, filled with tears. She pointed to the fields, where the Engineer could just see the donkey in the tall grass. It lay dead, its stomach bursting with rotted images of flower macros, and soft-focus self portraits.
There was no time to waste. The Engineer prepared them, and warned that they may not survive the journey. They did not care, wanting only to be free, and to see again the world with clear eyes. The Engineer understood, and entered the emergency passcode: "fav 5, comment 1".
they were away.
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Uploaded on Nov 10, 2009
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When Sharks Fly: The Thing With The Squirrels
The first hunting season did not go well. Hundreds of tons of shark raining onto the cities below, was a foreseeable unforeseen consequence. Strict limits and safeguards were added to the hunting licenses, most notably confined to remote areas only. Hunters brought in special truck-mounted shark cages, and steel-covered airstreams. The work was difficult, but fears of flying shark overpopulation, were rampant.
Hunkered down in their cages, deep in the wilderness, the hunters made a remarkable discovery. Hiding in the tall trees, the flying squirrels lay in wait. When the sharks prowled low, the squirrels launched from above, landing on their targets and gnawing. The precise mechanism wasn't yet known, but within minutes of a squirrel bite, the shark would fall, quite dead. Within minutes, all predators of the forest descended on the shark carcass, clawing and bickering over the buffet. And where were the squirrels?
Free of the distracted natural predators, the squirrels scoured the forest floor for nuts. But kept their eyes on the sky.
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Uploaded on Nov 5, 2009
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Yes. He's Black.
First subject was asked to give an example of something he disagreed with about the President's leadership. He responded that he believed Obama's policies were Socialist. When asked to define socialism, he explained it had something to do with Canada.
Another subject was asked to compare the President to a similar public figure. She chose Adolph Hitler. When asked to explain the comparison, she said "Nazi Germany". No adjectives or pronouns, or even a verb. Just "Nazi Germany." When asked to spell Adolph Hitler, she refused.
A third subject was asked about the President's time as a community organizer. Subject became visibly distraught, and when asked to explain why, said "That's how Communism starts." His further arguments included a secret youth army, and "mousy tongue." Interviewer believed he was referring to "Mao Tse-Tung."
The remaining responses from the study were similar, and varied widely. Additional topics of concern included the President as a secret Muslim, Kenyan, Hollywood Elite Manchurian Candidate, and a Reptilian, a race of reptile aliens installed in all levels of society.
We can't yet determine the root cause of this wide ranging feeling of fear, distrust and anger. but one thing is clear; race truly is not a factor. Not a single subject brought up race as a problem. Some even offered that they were "fine with those people".
More study is required, but at least we can conclude what the issue is not.
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Uploaded on Oct 20, 2009
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Elvis Was Relentless
Staci made the grab, barely. Mousef managed to catch her bracelet, kept him from losing his grip. Thank you sis for that crappy piece of tin, Staci thought. She swung a leg up and Mousef helped her get up over the ledge. Elvis missed the jump, landed hard against a dumpster three floors down. His left arm was hanging loose in the socket, and his jaw didn't look right, but it didn't phase him. Nothing phased him. He caught their scent somewhere around Greenlake, and hadn't let go since. Thirty six hours, and they'd barely slept, hounded across every corner of the city.
Pioneer Square was bad, worse than they expected. But the radio call said this was the place, so they popped smoke and prayed. Elvis, clawing his way over the ledge, wasn't the answer they were hoping for. Worse, the rest of them followed, sensing he was on to something. In seconds, the roof was swarming. Mousef wrapped his massive arms around Staci, and they stood their ground. Elvis was almost on them. Staci gripped Mousef's arms, closed her eyes. The roar of the C-130's engines caught them both by surprise. Oh god they're here, she thought, they're here! As it turned tightly and barreled low towards them, Mousef screamed for her to hold on, tightened the straps on the harness, and punched it.
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Uploaded on Oct 7, 2009
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