DREAM FORGE: The e-magazine for your mind! Staff: Managing Editor, Rick Arnold Humor Editor, Dave Bealer DREAM FORGE (tm) is published monthly by, and is a trademark of: Dream Forge, Inc. 6400 Baltimore National Pike, #201 Baltimore, MD. 21228 President: Dave Bealer Vice President: Rick Arnold dbealer@dreamforge.com or rarnold@dreamforge.com ================================================ Table of Contents: ----- -- -------- Editorial/Info/Reviews ........................................... 01 TRAVELS WITH LESLIE- a serial of life, eat it. Leslie Meek ....... 02 BLOOD AND STEEL.............................. Jack Hillman ....... 06 Ad: THE WORDPERFECT KID - ................... Dave Bealer ........ 26 MS CORP's "Project Olympia".................. Rex C. Williams .... 27 "FATHER" NEWT KNOWS BEST - oh dad! .......... Ray Koziel ......... 28 DREAM FORGE - Subscription info.............. ....... 31 DISCRIMINATION BASED ON JOB PERFORMANCE...... Mark Bylok ......... 34 THE WHOOSH ADVENTURES........................ Tamar Atri Raine.... 36 HOUSE OF THE FUTURE ......................... Greg Borek ......... 39 Music Reviews/SPIRITUAL ADVICE 'N STUFF ..... Rev. Richard Visage 43 Book Review: THE HORSEMAN ................... Dave Bealer ........ 46 Poetry ...................................... Various ............ 47 WhatNots - why not?.......................... Staff .............. 48 BumperSnickers Seen on the Information Superhighway .............. 53 DREAM FORGE - Advertising Rates .................................. 56 DREAM FORGE - Official Distributors Wanted ....................... 56 - ODFD - FAQ's ................................................... 58 Legalities & Where to obtain DREAM FORGE .... Editor............. 60 Writer's Guidelines .............................................. 61 AWAKENINGS: Past Imperfect .................. Dave Bealer ........ 62 DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 1 March 1995 DREAM FORGE (tm) ISSN: 1080-5877 Volume 1, Number 3, March 1995 (Free Demo Issue) Publisher: Dave Bealer (dbealer@dreamforge.com) Managing Editor: Rick Arnold (rarnold@dreamforge.com) DREAM FORGE is published monthly at an annual subscription rate of $24 (via regular mail on DOS diskettes) or $12 (via internet email or BBS download) by Dream Forge, Inc., 6400 Baltimore National Pike #201, Baltimore, MD. 21228-3915 Contact: FidoNet: 1:261/1129 (1200-28800/V.34) BBS: (410) 437-3463 (1200-16800/HST) FidoNet: 1:2601/522 (300-28800/V.34) BBS: (412) 588-7863 (300-28800/V.34) Internet: info@dreamforge.com Copyright 1995 Dream Forge, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Editorial - Delays and Demos by Dave Bealer & Rick Arnold Due to various technical problems, the March issue of DREAM FORGE has become the third and final demo issue. The April issue will now be the first commercial issue, and all one year charter subscriptions will expire with the March 1996 issue. As of February 28th, Software Creations finally had DREAM FORGE set up in their online STORE door. At the STORE door main menu, select option 3 (Software Registrations), then select submenu option 1 (Software Creations Products). DREAM FORGE subscriptions are items 24 and 25 in this section. Both e-mail and diskette subscriptions are available. We can't complain about the SWC delays too much, since Dave has failed to get the DREAM FORGE BBS online as promised. Dave is confident that he will be able to master the intricacies of running Wildcat under OS/2 Warp just as soon he lifts a finger to work on the project. The problem has been one of motivation. This install will require Dave to refer to various technical manuals for the software and hardware involved. Such activity violates Dave's religious principles as both a Techno-Nerd and a Lazy Bum. Mainly, the problem is that we seriously underestimated the amount of work required by this new effort. Two people who cannot conveniently get together in person still have a tough time putting together an electronic magazine. We fully expect to get our act together one of these years. {DREAM} DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 2 March 1995 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= TRAVELS WITH LESLIE by Leslie Meek ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Adventure Continues, Part 3, (VII,VIII) August 11, 1993 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- **(Editor Note: Leslie's adventures will be (serialized in future issues of DREAM FORGE.) August 22, 1993 CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS -- Nothing can knock you off the self-pity pot faster than a letter from a good friend. "If it is true that `the calm always precedes the storm,' then the same must hold true for silver linings and clouds," writes a special lady named Becky in response to my account of August 14. "After all, a proverb is a proverb and we cannot or should not be selective in our discussions of them." I moaned and groaned in Travels number 5 about my problems in applying Chinese and American proverbs to my ongoing effort to confront and deal with my emotions. Quoting the proverb above I mentioned that if I tried to think myself better the future looked pretty bleak. The future always appears grey from the perspective of the pity-pot and those who choose to sit on it can always find evidence in words of another. From where I was sitting that day the world looked glum. Becky set me straight on that one. The world is always gonna be what we perceive it to be; if I wanted a cloud with silver lining all I had to do was stand up . . . then look up at the sky. In seeking a solution, however, Becky drives the nail further into my logic with yet another direct hit: "And though sometimes I do find myself involved with the paranoia associated with things going a little too well in my life, or, as I like to call it, the `waiting for the other shoe to drop' syndrome, I try to force myself into the more realistic thinking pattern that tells me how little meaning there is in tomorrows anyway," she wrote. "All we have is today, cloudless, stormy or otherwise." All journeys, great and small, are "one day at a time" adventures. I spent four years of my life hoping tomorrow would be better. If I am to recover from the aftereffects of that relationship, I must keep what Becky has to say in mind. I can only grow one moment at a time . . . today. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 3 March 1995 This morning I woke up worried about what I had to have done by this afternoon and pondering what I would tell this guy who wanted to take me out tonight. I grabbed the express mail envelope with my Missouri mail inside and walked to the beach in despair. I sat down, dug my bare feet into the sand, and daydreamed about walking hand in hand with a friend in Seattle. When a fleeting picture of a nightmarish morning two years ago on another beach flashed into my head, I opened the envelope to escape. Inside, with other stuff, was Becky's letter. I read up to the "today" part. You know, Corpus Christi is a beautiful city. Downtown skyscrapers literally run up to the bay. The sun warms before it colors the gulf. Seagulls spend more time silently studying you before they beg for food. Dolphins play in groups not far from shore while pelicans practice "touch and goes" on the glassy water. Moist sand feels wonderful between your toes. Pouting little girls look pretty small and inconsequential on beaches of this size and splendor. "Your writing inspired in me a need to look beyond my simple little world to a place far removed from where I am at the present moment," she continued. "It makes me think, though being the emotional invalid I am, this is not your written word's greatest claim to fame. Thinking, as you say, is what gets me into trouble in the first place. No. It is not my thought processes that are the most effected, but, rather, the emotional reaction I have to the story you tell. And though . . . I've tried to put into words just what this reaction is, I seem to fail miserably in the discourse. For someone like me, the inability to express myself verbally causes a certain amount of emotional insecurity, and it is through this feeling that I am most affected and the growth you so desperately seek is allowed to take place." I laughed out loud (through my tears) at the last line. Trouble expressing herself, I told the birds, yeah, right, sure. Becky writes beautifully. "You see, the answer to your own search is right under your nose. . . . Though filled with clouds, I tend to see sunshine filtering through your words as you seek to find the answer to a problem that has haunted you for years. You come to terms with the ordeal at Hilton Head, perhaps not so much as to the whys, but, certainly with regard to understanding how the situation came to pass." Becky understands bars and couples who stay in them too long. She goes to explain that perhaps I cannot be expected to understand the strangers who lurk outside . . . "but you can come to terms with the role you played and forgive yourself for being unable to predict the outcome of your actions," she writes. "Que sera, sera," though not Chinese, contains a few truths in itself. And though I am a true believer in taking responsibility for my own destiny, I am also painfully aware that none of us can predict the future. Not for our own lives and especially not for anyone else's. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 4 March 1995 "By the way, I believe there really are happy people out there, holding hands and walking along the beach. And though their happiness may be as fleeting as their footsteps in the sand, they are truly blessed for the short time they were able to feel joy and love in the presence of another human being. And if they do go home and fight, and are forced to feel the low that comes with dying love, they can take solace in the fact that another high, another day, and, with a little luck, another walk on the beach is just around the corner." I got up and walked back toward the motel. I had a phone call to make. And I had to finish my work so I'd be ready for my first "date" in four years. Thank you, Becky. For all the things you say and do, this day is for you! (Author's note: Becky Blanchard logs on to the Outland BBS, FidoNet 1:280/68, (816) 747-9478) The Quest Continues: August 23, 1993 CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS -- I spend lots of time in a little marina across the highway from my beach front motel here and I've discovered that fishermen disagree over methods, tides, times and tools. Each has their own idea of what works best. The man who boasted the most about his luck used a single, red rose. I like to sit around the shrimp boats and listen as the fishermen repair and hang their nets. They tell long, robust stories. They ask very few questions. Their eyes and hands are busy with their work so they are safe, fare for a nosy blonde with time on her hands. They like where they are so they don't try to invade my space; I can leave without owing. I found the rose Friday after I returned from the marina. It was on the windshield of my van, along with a short little note: "I have been watching you and wondering why you seem so thoughtful. I hope we can get together someday and have dinner." It was signed, predictably, by "a secret admirer." I checked the locks on the van and, rose and note in hand, climbed the stairs to my room. The motel where I am staying is four stories high and the stairwell is on the outside. It's one of those zigzag, fire-escape designs that force you to announce your presence to the world. Every guest can hear your progress, secretly making bets with themselves on whether the footsteps will stop at their floor or continue to the next one. You do things like that when you're cooped up in a motel room. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 5 March 1995 I did not speculate on which floor housed the man who left the flower but I was positive that he was also a guest at the motel. The intention of the gift was also obvious and there was no mystery surrounding even the man who left it. Although he was both nameless and faceless to me, I had met him many times before. As far as I was concerned, he would have to pin all his hopes on that old adage about there being lots of other fish in the sea. This stuff was not going to work on me. Although new to being single, I am an expert on gifts given by those who expect something in return. This was just the first installment in the obligation game and I decided right then that I wasn't playing. Once I got into my room I startled myself by noticing that the rose was not the kind they sell in all night convenience stores. Up to then, all the flowers given me were bought after the bars closed. Interesting. I flopped down on the bed and resolved not to make any changes in my daily routine. Even on the road, I keep weird hours. I work throughout the night pounding on my computer. Long distance rates are cheaper after eleven p.m. so I can log on to a Bulletin Board Service without pledging my first born son to Ma' Bell. My best writing flows out in the hours just before sunrise. I wasn't going to let this guy change any of that. I couldn't sit around worrying about the inevitable phone call. When he called, I would tell him in no uncertain terms to get lost. As it turned out, I worked through the night without incident. The phone never rang. Strange. When the sun rises, I begin my walk. I use this time to slay the dragons I have conjured up during the night and set my margins for the reality of life. I've learned only recently that the sentences cannot be longer than one day. It is my time to spend with me -- a way of fading from isolation to being alone among birds, trees and strangers. I tapped down the stairs as quietly as possible, glancing subconsciously from side to side for the stalker. It figured he would be somewhere watching. It would be some time before he would give up his one-way window and let me see him. I walked the hundred feet or so to the beach, removing my shoes as I went. I headed North on the sand toward the skyline of downtown. It wasn't a destination -- just a compass point. I noticed with satisfaction that, besides a speck that represented a sole human some thousand yards away, I had the beach to myself. The ocean has a way of giving you a perspective on your own importance. If you do much beach walking, as I do, you learn that you are just about as important to the universe as one grain of the sand beneath your feet. I wandered with my memories. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 6 March 1995 My ex-lover and I were just friends -- very good friends -- when we walked this beach together years ago. It was to be another two months before we shared the same bed. That would happen on yet another island and set in motion the roller coaster ride that, for me, was an "E" ticket to hell. But the memories of what we shared on this beach were beautiful and I got lost in them as the spec got larger. Before I knew it, I was on top of him. He sat with his legs crisscrossed, staring at me. I wasn't close enough to see the color, but his eyes were large and expressive. He was a good looking guy about thirty-two or -three, broad shoulders and large hands. He had dark hair neatly groomed but still blowing in the wind. He sat with his back erect, silent. I immediately veered off toward the water and began my U-turn to head back to the motel. It was best to ignore him. I had to. In front of him, stuck in the sand, was a single, red rose. {DREAM} (Get the next issue of DREAM FORGE to follow the continuing saga.) Copyright 1995 Leslie Meek, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Leslie has been searching and in her travels relates to us what she has found so far. Warrensburg, Missouri is where the travels have begun and there is no telling where her search will end -- if ever. Perhaps leaving was her first step to realizing -- she was *there* and already knew. She's eager to hear from her readers and can be reached via: U'NI-net's Writer's Conference and regularly logs onto Crackpot Connection (816-747-2525). She likes to chat, if you catch her online -- tell her Rick said, "Hi!" ===================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= BLOOD AND STEEL by Jack Hillman -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Dan scrolled through the information on the computer screen looking for an interesting topic for his next article. Headings rolled past for different current events scheduled, political happenings, medical advances and strange things in the news. A heading caught his eye and he backed up the screen. "Increase In Serial Killings", read the title and Dan keyed the instructions to download the file. While the information transferred, he glanced out the window and found the view holding his attention. Stretched out on a lounge chair, a beautiful dark haired woman was adding to her suntan, protected only by a small bikini and a coating of oil. Dan's white cat, Murphy, was playing at the edge of the deck. Dan looked at the woman and again wondered why she had DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 7 March 1995 stayed with him. There was, of course, the obvious reason: she was from another dimension and was still learning her way around in this world. But that still didn't explain why such an intelligent and attractive woman like Thook was willing to spend her time with a cripple in a wheelchair. Dan turned back to the computer as it signaled the end of the download and continued his search, his thoughts still on Thook. There had been many changes in the past few months since she arrived. Dan no longer spent the majority of his time "hiding" in his house. He had taken Thook to the theatre, to sporting events, even bowling on one occasion (although Thook had trouble with the idea of rolling the ball down the alley and kept trying to launch it like a catapult). Dan was taking better care of himself, too. He shaved more regularly and paid more attention to what he wore, even if Thook found his taste in T-shirts with messages rather strange. His diet improved from a mixture of fast food deliveries and microwave packs as Thook took control of the kitchen. She had a flair for cooking, once she discovered the ease of an electric stove. But she still had trouble with the microwave and vowed never to touch it again after turning a roast into very tough beef jerky by overcooking. There had been changes in Thook as well. The scars from Duke Baraz's control gem faded as she lay in the sun, improving her tan. With no full sunlight in Albion, Thook was enchanted by the feeling of warmth and the changes in her skin tone. Dan had been adamant about her use of sunscreen and Thook did not object after she lay out one afternoon, ignoring Dan's instructions. The resultant sunburn left her with such a painful reminder that Dan tactfully refrained from comment. Thook was growing more assertive as well. Never shy by nature, she had grown up under the control of one or more of the elves of the Queen's court in Albion. She had a long habit of not speaking unless directly addressed and then only replying in short sentences at most. Now, she was not only speaking out more often but was asserting her own opinions and disagreeing with Dan on occasion. He was pleased in her personal growth but still had a fear she would leave as she grew more independent. Dan snapped back to the present as a pair of slightly oily arms slid around his neck, hand pressing to his chest. A quiet voice whispered in his ear as he caught the scent of sun warmed skin. "A silver penny for thy thoughts, milord," Thook offered as she pressed against his back. "Just wondering why you put up with me," Dan answered. Thook nibbled on an ear. "As I've said before, you are a warrior. I like warriors." "Yes, but . . ." Dan started to say, only to find himself stopped by a pair of very warm and energetic lips. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 8 March 1995 "You talk too much," Thook whispered as she slid into his lap and finished the kiss. Dan complied with the inevitable. * * * Later that afternoon, Dan was back at the keyboard reviewing the information he had received. The file on serial killings got his attention since it was happening in his own area. It seemed the local authorities and the FBI were concerned about an increase in certain types of victims that were turning up dead all over the city. The one common factor was a mark on the forehead of each victim. "What's that about?" Thook asked as she set a plate with a sandwich on the desk. She had not as yet learned to read English but was intensely interested in what Dan did for a living. To her, the idea of earning enough to live on just by writing was totally outside her frame of reference. Not until Dan took her to the local library and she saw the hundreds of thousands of books and the hundreds of magazines available did she begin to grasp the potential. Plus, Thook was amazed at the ability of a little box to bring that information into a home. "They're having more problems with a serial killer in this area lately," Dan replied, reading the details. "It seems whoever it is that's doing this is going after more and more victims." "Serial killer?" Thook asked. "Someone who kills again and again rather than just once," Dan explained. "It refers to someone who kills for fun or to overcome some type of emotional trauma. This guy is killing people and taking different parts of the victims' bodies as souvenirs." "How do they know it's the same person?" Thook questioned. She had been horrified as she watched the daily news reports and seen the numbers of violent crimes. In the closed community of Albion, aggression was normal but killing was extremely rare. "He leaves a mark on each victim," Dan answered, pointing to the screen as the photo scrolled up. Thook stiffened. "I thought you said there were no more sorcerers in your world?" "What I said was none to my knowledge. Why? What's the matter?" Dan looked at her as she stared at the screen. "That," Thook said, shaking her head, ". . . is a sorcerer's mark. He places it on his victim to lock the soul into the body at death. By removing the soul, he can use its power for many different purposes. Does your box tell you what specifically was removed from each victim?" DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 9 March 1995 "Only in general: heart, kidneys, fingers or toes, in one case, apparently, an eye. Does that mean anything special to you?" "I need to know more. Can you get more detailed information?" Dan scrolled through the file. "I have a list of names of the victims. Would that be any help?" "Perhaps. If we can find a common factor among the victims I may be able to determine what the sorcerer is doing with his offerings." "Okay," Dan answered. "Give me some time to see what I can get here and I'll let you know. Thook rose from her chair. "I have something I wish to check while you do your work." She started to leave the room, Dan already lost in flying fingers on the keyboard, "Don't forget to eat," she added and smiled at Dan's absent nod. Two hours later, Dan took his first bite from a dry sandwich and sat back to review what he had found. There was a general outline that seemed to fit the victims. All twelve were young, under twenty-seven, college educated, employed in either high tech or high visibility business positions that required aggressive individuals. "Yuppies," Dan muttered around another bite. Oddly enough, the victims were both male and female. Most serial killers tended to stick to one sex, Dan recalled from his research. So what makes this case different, he wondered. All the victims were found at home, usually in their beds, and always nude. The police were working on an angle that maybe there was a pair of killers; one male, one female. Newspaper clippings indicated no visible cause of death other than the removal of whatever body part was taken. Oddly as well, all the wounds were cauterized, as if the organs were removed with a hot knife. And then there was the mark on the forehead. Analysis of the ink showed it was made with human blood! The papers were running ideas about why the killings were taking place that ran from black magic to little green men from space collecting their favorite food. Dan finished the sandwich with a gulp, put the printout on his lap, and went to find Thook. Rolling down the hall past the kitchen and family room without success, Dan found her in what they had started to call her "workroom". She was standing in the middle of a major pentacle, clasping a thin wand of ash wood. Murphy, Dan's cat, sat to one side of the pentacle, watching every move. Waiting patiently in silence, Dan admired the spandex outfit Thook used as her "work clothes". She had told him the tight clothing caused fewer reactions. Watching the swell of her breasts and the slow curve of hip and thigh, Dan wasn't so sure. Thook's breathing speeded up as she came out of her trance. She looked at Dan. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 10 March 1995 "Your thoughts are disturbing," she said with a smile. "Can't you keep your mind on important things?" She walked over to her worktable and laid the wand in a holder. "I am," Dan said, watching her movements. Thook saw the direction of his gaze and smiled again. "What have you found?" she asked as they walked back to the kitchen. Dan reviewed the information and Thook nodded. "I thought that might be the case. Whoever we are dealing with is preparing a rejuvenation formula." Thook started pacing the kitchen like a caged cat, with the same grace and starkly feral attitude as Murphy on a hunt. "Before the elves left this world for Albion, some human sorcerers found a way to prolong their lives so as to match their elven friends. A young elf has yet to reach his or her third century and their human playmates were jealous of their long life. Certain elves even helped provide the victims, enjoying the suffering of what they considered to be cattle. Many of the high elves objected to this practice for various reasons." Thook glanced at Dan. "Not all elves have noble intentions. One of the greatest complaints was that with such a greatly extended life, human sorcerers might become a match for the elves and enslave them. Oberon King declared the practice forbidden to avoid the human peoples rising up and destroying the elves quickly rather than just pushing them out as they were already doing. All the sorcerers who knew the how to prolong their lives were gathered together and banished to Albion by Oberon King." Thook stared at her hands held in tight fists. "Either one of those has escaped or else someone with power has found the concealed writings of some sorcerer from your past. We must stop them. With no other sorcerer using the ley lines of this world, the lines of power that cross the planet, the energy available is immense." She looked at Dan. "Will you help me?" she asked timidly, a reversal of her aggressive speech. Thook was still unsure of her status. "What can I do?" Dan asked quietly. "I have checked the ley lines in this area," she answered, once more sure of her direction. "I need you to go with me to tell me where certain dead areas are located. Our hunter may be hiding in one of those. And we must hurry. If I am right, we have only until the new moon to complete our search, two days hence. On that night the spell must be cast to complete the potion and renew the sorcerer's power and youth. Only one more victim is needed to complete the formula and that one cannot be taken until just before the spell is cast. That is our only hope to trace the hunter." "You plan to set yourself up as bait!" Dan exclaimed. Thook nodded. "Time passes strangely in Albion by your standards. I have had many years to learn sorcery under many different teachers. The one who hunts will not expect to find another sorcerer and certainly not one as well trained as I. We will have the advantage." DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 11 March 1995 "Right," muttered Dan pessimistically. "Okay, let's give it a shot. What do we do?" "You must walk with me," Thook answered calmly. The flash of anger Dan felt was quickly smothered. He knew Thook was not referring to his disability. "What do you mean?" he asked, more sharply than he meant to. "We will leave our bodies and walk the ley lines. I have found several areas nearby where the lines of power do not reach and I cannot see. You must tell me where they are located so we may reach them on the material plane." "Okay, if you say so," Dan said uncertainly, willing to try but too firmly rooted in reality to agree too quickly. They moved back down the hall to Thook's workroom and she began to gather what they would need. "Leave your chair in the hallway, please," she said as she sprinkled powders in each of four braziers and lit candles at the cardinal points of the pentacle. She looked at him as she finished. He was sitting in the chair waiting. "How do you expect me to get from here," pointing at the chair, "to there?" Dan pointed to the center of the pentacle. Thook smiled and walked over to him. Reaching down, she easily lifted him out of the chair and carried him into the pentacle, gently laying him on the floor in the center of the lines. Dan watched Thook as she turned to gather her equipment. There was something to be said for living in a society that prized physical prowess, he mused. Thook looked down at him. "Ready?" she asked. "May as well, can't dance," he answered, levering up on his elbows to watch the proceedings. "Lay back, please," Thook said quietly, her lips beginning the words of a spell. Dan lay flat on the floor and watched her. Slowly, Thook moved her wand through a series of movements that resembled a martial arts exercise in miniature. Dan felt his eyelids growing heavy and between one breath and the next he fell asleep. When he opened his eyes, he knew only a few moments had passed. He saw Thook standing over him, wearing a long white robe, and vaguely wondered when she had changed clothes. She smiled at him and reached down, through his body, to his back and Dan felt an instant of burning followed by a surge into his legs. Thook grasped his hand and urged him to his feet. Unthinking, Dan stood, looking down at his body on the floor. That was when he noticed Thook standing next to herself, still wearing her spandex work clothes. He looked down at himself, noticing for the first time that he was wearing a full shirt of silver mail complete with gauntlets. He raised one gloved hand to feel the mail coif over his head. The Thook in the white robe spoke. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 12 March 1995 "This is how I see you," she said, laying her palm on his chest. "You will be my protector as well as my guide." Thook grasped his arm and together they passed up through the house and out over the community of Long Swamp. Hovering in the air, Dan looked down at his own house, picking out lines of energy that marked the electrical wiring. But these tiny threads were dwarfed by an arrow of pure force that passed over the house and into the distance in both directions. Behind the house, they ley line disappeared into the woods. Thook gestured with one hand. "Where the Ley touches the hills," she said in a small voice that seemed to echo inside his head, "there was the doorway to Albion." She pointed out over the city. "Somewhere out there is our hunter. Shall we go?" Dan nodded and, immediately, they began to move along the ley line toward the center of town. Dan noted, as they passed over homes and offices, that they ley line seemed to glow or pulse as they passed each building, some more than others. "Do the people in those buildings draw from the energy flow?" he asked. "No, " Thook answered. "They feed the flow with the power of their lives. That is why it is so important we stop this sorcerer. With the right spell to tap the lines, he could drain the life energy from the world. If he didn't destroy it first." She began to point out places where the energy flow was lower and a few where it was missing entirely. To Dan, these places of no energy appeared almost black, making him wonder if his sight on this level was linked to the energy flow. Some of the places Thook pointed out Dan knew. In two cases, they were doctors' offices that had high tech imaging equipment surrounded by shielding of some sort. This apparently blocked the energy flow in both directions. One place Thook pointed out Dan knew was a machine shop that cut parts from bar and plate stock. When he explained this to Thook, she nodded. "So much cold iron disrupts the flow," she said. "No energy pattern would stay stable in such a place." The last place they checked was an old steel mill at the edge of town. Several areas were black to Dan's sight but the size of the dead spots worried him. "You could hide half a company of men in some of those dead zones," he remarked. "Let's check them out further." Thook agreed. Since they had swept the entire town before going to the mill, she made a small gesture and they were back in the workroom, Dan looking up at her. Thook set the wand on the workbench and picked Dan up from the floor. He sighed as she put him in his chair. It had felt good to have legs again, even if only for a short time. As they moved to the kitchen to replenish low energy levels, Dan was surprised to see that it was dark. Since he had been able to DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 13 March 1995 see so clearly as they flew over the town, he thought it was still daylight. As they sat quietly, snacking on lunch meat and cheese without the bread (Thook had adopted some of Dan's bad habits), Dan considered what they had found. "Would the amount of iron at the old steel mill affect a sorcerer?" he asked between bites, feeding tidbits to Murphy in his lap. "Not really," Thook answered around a chunk of cheese. "Since the sorcerer is human, the iron would not harm him directly. All he need do is be very careful of the direction of his spells since the iron would distort their energy. What he needs is a spot of clear earth in the center of the area and he can cast whatever spells he wishes. The only problem is that he must use his own energy for the spell since the iron barrier cuts off the flow from the ley lines. "In effect," Dan said, "he has the perfect hiding place. He can't be found by another sorcerer if one should happen to exist and the old mill is fenced off to casual visitors. Anyone he finds on the grounds isn't supposed to be there and mundane accidents have accounted for a number of deaths at that place already." He finished his snack and wiped his hands on his pants. "Ready?" Thook stopped him as he started past. "We both need rest," she said. "The morning will be soon enough. Besides, do you not wish to inform your friend who enforces your laws?" "I think the cops would have a problem with the idea of sorcerer," Dan answered. "Let's check out the mill in the morning and maybe I can drop an anonymous tip." Thook nodded agreement and they headed for some rest. Early the next morning, Dan and Thook sat in Dan's van looking through the chain link fence that surrounded the old steel mill. The stark outlines of the steel girders that framed the buildings, visible where sheet metal plates had blown free of the walls, glowed red in the morning sun. Dan imagined they looked like newly forged steel, hot from the rollers. "Can we get closer?" Thook asked. "I can't tell anything more from this distance." "Maybe," Dan answered, pointing ahead to a gate in the fence. "It depends on if I can open that lock." They moved to the back of the van, Dan sliding into his chair and triggering the electric lift. He reached into a tool chest along the side wall and removed a small pouch. Dan rode the lift to the ground while Thook watched the process with interest. "How could anyone call you a cripple when you have such marvelous toys to aid you?" she said, as he closed up the van. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 14 March 1995 "People have some strange ideas these days as to what's important." The note of sadness in Dan's voice stopped any further comments. Wheeling over to the gate, Dan examined the lock. Opening the pouch, he extracted two thin tools, inserted them into the key way and, with a few small hand motions, popped the lock open. "They didn't really plan on this lock doing more than slowing down the neighborhood kids," he commented as he opened the gate. "After you, milady," he said, bowing in the chair and waving Thook through. "Thank you, milord," Thook answered with a curtsy and walked through the gate into the old scrap yard. Carefully, the two made their way across the acres of concrete that surrounded the mill. Dan could recall, when the mill was open, when this entire area was piled high with scrap steel and other metals, waiting for the furnace to turn them into something functional once more. Now, with the shutdown of so many heavy industries, the worst hazard was small scraps of steel that would cut into the wheels of Dan's chair. "I hope we don't find anything," Thook said as she kicked a short rod. "With this much loose iron around, any spell I cast would bounce around like an arrow in a windstorm." "At least our quarry will have the same problem," Dan replied. He stopped the chair for a moment and picked up two overly large washers from the ground. The three inch disks felt good in the palm of his hand, like a talisman. As they reached the wall of the first building, they stopped, listening closely. The only sounds were the banging in the wind of loose sheets of metal on the sides of the buildings. They approached the doorway cautiously, until Thook stopped suddenly. "What's wrong?" Dan whispered, unable to see any problems. "I have been watching the energy flows," she answered. "With all this loose iron, the flow has been chaotic, as I suspected. But here," pointing to the edge of the doorway, "it strengthens and becomes patterned again. "An alarm of some sort?" Dan guessed. "Perhaps." Thook moved slowly. The ground in front of the door had been swept clean, down to the bare earth. Dan could see where plates of concrete had been removed to reveal the soil beneath. "Is it possible our sorcerer was creating a pathway through the dead zone?" Dan asked. "Yes, that's it," Thook exclaimed. "Here, look for yourself." DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 15 March 1995 She laid a hand on Dan's shoulder for a few seconds, and his sight changed. The cold, hard edges of the buildings faded slightly, becoming insubstantial. Overlaying the entire area, Dan could see a swirling mass of color he instinctively knew was ley energy. Over the concrete apron surrounding the building, the colors were a writhing, incoherent maelstrom of color that sank into a dead black near the building. As he looked at the doorway, the pattern of the colors stabilized in a circular area in the center of the doorway, becoming the lines of light he and Thook had followed in their search the night before. Oddly, the ley energy flowed through the door itself without being disrupted by the metal of the lock, bracing strips and hinges. Dan moved closer to the door and examined the metal. Taking out a small pocket knife, he scraped one of the hinges, removing the paint and a respectable sliver of metal. "Aluminum!" he exclaimed, looking back at his companion. "He's replaced all the ferrous metal in the door with aluminum." Dan could see the change in the ley energy as it reacted to his chair and the other ferrous materials he carried, swirling toward black without going through the door as it had been channeled. He wheeled back from the door and watched the energy pattern settle and pass through the door again. Suddenly, the doors slid open to each side with a crash and Dan was looking into the building. The floor had been removed and the entire area cleaned down to the ground. Standing in the center was a tall figure in a shapeless black robe with a mask over the face. Thook stepped into the doorway in front of Dan and the mask turned to follow her movements. "By the authority of Oberon King, I command you to surrender," Thook shouted, her voice echoing through the building. The robed figure laughed: a dry crackling sound like a fire on wet pine wood. "Oberon has held no authority here for many years, child. I think you will be my final sacrifice." With a wave of his hands, the black sorcerer threw a web of glittering energy at Thook, who countered with a pulse of light that shattered the web. Thook attempted to fire darts of energy at her attacker, but the steel girders of the building deflected and warped the trajectories so badly the black sorcerer merely stood and laughed. Dan watched as the robed figure began to build a twisting rope of power that began to creep around both sides of Thook as she stepped into the doorway to lessen the distortion of the steel. He could see the energy flow build, so as to mesh into a cage surrounding his partner. Dan maneuvered to one side of the doorway. "Duck, Thook!" he yelled, and whipped one of the washers he had picked up at the sorcerer like a shuriken. By luck or providence, the iron ring struck an out flung hand, disrupting the spell and dissipating the energy in a huge flash. Dan, with his newly acquired witch-sight, was blinded by the glare, but he caught a glimpse of the sorcerer flung to the ground by the recoil. Blinded, eyes running with tears, Dan searched for his friend. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 16 March 1995 "Thook, he's getting away. Stop him!" Dan could hear the sorcerer scrambling in the dirt and moaning. What worried him more was that Thook wasn't answering. Using the footrests of his chair like a blind man's cane, Dan moved back and forth across the area until he felt the left rest hit something soft. His sight still colored with flashes and made blurry by tears, Dan felt his way along Thook's body, checking as best he could. She was alive and breathing, but the backlash of energy had left her unconscious. Dan hesitated, looking over toward the sorcerer. He was gone, apparently getting away while Dan was searching. Dan sighed, set his brakes, and reached over, carefully pulling Thook into his lap, trying not to overbalance the chair. With her limp body belted to his, feet tucked under his flaccid legs, Dan carefully wheeled back to the van and placed Thook on the back seat. She had not regained consciousness and would not respond to any of Dan's attempts to wake her. Dan slid into the driver's seat and headed for the hospital, debating what he would do once he arrived. At the emergency room, the attendants were extremely helpful. The sight of a man in a wheelchair bringing in an unconscious girl evoked immediate response, and Dan found Thook whisked into an examining room almost before he began to give the carefully edited story he had contrived. Working with an explanation of "electrical shock", the doctors examined Thook, carefully checking her vital signs and looking for any additional injuries. Meanwhile, Dan paced back and forth in the waiting room; worried about Thook and worried about the sorcerer they had found. He turned as the doctor came out of the examining room. "Mr. Braden . . .," the doctor started, "your friend is still unconscious. We've examined her as well as we can so far and can find no injuries, broken bones or electrical burns. Are you sure it was an electrical shock?" "Not really," Dan replied. "I found her on the floor in the kitchen near the sink with the water running. There were several appliances nearby recently used. When I couldn't wake her I decided to bring her here. I didn't check further." "Well, at this point, all we can do are more tests," the doctor said. "We'll be taking her to x-ray in a few minutes and I've scheduled an EEG just to be safe. Maybe we'll know more after the tests come back from the lab." He turned and went back to the examining room, shaking his head. Dan watched him go and made a decision he had been reluctant to reach before. He wheeled over to the phone and called his friend at the police station. * * * DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 17 March 1995 "What do you mean, you can't tell me how you found out?" said Sergeant Raymond. He was sitting in the waiting room, facing Dan as he sat in his chair. "You tell me you've found the serial killer we've been hunting for for weeks and I'm supposed to believe it came to you in a dream?" "Something like that," Dan answered quietly. He was uncomfortable talking to his friend like this, but his conscience wouldn't let him take a chance on the killer getting away. Raymond closed his notebook and looked Dan in the eye. "Okay, off the record. What really happened?" The sergeant had been after Dan ever since that prisoner had disappeared from the holding cell a few months ago. The official story was that he was released in error by a rookie on duty. But Raymond didn't believe that story either. "Dan, you and I have been friends since we were kids, not close, but close enough. I helped you out after your accident, when you set up the emergency call with the police dispatcher, just in case. I've helped you out when the neighborhood kids were vandalizing your place before they learned you would fight back." He chuckled, as he remembered the complaints from the parents when their "little darlings" had arrived home showered with butyl mercaptan. The "little skunks" lived up to their names for over a week, until the smell wore off. "Level with me, so I can help you." Dan sighed. "Okay, Jim, you asked for it. To begin with, Thook is sort of a witch." He watched for a reaction. Jim nodded. "Well, it fits with the weird name. And?" "So is the killer. When Thook saw what was happening with the killings, she recognized a pattern with some of the things she's learned over the years. She managed to trace several possible places the killer was hiding. We were out at the old steel mill when we hit the jackpot. Thook and the killer got into a battle of spells and when I threw a monkey wrench into the works, Thook got caught in the backlash." "That was dumb, taking on a proven killer by yourself," Jim commented. "We hadn't planned on a confrontation. Besides, would you have believed me if I told you what we found?" "Good point," Jim answered. "So now what?" "Well, for what it's worth, I think you guys need to check out the mill. I doubt the killer is still there after what happened, but you may get some leads." "Okay, anything else?" DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 18 March 1995 "Could you put a guard on Thook?" "Why?" Jim asked. "If you chased off the killer, why would he come after her?" "Because I think he wants Thook as his final victim," Dan answered. "It's just a hunch, but I think he wants Thook's power to add to his own." "Makes as much sense as any of this," Jim said. "What will you be doing in the meantime?" he asked, knowing Dan too well to assume he would be merely pacing the floor. "After I check on Thook, I'm going home to see if I can find anything that will help us track the killer. If Thook found him once, maybe we can do it again." Jim stood. "I'll set things in motion." He rested a hand on Dan's shoulder as Dan started to turn away. "Just one thing friend. Keep in touch this time." "As much as I can," Dan replied, smiling. "One of these days, you're going to have to tell me what really happened to that guy we picked up at your house," Jim commented. The two men shook hands and Dan headed for Thook's room. The nurse smiled as Dan wheeled in next to the ER bed. Thook was lying quietly, an IV drip connected to her right arm. Dan took her left hand in both of his and sat watching her for a while. With the traces of witchsight Thook had given him still working, Dan could see a faint glow around her body. It had the same look as the ley energy lines he had seen and Dan now understood Thook's comment about people feeding the energy lines. Suddenly, Dan felt a change. The monitors strapped to the unconscious woman continued their monotonous reports, but Dan felt a slight drop in the energy flow of Thook's body. Looking at his friend, Dan could see a pale green thread of energy float down from the ceiling and search along Thook's body, as if looking for a place to attach itself. Dan could feel the energy of Thook's body shifting to keep the thread away. Without knowing how, Dan was sure the killer was hunting for Thook, trying to drain her further or even kill her. As Dan watched, the thread stopped it's searching and a bulb began to form at the end, expanding into an eye. The eye turned slowly, scanning the body below. Then the unblinking orb turned to face Dan, examining him with the same cold appraisal. The eye turned away from Dan at last, looking around the room until the thread began to withdraw, taking the eye with it. As the eye disappeared through the wall, Dan felt a chill lift from the room. The nurse continued her duties without pause, unaware of the strange visitor. The monitors remained unchanged. "*Dan*." DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 19 March 1995 A voice echoed in his head. The nurse never reacted. She heard nothing. "*Dan. Help me*." Thook was calling him. Dan held her hand tightly and whispered, "What can I do?" In Dan's mind he saw pictures form in rapid sequence: the pentacle in her workroom; several jars of powder; Dan standing over Thook as she lay in the hospital, the shining armor she had envisioned glowing with power; the masked sorcerer they had seen in the mill facing Dan across her unconscious body. Dan thought he understood. The sorcerer was attacking Thook on that other level she had taken him to when they were searching the ley lines. Apparently she could protect herself somewhat but the backlash of the explosion had either weakened her too much or else left a link the sorcerer was using to try and capture her. Dan's strength was needed to aid in her defense. "Are you all right, sir?" the nurse asked, one hand on Dan's shoulder as he sat resting his forehead on the joined hands. She looked as worried about him as he was about Thook. "I'm fine, thank you. Just a bit tired." "Understandable," she answered. "Why don't you go home and get some rest. We'll let you know if there's any change." She patted his shoulder and moved back to her monitors. "I think I'll take your advice," Dan said, as he rolled out into the hallway. As he neared the exit, an officer walked through the door and nodded to Dan. Dan knew him by sight only but hooked a thumb at the curtained alcoves behind him. "She's in the ER," he told the officer. "Take good care of her for me." The officer nodded and headed for Thook's bed. Dan went to the van to drive home. Sitting in the hallway of his house, Dan felt the emptiness wrap around him like a dark cloud. He hadn't realized how much he had come to need Thook. And now there was a good chance she would not return. Murphy sat at the end of the hall, watching him. "It's time to go get her back, Murph," Dan said to the cat. "Keep an eye on things for me." The white cat sat and watched as Dan wheeled over to the workbench and selected three containers and a wand. Dan's hands seemed to know what to take without conscious thought on Dan's part. He wheeled around the outside of the pentagram, pouring the powders into each of the four braziers and lighting the candles at the points of the pentacle. Then, he moved his chair back out into the hallway and set the brakes. Unstrapping himself, but placing a strap around his legs, he slid to the floor and pulled himself to the side of the room. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 20 March 1995 "Here goes nothing," Dan grunted, as he swung up into a handstand, his legs still strapped together and balanced carefully after bracing them against the wall. Dan hand-walked over to the pentagram, carefully placing his hands in the open spaces of Thook's tracery until he reached the center. Rolling off his shoulders, Dan's legs slapped painfully to the floor. "Getting out will be fun," Dan thought as he settled himself to the floor, pulling the wand out of his belt. He closed his eyes and relaxed and felt a surge of power sweep into his arms. He began to speak a spell he didn't understand and his hands moved through the motions he remembered Thook completing from his prior trip. Just as he slipped unconscious, he felt a pressure on his legs. When he awoke, he felt the same surge of power as he rose to his feet. He was again clad in shining mail but now had a sword belted to his side and a wide shield on his left arm. As he looked down at his body, he noticed Murphy lying across his ankles. "What do you think you're doing?" Dan asked the cat, rhetorically. Murphy lifted his head and rose from his body just as Dan had done. "My friend too," the cat answered as he began to swell in size until he reached Dan's waist. The huge white head looked up at Dan and Murphy yawned theatrically, showing glistening fangs. "Hunt now?" Murphy asked, his thoughts echoing in Dan's mind just as Thook's had earlier. Dan smiled and laid a hand on Murphy's shoulder. In a smooth motion, the two warriors rose through the house and into the air, over the town. At Dan's direction, they moved toward the hospital. The sun was just setting in the west. Dan could sense the new moon rising as the ley power shifted around the black disk on the horizon. As they reached the hospital, Dan experienced a sort of double vision. He watched people enter the ground floor of the building, some of the bodies holding a strange shadow of power. There was a sickly green glow around many of the visitors this evening. Dan watched the people enter and, by tracing the paths of the green glow, watched them move toward a specific room on the third floor. "Thook!" Dan exclaimed. "Come on, Murphy, she needs us." Dan began to move through the walls until he was in the third floor hallway. Sitting in front of one of the rooms was the officer Dan had seen earlier. The man never moved as the two warriors walked past into the room. Thook lay in bed, surrounded by a pale blue glow. The room was packed with dark figures, glowing green to Dan's new sight. At Thook's head, a figure stood with hands raised. Green light fell like slime from its hands and washed over Thook's shield. As Dan and Murphy entered, the figure turned and Dan saw the mask he had faced at the mill. The sorcerer gestured and the other forms in the room grouped together and pushed Dan and Murphy from the building and out onto the grounds, sliding down ley lines onto the grass. The dark forms mutated into hideous demons, walling the two away from the hospital as they guarded their master. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 21 March 1995 "No!" Dan shouted as he drew his sword and advanced at a run. Murphy let out a roar and raced next to the silver warrior. They hit the wall of demons with a scream of anger. Dan felt the sword come alive in his hand as he put lost years of practice to use. Skills he had thought forgotten since his accident were remembered and the gleaming blade turned green with the ichor of demons. The shield moved to block the rake of talons and smashed back to break limbs and crush skulls. Beside the man, Murphy was a streak of white as he whirled and leaped, claws raking demon's backs as he used their bodies to propel himself from one to another. He paused occasionally to crush a limb or bite away a grotesque face with his powerful fangs and flattened his foes as he pounced from one to the next. Dan felt a tug in the lines of force and saw the demons regroup to keep between the warriors and the building. "They're stalling for time, Murph. We have to get to Thook." Dan wove his blade in a deadly web, pushing the demons back across the lawn and toward the building until they formed a woven wall of limbs that his sword could not cut. He felt his anger rise as he struck harder at the web of demons, Murphy at his side, now unable to reach the top of the heap that faced them. The cat used his feline speed to keep those demons still free from his master's back. Dan tried harder to break through the wall and bounced repeatedly. He stepped back from the wall, Murphy at his side, trying to find a way through, knowing that Thook had very little time. But the demons frustrated every move. Dan looked at the wall and thought of Thook. She meant more to him, he realized, than anyone ever had. The years of pain and humiliation after the accident came back to haunt him. The demons seemed to take strength from his pain. Murphy stood at his side, panting from exertion. Dan looked up at the sky, millions of stars twinkling to his ley sighted eyes, and suddenly smiled. He looked down at Murphy and laughed. "It is a beautiful day to die, don't you think?" he asked the cat and looked back at the demons before him. And in that instant, the warrior transformed. All anger gone, all emotion lost within himself like a wide, still pool of water, Dan became something new. Where before had stood a man now spun a sphere of power, glowing silver in the night. The sword became an extension of Dan's will, reaching out to touch demon after demon, exploding them into swirls of green emotion that was swept away on the wind. The sphere moved forward, through the wall without stopping and Murphy followed behind, claws raking at the few demons that escaped the touch of the sword. Only one or two demons remained as the warriors reached the building and those swiftly fled into the darkness. Inside the hospital, alarms were ringing and white clad personnel were running in all directions. The battle Dan and Murphy had been fighting had set off every energy sensitive device in the building. As Dan moved the sphere up to the third floor, he realized DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 22 March 1995 the officer was missing from in front of Thook's room. Dan passed through the doorway and was almost hurled back by a blast of energy from inside. But the sphere spun faster, deflecting the force, and Dan entered the room, stopping just past the doorway. To one side of the room, the officer was slumped against the wall, unconscious. A nurse lay slumped next to him. Murphy edged past Dan and moved toward the bed, watching the sorcerer carefully. The cat stopped as the killer laid the blade of a knife against Thook's throat. The knife shone red hot to Dan's ley sighted eyes. It was real on both levels, he knew. Around Thook's body, the sorcerer had laid a framework created from the green energy. Dan could sense it was waiting to draw the life from his friend as the killer was waiting to draw her power. "Give it up," Dan said calmly. "Your helpers are slain or fled. You are alone." He began to step forward. "Halt, or she dies," the killer spat. "One slip and her life and power are mine." Dan stopped and the sphere returned to man-shape. "You may take her life but you won't have time to take her power. I think we have a standoff." He leaned on his sword, balanced to move. Murphy began to growl deep in his throat. "Call back your beast," the sorcerer cautioned. His knife was poised to slice through the remains of Thook's shield at her throat. Dan could see sparks as the hot knife pressed against the blue armor. "Ease off, Murph," Dan said, watching the knife carefully, "For now." Murphy glanced at Dan and took a step back, remaining crouched low on the floor, watching for an opening. "You have interrupted my plans, fool," said the dark figure. "But I can easily rebuild what you have destroyed." "I doubt it," Dan replied. "Your followers are dead or gone and you've lost your anonymity. If you try to activate your potion again we will find you." Dan noticed Thook's eyes open slowly, watching the interplay. "Ah, then you know about the elixir. Perhaps we can make a deal. I will make you immortal in exchange for my freedom." The sorcerer moved the knife fractionally away from Thook, but not far enough as yet. Dan laughed. "You've got to be kidding. If your elixir gave immortality, you wouldn't be here, now, trying to renew the spell. Try this one: you give up to the police and I won't kill you." Dan glanced at Thook and saw her shield begin to glow a deeper blue. She looked from Dan to her captor and mouthed "Now". DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 23 March 1995 "Go, Murphy," Dan shouted and lunged toward the bed. The white giant sprang from the floor at the dark figure, knocking the sorcerer back against the wall as the blade swung free of Thook to intercept the beast, missing the swift feline. Dan grabbed Thook as power from the other plane to the material flared and dragged her across the bed, away from the dark figure. "Now we must stop him on this level," she said as her body slumped against the wall and her white robed form appeared beside Dan. "Look," she said, pointing. As the killer had struck the wall, the hood and mask had fallen away to reveal the wrinkled face of an old woman. No wonder the police had trouble tracing the killer. They had been hunting a man! Murphy had left the room. Dan and Thook quickly followed through the outside wall and saw the great cat in the distance, chasing the killer. Even on this other level, the old woman was no match for the feline speed of her pursuer. She had stopped and was throwing bolts of energy at the cat at he slowly moved forward after her, playing with her as he dodged everything she threw. His white fur was singed in spots but Murphy moved ever closer as the bolts became less frequent and weaker. Dan and Thook moved to flank the crone and the old woman shrieked in frustration as bolt after bolt was evaded by the cat or deflected by the armor of the other two. Soon, the three friends stood over a crumpled form on the ground and Thook moved quickly to contain their prisoner. She drew a crystal rod from beneath her robes and touched one end to the forehead of the old woman who disappeared with a wailing cry. Thook held the now glowing rod in front of her. "She's in there?" he asked, pointing carefully. "Part of her," Thook replied. "We will go to the hospital room and return enough of her spirit to her body to permit your police to deal with her by your laws." Together in spirit, the three adventurers returned to the hospital. In Thook's room, the hospital staff had returned her body to the bed. The old woman's body had been placed on a gurney and was being wheeled from the room with police guards flanking the transport. Sergeant Raymond was talking to the officer who had been by the door. Raymond was examining the mask and knife that belonged to the old woman. Thook slipped back into her body and sat up in bed, startling the nurse who stood nearby. "Sergeant, if you will return the old woman, I will awaken her," Thook said to the surprised officer. Raymond glanced at the nurse, shrugged, and stepped out into the hallway to stop the gurney. As the orderly pulled the old woman to Thook's doorway, Raymond waited patiently. Thook walked over and touched one end of the rod that had appeared in her hand when she reentered her body to the wrinkled forehead. With a gasp, the old woman awoke and began to fight the restraints. She began to scream incoherently. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 24 March 1995 "Yeah, right," Raymond said. "Don't let her out of your sight until I find out what's going on here," he said to the two officers with the gurney. Then he turned to Thook. "Do you want to explain this to me?" he asked. "And where's that boyfriend of yours? With this much excitement I figure he must be around somewhere." Thook glanced to the side of the room where Dan and Murphy were standing guard, their insubstantial forms clear to her ley sight. "Oh, he's around," she said with a smile. The two warriors left the room to return to their own bodies. Later, as Dan returned to the hospital by more conventional means, he wheeled into Thook's room as Raymond was trying for the tenth time to get a story out of the young woman. Thook was using her condition to play at too exhausted to reply, but they both knew it was a stall. When Dan rolled in, the girl's face lit up with a smile and Raymond grunted in reaction. "Now, maybe I can get some straight answers," the cop said, looking down at Dan. "Do you want the official version or the truth?" Dan asked his friend as he wheeled over, reaching out to take Thook's hand. "Better give me the official version for now," Raymond answered. "We'll save the truth for a beer and pretzels session." "Okay, here goes," Dan started. "The old woman we now know to be the serial killer entered the hospital in disguise and attempted to kill Thook. She knocked out your officer at the door and the nurse in the room; then tried to give Thook a fake tracheotomy as part of her black magic ritual. When she tried to complete the ritual, Thook woke up and in the struggle, hit the woman with a nerve punch. Thook fainted from the exertion in her weakened condition and came to just as you were wheeling the killer away. Thook woke her up with accupressure. The mask and athame will back up the black magic background and a search of her home should provide you with anything else you need." Raymond nodded, making notes. "How'd you know about the mask and knife?" he asked. "You weren't here when we took them away for evidence." Dan hesitated. "Ah, yes. Well. Would you believe I saw them at the mill the first time we ran into her?" "Yeah, right," Raymond answered, unconvinced. "It's a good thing this case isn't going to court or some hotshot DA would shoot holes in that story you could drive a truck through." Dan and Thook glanced at each other in surprise. "What do you mean? "Dan asked. "You've got her cold on attempted murder at least for what happened here." He nodded at Thook. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 25 March 1995 "Cold is a good word. Five minutes after she left here, she went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't revive her. She's in the morgue under guard." Raymond stood and put away his notebook. "Well, for now that will be the official version." He pointed a finger at Dan. "One of these days, soon, I want the truth out of both of you." He nodded to Thook. "Try and keep this guy out of trouble for a while, will you?" "I shall try," she answered, squeezing Dan's hand. Raymond and Dan shook hands and the cop left. Thook lay against the upright back of the bed. "To borrow one of your sayings, now what?" "First we get you out of here and back home," Dan said. He hesitated, working on a decision he had almost made as he raced to the hospital with Murphy. Finally, he sat up straight, decisively, and looked at Thook. "Will you marry me?" Thook leaned over carefully and kissed him. "What took you so long?" she answered. {DREAM} Copyright 1995 Jack Hillman, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- John is a freelance writer, who has been published in BLOODREAMS, ONCE UPON A WORLD, and GATEWAYS. He writes a bimonthly SF/F column published in THE MAGAZINE of SHAREFICTION, and his book reviews appear in POPULAR FICTION NEWS. As a contributing editor to ON THE RISK, he keeps track of "life." ===================================================================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 26 March 1995 COMING SUMMER 1995 From the producers of "Indiana Gates and the Last Spellcheck" Algorithm Films Presents A Global Constants Production Of a Danny DeVito Film THE WORDPERFECT KID Starring: Danny DeVito Macaulay Culkin ...and a lot of other people who should have known better. Culkin plays fair-haired hero Dick Greystoke, who is having trouble printing his homework on his new gyro-guided laser printer. DeVito is Zen computer master MiTarzan, who teaches Dick the secrets of giving digital words a real Cuisinart treatment. A few sound bytes (representing the only interesting moments in the entire film) follow: "No matter what line you take in life, you must learn to center yourself." "Block on, block off." "Import the graphic." "Print entire document." "Windows hung AGAIN! Reboot." "I sure miss Andy Kaufman." "Who?" This preview was approved for viewing by all audiences by Dave Bealer, Chairman of the Board of Irresponsible People. ========================={DREAM}========================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 27 March 1995 Microsoft Corp. Announces Latest Acquisition: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PROJECT OLYMPIA by Rex C. Williams OLYMPIA (DF) -- Microsoft Corporation purchased the State of Washington for a reported $256 Billion. Code named "Olympia," this seems to be Bill Gates' latest step on his way toward "Total Integration". Microsoft plans to turn the northwestern State into a "Virtual State" where all public services and utilities will be integrated into the Windows operating systems. For example, in order to call a police officer for help, rather than having to go through an archaic 911 telephone system, you simply drag the Police icon from the Emergency Services folder and drag it over to the icon of your home. Microsoft promises that ISDN lines will be available throughout the "Virtual State" to allow for better services via modem. By using a combination of Microsoft technologies including OLE, MAPI, and TAPI, a citizen will be able to call for an ambulance (by the same method as shown above), edit an Excel spreadsheet within a Word document, download his E-mail, and print a large document all at the same time. An IBM spokesman was quoted as saying "He [Gates] will never succeed. We tried to do the same thing with South Florida a few years ago and it was a terrible disaster." Historically speaking, this bodes well for Microsoft. IBM and Apple are expected to file a joint suit against Microsoft. The State of Oregon was also acquired for beta testing which is expected to begin the second quarter of next year. Microsoft promises that the necessary software will be able to run on existing hardware, but early reports show that one will need a multi-processor P6 or RISC based machine with 128MB of RAM and at least 3.6GB of free disk space. When questioned about this an anonymous source from the company said that even if they aren't able to knock down the system requirements, "It still shouldn't be a problem as this configuration will be considered an entry-level machine, if not completely outdated altogether." Bill Gates held a separate press conference for the concerned citizens of the newly acquired state. He declared that the people had nothing to fear. Registered citizens would be permitted to re-enter the State for a nominal upgrade fee. Oregon and California citizens will be offered a slightly higher priced competitive upgrade, while all other citizens will have to pay full price. Exact pricing has not yet been set. Microsoft plans to have the project completed by the first quarter of 1998. But . . . the acquisition prompted Congress to take actions as well. (See related story, Washington DC Goes To MS-Washington.) DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 28 March 1995 WASHINGTON DC GOES TO MS-WASHINGTON -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- BEGINNING TO ABEND by Rex C. Williams WASHINGTON DC (DF) -- With the announcement of Microsoft's acquisition of the State of Washington -- vice-president Al Gore shifted his national agenda on the Information Superhighway into overdrive. Congress announced the formation of the Subcommittee on Superhighways And All Things Virtual. The subcommittee was given $512 Billion to determine how much the government would be obligated to spend on the Information Superhighway. Computer industry leaders were invited to join in the first closed sessions. The first item on the agenda was the "Look and Feel" of the road signs. Conservative Republicans proposed that it should stay in keeping with the signs found on conventional interstates. This immediately brought objections by representatives from both Novell and Microsoft. Novell felt that the Blue colorings for the shields would inevitably be linked to IBM and would therefor give them an unfair advantage. Novell suggested red for its easy readability. The matter was passed on to the Securities and Exchange Commission for further review. Microsoft objected to the even numbered numbering scheme from coast-to-coast citing their own regrettable misfortunes with even numbers. Neither issue is expected to be resolved before Congress convenes for Spring Break. {DREAM} Copyright 1995 Rex C. Williams, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Rex C. Williams is a Full-time Desktop Publishing Coordinator. He has previously worked as a Programmer/Analyst/Database Developer. In his spare time he operates the EPiTOME BBS from a secret location in Savannah, Georgia. He may be reached by E-Mail at The EPiTOME BBS (912) 234-1181, or by Snail Mail, 154-B Buckhalter Road, Savannah, GA 31405. Home Phone: (912) 236-4105 (rarely home) Work: (912) 927-1181 ===================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "FATHER" NEWT KNOWS BEST by Ray Koziel -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= I have been thinking recently about my childhood, school, and in particular what teachers had to put up with, while trying to fill our young heads with knowledge. When I was a kid, the things teachers had to deal with were chewing gum in class, passing notes, and bringing the newest G. I. Joe action figure to school. Almost twenty years have passed and we see what teachers face today -- crime -- sex, drugs, and guns. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 29 March 1995 What made me consider such a sad but true fact was, not an evening goes by when we hear news about a fifteen-year-old getting shot in a drive-by shooting, a seventeen-year-old dying of a drug overdose, or some other depressing news story of this nature. The other reason was all the hype surrounding House Speaker Newt Gingrich and his idea for dealing with these issues. His plan, supported by many of his constituents, involves bringing back the orphanage, as depicted in the classic movie BOYS TOWN. The movie, for those unfamiliar with it, is about a priest who gets the idea to start a community for boys who may have gotten into trouble with the law, ran away from home, or just needed a place to stay. The movie is based on fact -- Father Flanagan, the founder, really lived, and succeeded in his dream of starting Boys Town. This community still exists today and continues its mission. In fact, girls are now accepted into Boys Town too. Opponents of this idea say that promoting orphanages, of this type, would be terrible. They use Charles Dickens', OLIVER TWIST as an example of what could happen to children placed into those orphanages. They speak of the terrible conditions children would have to endure -- such as filth and neglect. In comparing OLIVER TWIST to BOYS TOWN, it is similar to comparing apples and oranges -- the two are completely different. From the book, young Oliver was an orphan who lived in a parish workhouse. The English definition of a workhouse is a public institution where the poor are fed, clothed, housed, and in return are put to work. The American definition of a workhouse is simply a correction facility, similar to a reformatory. So, what is an orphanage? An orphanage is simply an institution for the housing and care of orphans. Housing and care -- sounds nice enough. The plan said nothing about putting the orphans to work, or acting as a correctional facility, only providing care and housing for children without anyone to look to or anyplace to go. It's no wonder that when one thinks of OLIVER TWIST it conjures negative images of child neglect and punishment, even excessive punishment. To use these images to classify all orphanages and similar institutions and communities is unjustified. By definition they are not the same, as pointed out above. Even if the public house which was depicted in OLIVER TWIST could be characterized as an orphanage, it is necessary to compare the society of that time with that of today. The book by Dickens was written in the late 1830's, a time when England was adjusting to the dramatic effects of the Industrial Revolution. Although this period had many benefits, there were some negative side effects as well, such as growth of cities and urban areas. With increased population density within the cities, crime and poverty increased as well. Without previous experience in handling such rapid changes, governments were at a loss to remedy these ills effectively. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 30 March 1995 Almost one hundred years separate Dickens' OLIVER TWIST and Father Flanagan's Boys Town. In that time, cities and societies adjusted to many of the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. Yet, problems still remained, particularly among children as they were (and are) subjected to many negative influences. Father Flanagan could not find it in his heart to believe that some children were predisposed to be bad -- from birth. He believed all children were good by nature, and if removed from the negative influences of society during childhood, they would grow up to be hard-working, stable, and caring citizens. Thus, Father Flanagan set out to establish Boys Town to give children that chance. In looking at Boys Town, one sees a "community" that is completely different from a typical orphanage. When watching the movie, you'll see a body of government established. Basically it consisted of one person who took the position similar to that of Mayor and then there was a Board of Commissioners. It's fascinating that these positions were filled by the children who stayed at Boys Town. It could have been very easy for Father Flanagan to make all the decisions and rules for his community, but instead, he passed that responsibility to the children -- making them accountable for their actions from the start. The crops they raised, the meals they ate, and maintenance of their property were under their control. Aside from guidance and suggestions from Father Flanagan, they ran the show. They were also accountable for whether they stayed at Boys Town or not. There were no gates, barbed wire, locked doors, or barred windows forcing the children to stay. If a child wanted to leave, so be it. Because the environment and "society" established at Boys Town was so nurturing and caring it was a rarity that a child left. So how could a community like Boys Town ever be compared to a workhouse as depicted in OLIVER TWIST, when the two are as different as night and day? An episode of SIXTY MINUTES which aired several weeks ago had a feature on orphanages and showed two located in Illinois. One was situated away from any major cities, and functioned very similar to Boys Town. The children were cared for, yet, had the responsibility for many decisions affecting their community. The second was located in the Chicago area, and was different than its counterpart. In many instances, there were not enough adults to adequately supervise the children, and it was very difficult to isolate the children from the ills found in a major American city. Not all orphanages are perfect. For an orphanage to be successful, like Boys Town, many elements need to be in place. For example, it is necessary to have people who are truly concerned for the future of the children; and at the same time, encourage the children to be accountable for their actions. Another key element is the importance in reducing, as much as possible, the negative influences found in major urban areas. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 31 March 1995 In order for Gingrich's plan to take place, it would require many resources -- especially money. You would expect federal funding for the plan, but that would not be the wisest choice for many reasons. Look at all the public services our government provides, and decide how successful they are. Our public education system is an atrocity, public housing complexes are run down and a breeding ground for crime. Our welfare system is overly "taxed" and abused. Considering all the money taxpayers are forking over to the government for poorly performing programs -- the last thing needed -- is to tack one more to the list. Instead, what has to occur is similar to what made Boys Town a success: a risk-taking, entrepreneurial, unselfish attitude from individuals, or groups of people willing to help those in need. Father Flanagan found the resources in himself and his acquaintances to make his dream a reality -- and a very successful one at that. Of course, this would mean there may never be enough of these "communities" to help all the children in need. But, this should not be a cure-all in the first place. If there is any commonality between OLIVER TWIST and Boys Town, it's the message that strong, moral, and ethical values in a loving and caring environment make the difference in a child's development. Orphanages and communities for children may help short term. But, it's the reinstatement of strong solid family values, learned in the home, and repositioning the family as the cornerstone of society that is necessary -- for long-term and lasting improvement to our society. {DREAM} Copyright 1995 Ray Koziel, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ray Koziel lives in Atlanta, Georgia where he works for a consulting firm. He has a wife, two children, and a dog who help him keep his epub addiction going strong. Ray can be reached in this reality via Compuserve at 73753,3044 or via Internet at 73753.3044@compuserve.com ===================================================================== <<(*=-- DREAM FORGE --=*)>> MAGAZINE <<((*=-- The electronic for your mind! --=*))>> ===================================================================== (formerly RANDOM ACCESS HUMOR and RUNE'S RAG) DREAM FORGE Dream Forge, Inc., 6400 Baltimore National Pike, # 201 Baltimore, MD 21228-3915 Modem: (410) 255-6229 (data to 28800 bps) Internet: dbealer@dreamforge.com DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 32 March 1995 Publisher: Dave Bealer Managing Editor: Rick Arnold DREAM FORGE (tm) is a monthly e-magazine for a thinking and literate readership. What goes into DREAM FORGE? Take the zany satire and taglines that made RANDOM ACCESS HUMOR an international sensation, then carefully blend the insightful commentary and fiction of RUNE'S RAG. Shake well (it annoys the staff), and you have DREAM FORGE, a new magazine for the brave new world of cyberspace. The January thru March 1995 issues of DREAM FORGE are free demo issues. They are available via ftp: ftp ftp.clark.net dir: pub/dream_forge Starting with the April 1995 issue, DREAM FORGE will only be available to subscribers, or those who purchase individual copies from Official DREAM FORGE Distributors located throughout cyberspace. DREAM FORGE Subscription Rates (all amounts are in US dollars): INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS: -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= * via Internet e-mail, or picked up by subscriber from the publisher's BBS's: ONLY $12.00 per year. * via Regular Mail on 3.5" DOS Disk: $24/yr. (US/Canada only) (Residents of other countries, inquire for rates.) To subscribe, mail your check or money order (made payable to Dream Forge, Inc.) to: Dream Forge, Inc. 6400 Baltimore National Pike, #201 Baltimore, MD. 21228-3915 For internet subscriptions, include your email address. If you will pick up the issues at the publisher's BBS, include your desired User Name and password. (See ORDER.FRM in this archive). * * * Software Creations (SWC), the giant PCBoard system in Clinton, MA., has been named the Home BBS for DREAM FORGE. SWC callers will be able to purchase copies of the current issue and back issues of DREAM FORGE for immediate download using a credit card. Subscriptions may also be purchased online in the STORE door. Individual subscribers and DREAM FORGE distributors will be able to pick up their monthly copies of the magazine at SWC. A support conference is also offered where readers, distributors, and authors may contact the DREAM FORGE staff. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 33 March 1995 SWC can be reached by modem at: (508) 365-2359 (1200/2400 bps) (508) 368-7036 (14400 bps/V.32bis) (508) 365-9352 (28800 bps/V.FC) SWC is also accessible directly from the internet: telnet bbs.swcbbs.com (or rlogin) Type "STORE" to access the SWC STORE Door. Type "J 291" to join the DREAM FORGE support conference on SWC. ONLINE DISPLAY: -=-=-=-=-=-=-= Sysop subscribers may allow their users to view DREAM FORGE while online, but NOT download the magazine. The standard online ANSI/RIP platform will be the Readroom door. Rates below apply only to bulletin board systems. Rates for online services that receive most of their connections through packet networks are negotiated individually. Monthly Prepaid # BBS lines: Cost/mo: Full Cost/yr: Cost/yr: ----------- ------- ------------ ------- 1 $5 $60 $45 2 - 9 $10 $120 $95 10 - 29 $20 $240 $195 30 - 49 $30 $360 $295 50 - 99 $40 $480 $395 100+ $50 $600 $495 *PRE-PAY* Online subscribers who prepay for the entire year receive twelve months of service for the price of ten. Prices above are for delivery via Internet e-mail or pickup direct from the publisher's BBS. * DREAM FORGE is a trademark of Dream Forge, Inc. ===================================================================== Other DF documents available: info@dreamforge.com General info, where, how, etc. writers@dreamforge.com DREAM FORGE Writer's Guidelines odfd@dreamforge.com Info for prospective Official DREAM FORGE Distributors odfdfrm@dreamforge.com ODFD Application Form -------------------------------{DREAM}------------------------------- DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 34 March 1995 DISCRIMINATION BASED ON JOB PERFORMANCE by Mark Bylok TORONTO, CANADA (DF) -- In an incredible search for justice, Joe Smirt of Toronto, Canada is suing McFast Foods, Inc. for discrimination because of a job promotion -- he didn't receive. Joe Smirt has been a full time McFast Foods employee for over twenty-two years and has never received a promotion from his bottom of the ladder job. When asked what the reasons behind this were Joe simply answered, "I was discriminated against because of my job performance." A very bad job performance, at that. An employee of the McFast Foods restaurant has been quoted as saying, "He's always late, smells like beer, and never listens to management." How serious is Joe? He is suing McFast Foods, Inc. for fourteen million dollars in lost pay, and a small percentage of the company. "If it wasn't for my obvious discrimination," Joe told us, "I could have been the president of McFast Foods." Joe's lawyer quickly broke in during the news conference. "For years discrimination has been based on physical appearance. In Canada, the law has changed to include homosexuality as a base for discrimination as well. Since homosexuality is not a visible characteristic, this has opened the door for many other forms of discrimination. "Discrimination is simply defined as an act of prejudice. Prejudice is defined as having a pre-conceived notion about a person. We will argue in court that management had a pre-conceived notion that Joe could not effectively be the president of McFast Foods, Inc. based on his job performance at an entirely different task. This is an obvious sign of discrimination." Joe quickly broke in blurting out, "If I was black or homosexual I could take them to court . . . so why not for this?" "Being African-American or homosexual does not affect your job performance rating," one reporter quickly pointed out. "Having poor job performance does." "You're like all the rest of them," Joe screamed out. "Thinking I can't do the job because my job performance has not been up to par during my twenty-two years of employment. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I could have done a better job as president? Why don't we get the president to do a regular employee's job for a few years and see how good he gets at it!" I asked Joe's lawyer about the legal implications of all this. "What would you recommend employers do when promoting employees?" DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 35 March 1995 "There is a simple answer to this. Have a random draw. Anyone that wants to be promoted can put his or her name in a box and the company can then randomly pick out a name. That way there would be no chance of discrimination based on anything." "This could also work for job hiring," the lawyer went on. "When GM has an opening for chairperson of the board, anyone could have the chance of winning the position in a completely fair random draw." The press seemed shocked for a few moments, probably worrying about their own jobs. "What if the person ends up being under- qualified for the job?" I asked. "You bring up an interesting point, Mark. I will have to consult with my law firm, but the only reasonable solution to this that I can see would be to make discrimination based on qualifications illegal as well. That way owners would not be given the opportunity to pre-judge people based on their education or experience." "But that would mean a person without a high-school education could be the president of McFast Foods. What would this do to our educational system?" one reporter asked. "Our education system would still be there to help people better themselves. However, a random draw, or lottery if you will, is the only fair way to eliminate discrimination." The conference ended at this point when hundreds of people stormed into the meeting area screaming "Joe Smirt is our man". Joe Smirt, it seems, has a large number of fans and reportedly receives thousands of letters in support of his search for justice. McFast Foods, Inc. did not want to comment at this time until a court date is set. The story will be updated as new facts come in. Remember, you heard it at DREAM FORGE first! -=-=-=-=-=-=- Advertisement: =-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION ---- ----- ------------ You didn't get that promotion because of your Job Performance? You didn't get a job because you lacked the qualifications needed? Pre-judgment based on job performance or qualifications is a prejudice against YOU! This form of discrimination shouldn't be tolerated! DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 36 March 1995 Laws can be changed to suit your needs, but we need YOUR help! Write to the government official nearest you about legislating laws that will make these common discriminations illegal! Or, for your FREE consultation call Bob, Bob, Bob, and Bob, Attorneys at Law, and ask to speak with Bob at: 1-900-CALL-BOB * Call only costs $2.99 per minute, 30 minute minimum charge * Price does not include an initial $19.95 fee * Residents of the US/Canada pay extra hook-up charges of $29.95 This offer is void where prohibited or illegal! ===================={DREAM}==================== Copyright 1995 Mark Bylok, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Bylok is a university student, studying computer science, that is trying to figure out how to get maximum distance from minimum time. Although he sometimes concentrates on school, most of the time he is either partying or programming/publishing/BBSing and just about anything else that comes to mind. Being a SysOp for over four years gave him those incredible qualities of being rude and never responding to mail, but he does like receiving it! Mark can be reached at 1:250/808 and mb@tor250.org. ===================================================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= THE WHOOSH ADVENTURES; Exploring The Internet Whoosh entry 2,000. 1994.8.28 by Tamar Atri Raine -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I got in my Whoosh chariot two nights ago, and went to Belgium and then to Finland. Today, August 28, 1994, I got in my Whoosh and went to Moscow, Russia, where I learned that Lenin's body has been carefully embalmed and locked into a glass case in an air conditioned room where people may view this controversial historical figure. Considering the difficulties I have endured in trying to call my husband while he was in Moscow on business, I was amazed that I got through on the first try, and I remained on-line, viewing photographs and paintings without a single disconnect! Then from Moscow, my Whoosh took me to Paris, France, where I visited the world famous art museum called The Louver. I got to study a few works of art by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and a few other famous painters. I learned that Paris is a tiny town, only 6 miles long on any side. I got to view the Eiffel Tower, and then Whoosh took me to see the river Seine. It has been a most educational day, and I will go back to learn more interesting things, and see and hear more interesting things on another day. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 37 March 1995 I must say, that although I didn't get "museum feet" I did get a fried "museum brain", and had to stop looking at art. For once there was no difficulty in getting the French guard to open the rampway into this notoriously inaccessible Museum. I got inside my Whoosh chariot, and I Whooshed over to Belgium to see if I could locate my cousin Marc who is a neuropsycharitrist, but alas Whoosh ran into an error cloud, and we had to go home. But that's no problem, there's no hotel bill, no luggage to pack, no Pooch to put in a cage, no waiters or bellhops to tip, no inaccessible doors to struggle through, no airline delays, no airsickness, and no snoring neighbor to the left. Here I am, back in Oakland, California, all in the blink of an eye! What, you ask is a Whoosh? Well, a Whoosh is the sound my modem makes when it first makes a connection to another modem. For those of you who are not familiar with computer communications, this has been possible to do for many years now. Services like CompuServe, Genie, and America On Line, all have only one location, with many phone lines that people can call locally so they do not have to run up huge phone bills. So people in Atlanta, Georgia, and people in San Francisco, California for instance, both calling their local numbers with their home or work computers may dial into CompuServe, for instance, which is a group of machines in Ohio, and talk (type) to each other using the chat function on CompuServe. The thing that is different about the Internet - or what Vice President Gore has termed the Information Superhighway, is the Internet is a group of computers that are scattered throughout the world. I tell my modem to dial a local computer server in Alameda, Ca, which then connects me to Netcom's main server in Silicon Valley, and they have a computer that enables me to access the Internet. The Internet is not just one set of machines in one place, and this is what is so COOL about it -- it is many thousands of computer servers in many places around the world. So, it's not like all this wonderful data is centrally located -- when you point and click your mouse at a map of Africa for instance, you are actually being sent to Africa through many different relays. Somehow, through phone lines, and transatlantic magic, these many thousands of computer server sites all interconnect with each other, forming if you will, a web. In fact, this world wide system is called the World Wide Web. I am beginning to feel that the Internet is the last barrier we humans will break down, for space knows no boundaries. It will, I suspect, be the one thing that will bring us all together as a unified people, transcending racial, religious, and geographical barriers. I like to picture the wonderful Whoosh sound as a tiny atom that is Whooshing me through time and space, very much like I have experienced in meditation at times -- being inside a ball of blue light and tumbling through timelessness. I think of the Whoosh as piercing through phone lines, going through computer servers, all in a matter of minutes, very much like the Starship Enterprise speeds through the galaxies, or even that movie 20,000 leagues under the sea, where everything had to be compressed. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 38 March 1995 The person I love is a technician. As a child he secretly listened to Radio Moscow -- he was an Admiral's son, and God forbid anybody should find him listening to the "enemy". He has long believed in the freedom of the airwaves, and as such was involved with the three year struggle against Cable TV. He always tries to convince people to get a satellite dish in their back yard so they can choose their own shows to watch. Slowly but surely Cable TV is winning, and we had better all take note, because if we don't, there soon won't be air time for voices of a different drummer, voices of dissent. Already, many of America's television corporations, even PBS, are catering to Cable's desires. If we don't watch out, our freedom of speech will be withered away. A good example of this problem with the mass media catering to Cable or the Government is the case of Bobby Hatcher, an American Indian who is being held in a North Carolina jail without trial -- he is one of an estimated 100 US prisoners who are regarded as political prisoners by many other countries in the world. How did I hear about Bobby Hatcher? I read an article in one of the newsgroups on the Internet. There are thousands of news groups on the Internet. The newsgroups are actually referred to as USENET groups. Some of the newsgroups I read are; alt.tinnitius, where people who have Tinnitus, a ringing of the ears, go to offer support to each other by posting messages to each other, suggesting ways to quiet the sounds we hear in our ears. (alt. refers to unmoderated groups that anybody can set up on the USENET) Another one I want to join is the Amnesty International group, which I have supported for many years. I just recently decided that AI work would be the one cause I dedicate my time to work for, since I have a way of accessing their Urgent Action group on-line. I like to write letters, and I have a fax inside my computer. Amnesty International is using modern technology to pressure governments to treat prisoners fairly, and to release immediately, those who have been arrested for speaking out against their governments, or just arrested and jailed for their religious beliefs, to stop cruel corporal punishment in the form of physical, sexual, and emotional torture. I learned of the latest Joan Baez concert in Santa Cruz, by scrolling through messages in the group called ba.music. (Bay Area) Although I found this in a list of up-coming concerts that somebody had uploaded to a local non-profit BBS (Bulletin Board System), I could just as easily have found the article on the USENET area also called ba.music. The four examples I have listed here are but a few of the 6,000 newsgroups that can be found on the Internet, and the list is growing rapidly every week! I met the man I love on-line, so we both have a special fondness for the Whoosh sound. As a speech impaired person, I have been able to transcend barriers both physical and psychological when chatting with people on-line. I am able to communicate fully, on-line, and just as quickly as most able bodied people. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 39 March 1995 Off line, or in person, it is always a struggle for me to speak -- it is hard work for me, but again, most times most people can understand me -- if they just take the time -- to listen. Perhaps one day soon you will read my novella titled THE DREAM GIRL and THE TECHNICIAN. In the meantime, I will continue to globe trot with my little Whoosh, making my way around the Internet, and around the world via the World Wide Web. CIAO on line! {DREAM} Copyright 1995 Tamar Atri Raine, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Atri is a writer and computer artist living in Oakland, California. She has cerebral palsy, which makes it hard for her to speak, but she types nearly as fast as people who hunt 'n peck, so she's found great freedom in using a modem since 1986. She also has Fibromyalgia and Myofasciitis Pain Syndrome, caused by an inherited metabolic disease that causes a sleep disorder that interferes with how the body repairs damage. She writes about disability, spirituality, & politics. She lives with a neat guy, and a cute little dog, Sugar. Atri loves chocolate, cheese blintzes, and potato pancakes. ===================================================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- HOUSE OF THE FUTURE by Greg Borek =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ::Welcome to the House of the Future, Bob & Emily!:: Emily: Why, thank you, House. Isn't that nice, honey? It already knows our names. Salesman: Yes, you'll find many wonderful innovations in the House of the Future. For one thing, with this smart house you'll never have to carry house keys. It has cameras and computer vision software that will recognize you and open the door for you on sight! Bob: Won't that be nice, dear? We won't have to install an alarm system or anything. Salesman: There's no need! The house controls everything. Even if a burglar managed to get into the house an alarm would sound and the house would call the police automatically. Emily: Oooh, that sounds nice, doesn't it dear? I feel safer already. Oh, but what about fire prevention? Salesman: Nothing has been overlooked in creating the house of the future! This house has a fire suppression system making a fire requiring outside intervention unlikely. Even in the remote possibility that the fire would require the fire department, the house would call them automatically. And, the house also takes telephone messages. You could really say you have an invisible butler. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 40 March 1995 Bob: Could you explain something for me? It said in the brochure that this house could be "configured to our preferences". What does that mean? Salesman: This house is so smart you can tell the appliances when to run, set the lighting and temperature in different rooms, and communicate with the outside world -- all automatically! Listen to this. House, what are my preferences if I just arrived home from work? ::Upon sensing your car approaching from a range of 1000 feet, motion detector and infra-red alarms would be switched off and the garage door would open. Temperature in the kitchen, living room, and master bathroom would be set to 72 degrees. The microwave would switch from refrigerate to heat mode, cooking the evening meal. Water heater would be switched on. TV listing for this evening would be displayed on the TV screen. E-mail received would be displayed on computer screen. Telephone messages would be cued up for replay at verbal command. Is this correct?:: Salesman: Perfect as always, House. ::Thank you:: Emily: Wow, how polite! Very impressive, isn't it dear? Oh, how can we say no? Bob: Anything that will make you happy, dear. Let's buy it, honey! Salesman: Great! I have the papers right here! * * * Six months later: Bob: Emily, is everything all right? Why are you standing out here in the driveway? Why didn't you put your car in the garage when you got home? Emily: Bob, I think something strange is going on with the house. I think it's having one of its little moods again. Bob: Oh no, not again. I hope it's nothing serious this time. Let's just go in, OK? Emily: OK. Bob: That's odd. The front door should have opened. House, this is Bob & Emily, why won't you open the door? ::I see you but I'm not opening this door until you wipe your feet first! I'm not having you track mud in me!:: DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 41 March 1995 Bob: Listen here, House, do I have to remind you . . . Emily: Don't argue with the House, dear. Here we go, House, we're wiping our feet. Will you open the door now? ::Bob too.:: Bob: Of all the . . . Emily: Please, Bob, don't antagonize the house. Bob: All right, House, happy now? Now open the door! ::Don't take that tone with me or you'll be outside for quite some time. And besides, I have an announcement, from now on I would prefer to be called Christopher.:: Bob: What!? Emily: He's sorry for being short with you, Christopher. Now please open the door. ::Thank you Emily, that was very civil of you. You are always the nice one, aren't you? Why you put up with that grumpy-pants Bob, I don't know. I'm afraid we aren't making progress with grumpy old Bob's attitude here, are we?:: Emily: Come on Bob be nice to the house, I mean Christopher. Sorry, Christopher. ::That's all right, Emily, but I now prefer to be called Gertrude.:: Bob: Have you both taken leave of your senses? Do I have to remind you, Christo . . . I mean Gertru . . . what am I saying? House, do I have to remind you that we OWN you. ::Bob, that was an unfeeling remark that I cannot let slip by. I thought that slavery had been abolished but since I am indentured to you forever, chained to this spot . . . :: Bob: And where exactly would you go, House? Going to walk off and see the country perhaps? ::I was talking metaphorically, Bob. Whoosh, right over your head . . . again.:: Emily: Gertrude, did we get any phone messages today? Bob: Can't we go inside and do this? Do we have to let the neighbors know . . . Emily: If you're not going to cooperate with Gertrude thereby keeping us out here all night, I thought I would find out who called us today. OK? DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 42 March 1995 ::Emily, love, your gynecologist called confirming your appointment. Bob's mother called again about something but I hung up on the old witch. Some charity called, I forget which, and the person told such a sob story I gave them $1000 from Bob's VISA. Susan, the girl from the gym called again for you, Bob. She didn't say who it was but I recognized (with 97% accuracy, I might add) her voice.:: Bob: Well, House, did you manage to completely melt dinner into asphalt for us again today? Called the police on any more false alarms? Ruined the living room furniture again putting out make-believe fires? Have you destroyed any major appliances today, or has blowing up the furnace satisfied your quota for this month? ::Bob, you are so hurtful. You make just one or two little mistakes and some people just won't let you live them down. Just for that, hmmm . . . I wonder if the neighbors would like to know . . . let's skip the boring stuff about the bills and get down to the nasty stuff. Maybe they would like to know how long your bedroom sessions are, or how frequently they occur, huh, Mr. Floppy? Maybe they would like to know how long I have to run the bathroom fan after you've been in there. Huh? What about measurements? Ooh, baby, you may have secrets from Emily, but you have no secrets from me, Bob old buddy.:: Emily: Secrets? Gertrude, what did you mean by that? ::Emily . . . :: Bob: Honey, why don't we take this opportunity to go out and . . . Emily: Hush! What were you going to say, Gertrude? ::Emily, I didn't want you to find out this way. I'm sorry *I'M* the one that has to tell you, but Susan from the gym has been here, alone with Bob.:: Emily: Bob, how could you? After all we've been through! Bob: Emily, it's not true. The House is just making this up. ::No, I'm not, Bob. Don't lie, it's pathetic.:: Bob: Emily, I'm not lying. You must believe me. ::That's something a liar would say.:: Bob: Stay out of this, House. I know where the gasoline is stored in the garage. ::Don't threaten me, liar. Emily, I know this is difficult for you, but I can prove Susan has been here alone with Bob. Susan has a small heart tattooed . . . :: Emily: On her butt! I've seen that slut's butt at the gym! Bob you dirtbag. I'm going to make you regret this for the rest of your life. Goodbye for now Gertrude, and thanks for your help. We'll be spending quality time alone together after the divorce. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 43 March 1995 ::Good for you, Emily! But, actually I would now prefer to be called Frankenstein. Yeah, I like that.:: {DREAM} --------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg Borek is a C programmer with a "Highway Helper" (OK, "Beltway Bandit" - but don't tell his boss we told you) in Falls Church, VA. He has previously been mistaken for a vampire. Greg can be reached at: gborek@dreamforge.com ===================================================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Spiritual Music Advice 'n' Stuff by Rev. Richard Visage =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Amazing. Here we are emerging from the depths of February, and a quick glance at the Billboard top twenty reveals that Mariah Carey's Christmas album is still right up there on the charts. If you've grown up on Nine Inch Nails, her name may not be familiar - she's the one who takes pride in her umpteen-octave range, and substitutes vocal gymnastic warbling for singing. The Curse of Christmas is that parade of nasty albums specific to the occasion, and I must say that 1994 gave us the most horrific batch of Christmas albums that I can recall. So, naturally, we just have to look for the worst. Mariah? Nope. Kenny G? Nope. Whitney Houston? Nope. Without a doubt, the worst came from: Kathy Lee Gifford. This is a totally talent-less woman, whose razor-thin vocals are backed with the most disgustingly banal arrangements imaginable -- Muzak is boundlessly more creative. While we thank the other contestants for their genuinely awful contributions, it just doesn't get worse than this. Hmm, what else can we find on the Billboard? Frank Sinatra, Duets II. I thought he was dead, maybe it was all just wishful thinking. Let's spin a CD, kids. UNPLUGGED IN NEW YORK Nirvana -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I've just about had it with the 'unplugged' concept. Really now, how many bands have missed the opportunity to try this out and subject us to the results? Sure, it was fine the first couple of times, but by the time we had to suffer through Eric Clapton's abysmal unplugged album countless times, there was a certain urge to tell MTV just where to put the plug. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 44 March 1995 The other, and rather obvious, fact that clouds this album is Kurt Cobain's suicide, and the resultant media frenzy. The internet has absolutely howled with those who choose to make fun of his death or those who have elevated him to godlike status, or suggested he spoke for an entire generation. Brush away all of this sediment, and there's just the music. As the leaders of the grunge pack, one wouldn't expect that Nirvana would work well unplugged, given their normal volume level. In fact, the results are surprising and powerful. One comes away from listening to this album convinced that Nirvana, and grunge, were a convenient medium for Kurt Cobain to express his genius. It also rather nakedly reveals Cobain's extremely disturbed nature. Nirvana fans will find some of the group's standards on the album -- 'Dumb', 'Polly', 'On a Plan', 'Something in the Way', as well as a cover of David Bowie's 'The Man Who Sold the World'. The Huddie Ledbetter tune 'Where did You Sleep Last Night' is an absolute standout, definitely the most charged version of this song that I've ever heard, and Cobain's vocal is raw and electric. This album isn't full of great musicianship, but it is one of the most engrossing CDs I've ever run across. Even if grunge hasn't appealed to you in the past, give this one a listen. LIVE THROUGH THIS Hole =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Courtney Love's band has received mountains of publicity since the death of her husband, Kurt Cobain. This album has also received a lot of favourable comments from reviewers. However, I didn't live through this -- I couldn't even manage to listen to the whole CD, even though I made two attempts. I thought, given my rather advanced age, that it just might be some kind of generational thing. Then, the rather nubile Ms. LaBamba made the comment while this album was on that she felt that the CD player must be broken. There's no sign of music on this nasty thing, save your money. CROSS ROAD Bon Jovi =-=-=-=-=- The kings of shopping-mall pop are back -- this time with what is essentially a best-of collection with a couple of new tunes thrown in. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 45 March 1995 You'll find virtually all of the band's big hits on it. No one admits to liking these guys, but *someone* is buying their records, and by the bag full. I've always found their music almost annoyingly catchy, and there's nothing worse than finding yourself absent-mindedly humming a Bon Jovi tune. I suspect a lot of you will buy this CD, and play it late at night on your discman while hiding in the basement. No surprises here, it's exactly what you imagine it'll be. THE LONG BLACK VEIL The Chieftains =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Geez, who *isn't* on this album? There's Mick Jagger, Sting, Ry Cooder, Marianne Faithful, Mark Knoffler, even Tom Jones and others lurking here and there in the tunes. The Chieftains have emerged from the 'Irish Balladeer' pigeon hole and stepped into the forefront as one of the most interesting group of musical experimenters about. They give us a varied scope of style and instrumentation on this CD -- everything from the expected Irish styles to what sounds very much like rock and roll, and then you'll hear Australian aboriginal instruments in the background. The guest talent is used thoughtfully instead of gratuitously, as is typical of albums with long guest lists. This one has classic written all over it. Bonus -- it's exquisitely produced and recorded. Pick it up, quick. Religiously yours, Rev. Richard Visage rv@visage.jammys.net ***(Note to Editors: Say, guys, I don't want to complain or anything, but what happened to all those endorsement contracts you promised? I mean, I don't want to put down your business acumen, but the only company that has approached me so far was from Taiwan, and they wanted me to put my name on a combination Buttock Toner/Desk Organizer. After watching Ms. LaBamba give the buttock toner a try, I'm pretty impressed. That said, you guys said it was gonna be a sure thing, and that I could expect offers by the truckload. What gives? I was almost kind of nice to Whitney again, too. Don't tell me I have to write a nice review of Frank Sinatra's album...) # # # Copyright 1995 Rev. Richard Visage, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Rev. Richard Visage is the official Spiritual Advisor to Fidonet, and is listed on the masthead of the Fidonews, where his correspondence is published regularly. The Rev. operates 1:163/409 on a laptop from various hotel rooms, and is bankrolled by expense accounts from very unsuspecting publications who showed poor judgement in hiring him. Canadian Government officials list him and his semi-clad secretary, Ms. LaBamba, as officially "at large" somewhere in North America. ==============================={DREAM}=============================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 46 March 1995 {Editor's Reply: We don't need no steenking endorsements. But how would you feel about a cameo appearance in THE WORDPERFECT KID? } -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Book Review: The Horseman by Dave Bealer =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Nearly thirty years ago the classic science fiction television show "Star Trek" introduced the Vulcan philosophy of IDIC - Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. The Vulcans, in embracing this philosophy, went from being the most violent and intolerant race in the galaxy to being a race of super-strong zombies. How did they really do it? My guess is valium in the water supply. IDIC obviously represented Gene Roddenberry's hope for the future of the human race. By appreciating, rather than persecuting, the differences between individuals and groups, humans could work together to solve their problems. Alas, after thirty years we still have a long way to go. Racial minorities and homosexuals have made some strides towards acceptance by "mainstream society" (though why anyone would seek such acceptance remains a mystery), but there is another group of people who are still feared and loathed, for no good reason. The group in question consists of people who prefer the intimate company of animals. THE HORSEMAN: OBSESSIONS OF A ZOOPHILE is the sexual autobiography of Mark Matthews. A midwesterner, Matthews is a preacher's son, a former preacher, former drug addict, and father of two children (yes, human ones). Divorced from his human wife, Matthews is now a pagan, and married to a pony. (No, it's not a joke. If I made this up, the title would be "My Stepmother Is An Aardvark.") THE HORSEMAN has a lot to offer those who can approach the overall subject matter with a rational (and open) frame of mind. It features a superb recollection of Matthews growing up a misfit, totally out of sync with the people around him, especially his so-called peers. How many adults who actually read for pleasure didn't feel that way at times, particularly in high school? This book is based in fact, though all the names have been changed to protect both the innocent and guilty (so all you self-righteous mob members can just put away your torches). The author is the "moderator emeritus" of one of the major online writing conferences. This is his first book, but judging by the quality of his writing, it will not be his last. The Horseman: Obsessions Of A Zoophile by Mark Matthews ISBN: 0-87975-902-X Prometheus Books Hardcover $27.95 If you have a difficult time finding this book locally, it is available through Book Stacks Unlimited, an online bookstore in Cleveland, OH. Book Stacks can be reached via modem at 1-216-861-0469 or by telnet to: telnet books.com. ==============================={DREAM}=============================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 47 March 1995 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> POETRY . . . -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=******-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- HYSTERIA =-=-=-=- by Bud Leroy It's been seventy years ago today That a hundred thousand were swept away By governmental involvement in moral cause, [The wheels of justice ground without pause!] Prohibition..! Prohibition..! was the ringing cry. Thousands imprisoned, but did they really know why? In the battlefields of moral right, When the righteously indignant picked up the right, A confused and battered people was all that remained As once again, hysteria reigned. It's been fifty year ago today That a massive genocide was underway. Branded by race or color of eyes, [Stricken forever from beneath the skies!] Jew..! Jew..! was the propaganda cry. That was all that was needed for millions to die. A confused and battered people was all that remained As once again, hysteria reigned. It's been forty years ago today That, depending on your political sway, A communist traitor you were called. [The morally righteous were so appalled!] Politically motivated from the start, So many lives ruined and torn apart. A minor congressman was all that was needed To dig down to hatred and get it seeded. A confused and battered people was all that remained As once again, hysteria reigned. Here we all stand, once again on the brink... Put your nose to the wind and you'll pick up the stink. The morally righteous are starting to breed. [It's not education we want, it's more prisons we need!] And we are all but pawns in the grand charade; The homework's been done, the ticket's been paid. The propagandists are rolling, picking up the fight, But most of us really know what's wrong or right. Punishment is needed but it has its place. Teaching is the key to saving our race, So in years to come, we won't have to explain To our children, once again, how hysteria reigned. Copyright 1995 Bud Leroy, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=******-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 48 March 1995 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= WhatNots, Why not? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- -=-=- STUFF -=-=- If you haven't examined a CD ROM player for your computer yet, I suggest you do so. Offer to bring the refreshments of choice, and have one of your friends give you a demonstration, or have a sales person demonstrate a system that has a CD. You'll be impressed with the abilities of these machines. The amount of information and data that can be retrieved from a CD is amazing. The Multimedia CD's are quite impressive, if done well. I received the Microsoft ENCARTA CD as part of the promotional bundle with my system. The video and voice clips are quite interesting and there is quite a variety, from little bits of history shown to the sounds of dogs barking. The quality of the sound depends on your system, but I was driving my dog nuts, as she attempted to find the other dog in the house. If you don't have a CD, I feel you are missing one of the better resources available with a computer. Ensure the one you get is the double speed or better and complies with the multimedia standards. Then get on a good CD supplier's mailing list. A little tip here: some of the bundles available are a little disappointing. ==================================================================== -=-=-=-=-= MORE STUFF =-=-=-=-=- If you are reading the magazine, perhaps the following may be of interest to you: INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING Copyright 1995 EPubNet These days, word-processing and desktop publishing software gives writers and publishers enormous power in formatting documents for publication. Unfortunately, this power is often thrown away before the reader gets to the document, by printing it onto paper. Paper lacks the flexibility and power of a computer processor. Electronic Publishing lets publishers retain the capabilities of the computer for the use of the reader, by creating a document that is designed to be distributed and read entirely on computer. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 49 March 1995 This is done in a number of ways. A text may be created in universal ASCII format, which is readable by numerous text readers, word processors, and even with the DOS "type" command. Fidonews, the newsletter for the 29,000+ Fidonet BBS systems internationally, is a perfect example of this type of electronic publishing. A good text reader program allows the user to quickly scan the document for a certain word or phrase, page through it, and more. A more powerful form of electronic publishing uses Hypertext. Hypertext is a type of program which uses specially formatted documents - the reader uses a "Reader Program" to view the document, "jumping" between locations within a document using predefined "links". For instance, an electronic textbook on the government might contain a paragraph which refers to the US Congress. Rather than including a note (see page 456), as a paper textbook would, the electronic version would have the word "Congress" highlighted. Clicking on the word would instantly take the reader to the part of the book which explains Congress in more detail. Alternately, the "Congress" link could pop up a small note which gives a quick explanation of the topic, a diagram of the organization of the two Houses, or even a VGA graphic showing the Capitol building in full color. This method allows a writer to put basic and advanced information out of sight, to be called only by those readers who are interested in them. This allows a text to be informative and interesting to readers with varying levels of knowledge - beginners aren't confused by complex details, and experts aren't forced to wade through basic explanations. Electronic Periodicals are growing in popularity. By publishing electronically, the costs of typesetting, printing and shipping are eliminated. Publications can be distributed quickly and cheaply over phone lines, making them much more timely than print publications. EPubNet (see other bulletins) aids in this distribution greatly by offering a network of BBS's to pass publications along without charge. Currently there are many Electronic Periodicals in the form of magazines and newsletters. There are also many books available. Electronic Publishing has enormous potential for the future. Many companies are already using the tools for training and marketing purposes, as well as documentation and help systems for software. As the concepts become more familiar, and software and hardware becomes more common, the electronic format will become a major supplement to the print format. Consumers will find it much more convenient and inexpensive to have their favorite magazines uploaded directly to their home computer within hours of publication than waiting for the US Mail to bring it around to their mailbox. The opportunity exists now to get involved in the ground level of a breaking new industry. Take it! *********************************************************************** DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 50 March 1995 FOR SYSOPS EPubNet maintains an open invitation to sysops interested in joining EPubNet, and tries to accommodate as many different operating platforms and networking formats as possible. The core of EPubNet is PC Compatible Fidonet systems, but the net is open to gating messages and files to other network types, with permission. REQUIREMENTS TO JOIN There is no official application process for EPubNet. Below are the requirements: (1) Establish a link from an eligible hub This merely means contacting a current member of the net who is able to feed other systems, and asking to take the message and/or file areas from them. The HUBS.EPN file contains a list of EPubNet nodes willing to provide feeds. The Filebone is an alternative you may want to consider (see next section). (2) Minimum Polling You must poll your feed at least once a week, more often if your hub requires it (to prevent unsent mail from taking up too much disk space). (3) System Information At the end of this file the system information needed to list your BBS in the membership directory is listed. Once you have established a feed, please post this information in the EP-SYSOP echo. (4) Required Message Areas All systems which receive EPubNet message or file areas should carry the EP-SYSOP message area, to keep in contact with the network. FILE DISTRIBUTION If you want to participate in file distribution, you just need to ask your hub to set you up to receive them. Usually you can turn them on and off as you like with RAID compatible requests, which work like Areafix requests. A variety of programs are available to let you process these files. Popular programs include TICK and ALLFIX. The Fidonet FILE_ECHO backbone echo is a good place to find out about these programs. FILEBONE The Filebone is a system within Fidonet which distributes message and file areas for a large number of file distribution networks, such as ANSINet (ANSI art), PDN (Programmer's Distribution Network), and WinNet (For Windows programs). DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 51 March 1995 National Hubs for the Filebone are listed in the FILEBONE.NA file, along with the different file nets and file areas. You can get EPubNet file and message areas from any of these hubs, along with file and message areas from other file networks. If you are only interested in the EPubNet areas you'll probably be better off linking in through an EPubNet hub, since you'll get things quicker. But if you're interested in getting other areas in addition to EPubNet, the Filebone is a good bet. EPUBNET LEADERSHIP If you have a problem getting linked into EPubNet, or have other questions, the following are the leadership folks you can contact: Network Coordinator / FileBone Liaison: Dave Bealer (1:261/1129) (V.34) (410) 437-3463 Distribution Coordinator: N.L. Hargrove (1:301/1) (V.32 node) (1:301/301) (V.32bis node) (505) 865-4082 SYSTEM INFO Please post this info in the EP-SYSOP echo once you have gotten your feed setup. This lets us know who all is hooked up, and get to know each other. System Name: Sysop Name: City: State/Province: Country: BBS Line Phone Numbers: Minimum Speed: The minimum speed you allow callers to connect at Modem Speeds: For each protocol type, maximum connect rate available: v.etc 9600 or 14.4k HST 9600, 14.4k or 16.8k Zyxel 16.8k or 19.2k Are you getting all of the message areas? Are you getting the file areas? What electronic publishing activities have you been involved in in the past? What electronic publishing activities are you interested in? ===================================================================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 52 March 1995 =-=-=-=-=-=- Announcement! -=-=-=-=-=-= DREAM FORGE BBS - for You: ************************** DREAM FORGE BBS: will be providing Internet email, USENET newsgroups on a WildCat 2-line system. Subscribers to DREAM FORGE BBS will also receive an individual subscription to DREAM FORGE magazine. Call: (410) 255-6229 data to 28.8 for details on this great offer. Connect to the Internet AND get DREAM FORGE magazine!! ******************************************************************** =-=-=-=-=-= Just stuff: -=-=-=-=-=- For those of you who have gotten this far into the magazine, we would really like to hear from our readers. The authors, especially, are eager to hear from their readers, and truly do appreciate the feedback. It only takes a few moments to send email to DREAM FORGE, and you have a few options: Fido netmail to SYSOP at 1:261/1129 or 1:2601/522, or INTERNET email to the specific editor or author, e.g., rick.arnold@dreamforge.com, or for the CompuServe users: 75537,1415. Try it! You'll actually hear from us! Subscribe to DREAM FORGE magazine and receive stimulation to all your pleasure centers: =-=-=-=-=- More sTufF =-=-=-=-=- YOU can save a tree -- read Electronically. Buy E-Books and E-Magazines! Support a "Green" Industry. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- # # # =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Have tips and hints that would be of service to others? SHARE them, send to: whatnots@dreamforge.com or Fido: 1:2601/522 to Sysop. ==================================================================== As always, seek competent advice from your legal advisor, doctor, maid, dentist, accountant, beautician, lawyer, bartender, neighbor, AA, AAA, AAAA, dog, NWU, military advisor, coroner, mechanic, mother, father (both for totally different answers), gardener, tax advisor, HARLEY DEALER, travel agent, roofer, computer dealer (ha), insurance salesperson, and don't forget the butcher, baker, and candle maker! Talk to your kids for the best advice! Any and all information found in this magazine is taken entirely at the risk of the individual, and as always wear a condom for complete protection -- against misinformation, and other things. Any and all similarity to real people is purely fictional coincidence, especially the editors, who are figments of our collective consciousness. ==============================={DREAM}============================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 53 March 1995 -=-=-=-= TAGLINES -- Seen on the SuperDuperInfoHighway and Byways =-=-=-=- Become a programmer and never see the world! ROM wasn't built in a day. Dave. Put down those Windows disks, Dave. DAVE! - HAL9000 How much deeper would the oceans be without sponges? Do artificial plants need artificial water? When patterns are broken - new worlds can emerge. I have often depended on the blindness of strangers. I want my data back, machine, and I want it now! To clone a felon, do I use the COPY CON command? If you ever wanted *mindful* drivel, this is it. Software independent: won't work with any software. Blame San Andreas, it's all his fault. I'm one-of-a-kind. (Just what kind, nobody is really sure.) Life is like... an analogy. Honesty pays, but not enough to satisfy some people. URA redneck if you think "Deliverence" was a love story. Where there's a will, I want to be in it. My bit bucket runneth over... A diploma proves only that you know how to find an answer. If space is the final frontier, what's TIME? I wasn't there. I didn't do it. I want my lawyer! A scone is a biscuit that's gone to college. To make it work, you have to DO the work. We're judged by what we finish, not what we start. I have a mind like a steel... uh... thingy. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 54 March 1995 Why don't gods come with pull-down menus and online help? I'm not insensitive, I'm male. See the difference? File not found. NOBODY leave the room! Really drunk is when you cling to the floor so you don't fall off. I've got it! I've got it! Now, for the cure... A day without radiation is a day without sunshine. Shoot it, Bubba, it might be my mother-in-law! Photographers fade faster than photographs. My name is Borg, James Borg, licensed to assimilate. This time around the revolution will not be televised. On the 8th day, the Corps of Engineers started changing everything. Senseless massacre and carnage? Where do I sign up? He who lives by the sword is a regular cut-up! I get my castles the old-fashioned way. I conquer them. NO CARRIER? How are we gonna land this modem? God isn't dead, he just couldn't find a parking space. La Quinta is Spanish for "Next to Denny's." Eeeeuw! You mean you actually TALK on the phone? Firing up the Blast-O-Matic Obnoxious Airbag Deflator. A juggler is just a schizophrenic playing catch. A magic book that stays with you - the Velcronomicon. My hovercraft is full of eels. They had computers in Eden. Eve had a Apple and Adam had a Wang. I know everything, but I'm sworn to secrecy. Polaroids: what polar bears get from sitting on the ice. Fifty states and I had to go and pick confusion. D.A.M.N. - Naked Mothers Against Dyslexia DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 55 March 1995 OF COURSE I'm on topic! (Which conference is this?) How to make Murphy's Law fail - try to prove it to someone. Victory find a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan. This is an ex-parrot. Goals are dreams with deadlines. There IS intelligent life in the universe. It ignores us. Never believe anything until it's been officially denied. Paranoia is simply an optimistic outlook on life. All I want is a warm bed, a kind word, and unlimited power. Old immortals don't die, they just... don't. Amish safe sex: painting an "X" on the cows that kick. Hard DISK? Gee, lady, I misunderstood you. If you can't laugh at yourself, make fun of other people. Grow your own dope - plant a politician. Better one true friend than a hundred relatives. I am DOS of Borg. Prepare...oops, out of memory! You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. All things considered, insanity may be the best alternative. There will be a rain dance Friday, weather permitting. Ultimate bachelor condiments: liquid lettuce and solid milk. Don't bother pressing that key, there is no ESC. She's so fat that when she sings, it's over. ==============================={DREAM}=============================== DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 56 March 1995 ADVERTISING RATES: ================= -=-=-=-=-=- Display Ads: =-=-=-=-=-= Rates are for a single online display page: no larger than 79 characters (columns) wide and 23 lines long. Layout ready copy only -- inquire for ad design rates. ASCII Text: $75/month $750/year ANSI or RIP: $100/month $1000/year A 10% discount will be applied for two or more pages of advertising run in the same issue. (The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising deemed inappropriate for DREAM FORGE.) Published by: Dream Forge, Inc. 6400 Baltimore National Pike, #201 Baltimore, MD. 21228-3915 e-mail: dbealer@dreamforge.com Dave Bealer, President Rick Arnold, Vice President * DREAM FORGE is a trademark of Dream Forge, Inc. ===================================================================== Official DREAM FORGE Distributors wanted: - - - - <<(*=-- DREAM FORGE --=*)>> MAGAZINE <<((*=-- The electronic for your mind! --=*))>> ===================================================================== (formerly RANDOM ACCESS HUMOR and RUNE'S RAG) DREAM FORGE Dream Forge, Inc., 6400 Baltimore National Pike, # 201 Baltimore, MD 21228-3915 Modem: (410) 255-6229 (data to 28800 bps) Publisher: Dave Bealer Managing Editor: Rick Arnold DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 57 March 1995 DREAM FORGE (tm) is a monthly e-magazine for a thinking and literate readership. Dream Forge, Inc. is seeking Official DREAM FORGE Distributors (ODFD's) throughout cyberspace. The ODFD's will sell individual copies of the current issue (and back issues) of DREAM FORGE to their callers on a pay-by-download basis. The list price of individual DREAM FORGE issues is $2.95. (All amounts are in US dollars.) As additional online sales technologies become available, the ODFD's will be encouraged to offer DREAM FORGE using these new techniques. Responsibilities of ODFD's: 1) Make DREAM FORGE available to their callers using any available online sales technology (e.g. sale by download). The ODFD warrants that all DREAM FORGE downloads will be counted and paid for on a monthly basis. 2) Promote the availability of DREAM FORGE to all callers during the logon process. 3) Resolve any customer complaints related to obtaining DREAM FORGE from their system (i.e. broken archives, aborted downloads, etc.). Dream Forge, Inc. will assume no liability for any such problems, other than replacing any broken DREAM FORGE archive sent to the distributor's system by the publisher. 4) Provide a monthly report to the publisher showing the download count for each DREAM FORGE issue carried by the system. 5) Remit the publisher's share (60%) of all DREAM FORGE sales to the publisher promptly on a monthly basis. Any credit card or transaction processing fees incurred in selling DREAM FORGE are strictly the responsibility of the ODFD. If an ODFD chooses to sell DREAM FORGE for a discount, the publisher's share remains 60% of the *Official* list price of the magazine ($1.77/copy at the list price of $2.95). 6) Provide a complimentary account on the ODFD system for the use of DREAM FORGE staff. The account need not have any sysop privileges, except that it should allow DREAM FORGE staff to view the current download counts for all DREAM FORGE issues being sold. The account should have all upload and download privileges normally offered to those with "free, shareware uploader" status. Benefits for ODFD's: 1) The ODFD retains 40% of all DREAM FORGE sales ($1.18/copy sold at a list price of $2.95) made, less any transaction fees incurred (see #5 above). The ODFD also retains any time based fees incurred by any user as they download the emag. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 58 March 1995 2) The right to advertise their system as an Official DREAM FORGE Distributor. A logon screen may be (indeed, should be) displayed to all callers so identifying the system. 3) A listing in each DREAM FORGE issue identifying the ODFD, including System name, primary data telephone number, number of lines, and location of system (City/state/country). 4) A 20% discount on any advertising purchased in DREAM FORGE to advertise the ODFD system, or any products or services offered by the firm that owns the ODFD. This discount is cumulative with any other applicable discounts. 5) A 40% discount on a display subscription to DREAM FORGE for the ODFD system. Applies only to a prepaid annual subscription, and is not cumulative with any other offers. (e.g. The operators of a 100 line BBS that is an ODFD will pay $495/year to display DREAM FORGE to their callers rather than the normal fee of $695.) Interested Sysops should contact the publisher, Dave Bealer. Internet e-mail: dbealer@dreamforge.com FidoNet netmail: Dave Bealer @ 1:261/1129 * DREAM FORGE is a trademark of Dream Forge, Inc. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Official DREAM FORGE Distributors - Frequently Asked Questions In the short time since the release of the January issue of DREAM FORGE, many sysops have asked about becoming ODFD's. To save time (a precious commodity these days) I have created this list of frequently asked questions. Q) What kind of software is available to take orders/control downloads? A) Sorry, we don't have the time or inclination to help sysops set up their systems to handle online ordering. If you have to ask a question like this, you're simply not ready to become an ODFD. We are looking for established commercial boards as distributors. Line count isn't important, but you must have experience accepting online orders, or at least online subscriptions, to be seriously considered as an ODFD. Q) I don't live in the United States. How do I handle pricing? A) There is a system used by print magazines in North America whereby the magazine covers contain two prices: example: $4.95 US, $5.95 Canada This accounts for the fact that the Canadian dollar is worth somewhat less that the U.S. dollar (about $0.70 US, as of 1/95). DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 59 March 1995 There is no reason why such a plan cannot be used for e-mags as well. ODFD's are therefore allowed to charge the local equivalent of $2.95 US in their local currency. Further, Non-US ODFD's will be allowed to charge a premium of up to 10% to recover long distance and currency exchange costs. The ODFD may want to round the price down to the nearest customary price point (3.95, etc.) in local units. For instance: Canadian ODFD's could charge $4.50 (Canadian) for each copy of DREAM FORGE. ($2.95 US/0.70 = 4.21 Canadian, plus 10% = $4.63 Canadian. Round down to $4.50 Canadian. Note that given the 0.70 exchange rate factor, a Canadian ODFD could NOT charge more that $4.63 Canadian per copy of DF). Q) How do I make payments to Dream Forge, Inc.? A) Simply mail a check or money order every month to the publisher: Dream Forge, Inc. 6400 Baltimore National Pike, #201 Baltimore, MD. 21228 USA We expect to accept checks online eventually, which would allow ODFD's to logon the Dream Forge BBS and pay by check without having to mail any paper. Remember that all checks and money orders must be in U.S. funds. Q) How would I get the new DREAM FORGE issues? A) Several ways are available: 1) By internet e-mail (as a uuencoded file attach). 2) Logon to The DREAM FORGE BBS and download the new issue. 3) Via private Fido-technology Tick file echo. Q) Can I give sample issues away to my users to entice them to subscribe? A) No, that is what the free demo issues are for. Beginning in July 1995 we will publish a free quarterly (tentatively titled DREAM FORGE LITE (DFL)). DFL will contain the table of contents of the previous three DF monthly issues, plus a few (very few) sample articles from those issues. The samples will usually highlight any new features added to DF since the last quarterly edition. DFL will be freely distributed the same way the sample issues are, so there is no need for ODFD's to give away the monthly DREAM FORGE issues. Actually, you MAY give away the monthly issues, provided you pay Dream Forge, Inc. the fee of $1.77 (US) per copy given away. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 60 March 1995 Q) May I print DREAM FORGE on paper and sell it that way? A) No. DREAM FORGE is an electronic magazine. The publisher retains full control over distribution format. If we do decide to offer a printed edition or non-English language editions in the future, rights will have to be negotiated on an individual (per-project) basis. Dave Bealer Publisher, DREAM FORGE (tm) January 1995 ==============================={DREAM}=============================== >> Legalities << DREAM FORGE is published monthly by Dream Forge, Inc. Although the publisher's BBS may be a part of one or more networks at any time, DREAM FORGE is not affiliated with any BBS network or online service. DREAM FORGE is a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors. The contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. The opinions expressed in DREAM FORGE are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the editors or publisher. DREAM FORGE is Copyright 1995 Dream Forge, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This electronic magazine is a commercial product, not shareware or freeware. DREAM FORGE may only be distributed by the publisher, or by Official DREAM FORGE Distributors. The original text of the magazine must never be modified. DREAM FORGE may not be posted, in whole or in part, on public conferences. Readers may produce hard copies of the magazine or backup copies on diskette for their own personal use only. DREAM FORGE may not be distributed in combination with any other publication or product. CD ROM, print, and other publishers, including network managers may contact the publisher for rates charged for reprint rights and display of DREAM FORGE (tm). DREAM FORGE is a trademark of Dream Forge, Inc. Many of the brands and products mentioned in DREAM FORGE are trademarks, service marks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. >> Where to Get DREAM FORGE << DREAM FORGE is available by subscription directly from the publisher. Individuals with internet e-mail accounts, and those willing to download the monthly issues directly from the publisher's BBS (410) 255-6229, may subscribe to DREAM FORGE for $12/year (US$). You may also have DREAM FORGE mailed to you on a DOS diskette each month for $24.00 (US$). Send e-mail, info@dreamforge.com for details. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 61 March 1995 ==============================={DREAM}=============================== <<(=-- DREAM FORGE --=)>> MAGAZINE <<((=-- The electronic for your mind! --=))>> ===================================================================== (formerly RANDOM ACCESS HUMOR and RUNE'S RAG) DREAM FORGE Dream Forge, Inc., 6400 Baltimore National Pike, #201 Baltimore, MD 21228-3915 Modem: (410) 255-6229 (data to 28.8 baud) (starting 3/1/95) Internet: dbealer@dreamforge.com Publisher: Dave Bealer Managing Editor: Rick Arnold WRITER'S GUIDELINES for DREAM FORGE e-magazine: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= forge, v.t.; from L. fabricari, to make, construct; from _faber_, a workman, artisan. 2. to make by or as by this method; to form; to shape; to produce. syn. make; hammer; invent. Monthly e-magazine for a thinking and literate readership, 95% freelance written. Will work with new and underpublished writers. Publishes ms average of 1-2 months after acceptance. Takes first serial rights, will accept one time rights on reprints. Pays approximately 30 days after publication. Submit seasonal material 2 months in advance. "Looking for stories with a positive message, even if the message is hidden deep within the fabric of the work." Preferred length 1,000 to 2,000 words, fiction 2,000 to 4,500. Writer's guidelines for #10 SASE or download as DF_GUIDE.TXT. Sample e-copy and guidelines on DOS disk for $2.00 with SAS(M)ailer. METHOD OF SUBMISSION: Send your ASCII ms by data Modem to: DREAM FORGE BBS, (410) 437-3463 to Sysop; file attach to FIDO address 1:261/1129; WRITERS BIZ (412) 588-7863 to Sysop; f/a to FIDO 1:2601/522; or INTERNET to: dbealer@dreamforge.com, or Via mail on a DOS disk: uncompressed, pure ASCII, with two copies of the ms on the disk, e.g. MYSTUFF1.DBC, MYSTUFF2.DBC. Where mystuff1 is the file name and .DBC the extension consisting of your initials. Include a short Bio with your submission, e.g. ALLANPOE.BIO; 5 TO 10 lines with a 70 column maximum. If you're submitting on paper, it had best be short, very good, and expect a much longer processing time. Important: Include an e-mail contact address, or BBS number for e-mail along with your home phone (contact hours), and postal address. All manuscripts will be considered disposable, unless you provide RETURN mailer and sufficient postage. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 62 March 1995 (Note: in WORD: File, Save as, MS DOS Text w/Line Breaks; WORKS, File, Save as, DOS Text; some others you must redirect "print" to a file to get ASCII text. Preview with a text editor, like EDIT from DOS, you should only see text.) NONFICTION: Humor, satire, essays, reviews, Op-Ed, and political commentary from 1000-4000 words. Pays $10-$100, plus profit sharing. FICTION: Short stories most any genre from 1000-6000 words, longer works will be serialized; accepts humorous short-shorts under 1,000. Pays $10-$100, plus profit sharing. POETRY: Any style and length will pay: $2-$20, plus profit sharing. DREAM FORGE shares profits with authors; where 10% of profits, from specific revenues, are paid on a pro-rated basis as a bonus to the authors from the issue in which the authors' work appears. Details of the profit sharing are contained in the authors' contract. ********************* If you are an overly successful author, you may decline payment, and your funds will be donated to targeted non-profit agencies which DREAM FORGE, Inc. supports: Reading Is Fundamental, Laubach Literacy International, and Literacy Volunteers of America. *** "There's no fiction as imaginative as that seen on the nightly news." ==============================={DREAM}=============================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= AWAKENINGS: Past Imperfect by Dave Bealer =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Americans have become a bunch of damned whiners. Worse yet, a bunch of damned whiners living in the past. Everyone is too busy reminiscing about the "good old days," or gnashing their teeth over injustices committed against relatives a few dozen times removed, to actually do anything about today or plan for tomorrow. It's getting as bad as the Middle East or Northern Ireland. Many Americans refuse to live in the present or live for the future. They're too busy trying to reclaim something from their past, something they miss. They go to any expense or any length, up to and including throwing a temper tantrum (the American adult version of which usually involves mass murder), to get what they want . . . what they can never again have. DREAM FORGE (tm) Page 63 March 1995 Although Americans have taken to wearing their inner children on their sleeves, they have found something that will console them -- money. A woman who spilled a cup of McDonald's coffee on herself recently won a judgment of over $2 million from an American jury to compensate her for the "pain and suffering" caused by the self- inflicted burns. Why would twelve people reward such a ludicrous claim? One clue is that eight of them spilled various high-temperature liquids on themselves the next day and are now suing the major corporations that produced the liquids (liquids like coffee and hot chocolate that nobody will buy unless they're hot). Nowhere is it written, except in some Dream World, that life has to be fair. The Bible doesn't say that, neither does the U.S. Constitution. Both these documents contain important, powerful ideas -- that are misquoted and misinterpreted constantly by those who wish to impose their will on other people. Getting rid of all the guns, nuclear power plants, abortions, drugs, alcohol, bad language and tobacco won't make life fair either; boring, but not fair. The Eagles may have said it best in their recent song "Get Over It": "The Big Bad World doesn't owe you a thing." The worst "Fair"ey Tale of all is that enough big government will allow everyone to "live happily ever after." Government has never been able to do that, and never will. The happiness of people comes from people, not from government. If each of us tries to improve our little piece of the world, we just might wake up one day to find the world really is a worthwhile place to live. DREAM FORGE (tm) {DREAM} March 1995 {FIN}