JamesSavik

Pandora After clearing security and going down two different elevators, I guessed that I was at least 500 meters underground. The corridor had heavy steel blast doors with key card locks and bio-hazard signs every 50 meters. The deeper into the facility that we went, the higher the biohazard protection level of the labs that lined the corridors. I asked the guard what the USAMARID needed from the Dept. of Homeland Security and he told me that answer was well above his pay grade. We finally entered a lab marked BL-5 and I followed the guard inside. We had to strip and leave our clothes in a locker. We passed through a chemical shower and another steel door to a locker room where we put on surgical scrubs. We passed through a final airlock where a computer sat in front of the final door. The guard told me to go log into the computer in the corner of the room. He then excused himself saying that this was as far as he goes. The computer asked me to input my name, rank and agency: McGrath, Scott Special Agent Department of Homeland Security. The computer then asked for me to to state my name, surname first. "McGrath, Scott." The computer screen turned green and displayed: Voice Print ID verified. Agent McGrath clear for access to Pandora. The big steel door popped open and I entered the lab. A group of eleven men were waiting: two scientists and nine other agency representatives. As soon as I entered, the senior scientist said, "Good. Now that Homeland Security has arrived, we can begin." "Gentlemen. Everything that you see here is above top-secret. The code word is Pandora and its very appropriate." "Several years ago CIA and NSA received intel that there was a BL4 bio lab somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan just across the border from Afghanistan. They also found that over several years that appropriate equipment for such a lab from Germany, France and Russia had been diverted from legitimate projects and had ended up somewhere in Pakistan." "We've been looking for that lab ever since. We finally found it two weeks ago. As soon as we located the lab, a joint team of SEALs and Delta Force operators were sent in on a covert raid to bag and tag it. What we found was horrifying. Please follow me." As I looked around I saw a few familiar faces: Colonel Will James was a troubleshooter for the Joint Chiefs. SAC Gwen Heller was FBI's Senior Agent in Charge of their counter-terrorism desk. The imminent epidemiologist Dr. Tom Ross of the CDC was looking very troubled. Most of the others I had never seen before but their very bearing screamed military or spook. We entered a room with black boards and display monitors. The scientist continued the briefing: "We found that the lab was working on a number of weaponized pathogens. All of the familiar horrors like Anthrax, Marsburg and Smallpox and one that we've never seen before. It is a chimera virus that we have code named Pandora. It's why we're here and it may be the scariest damn thing I've ever seen in a bioweapon." "Pandora began as a flavivirus called VEE or Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Through years of manipulation and gene splicing, it has become this." The big monitor in the room came to life and showed an electron microscope image of a spherical virus. The scientist said, "This little horror is a blood borne pathogen that attacks the brain. It causes fever and chills and then the victim falls into a coma. While the victim is in a coma the virus continues to attack the brain and eventually destroys the cerebellum while leaving the lower brain function essentially in tact. At this point about a third of the victims die. The rest wake up from the coma and attack the very first person that they see. They continue attacking everyone in site until they are killed." "When we raided the lab, three of our guys got bitten and succumbed to the infection. This is what they look like now." The scientist pressed a button that caused a panel to retract. Behind thick glass were three people that had once been elite special forces operators that had been transformed by the virus. As soon as the panel retracted and they saw us, they attacked the glass with such violence that the glass was smeared with their black blood. It was clear that anyone that those things got their hands on would be in very serious trouble. The scientist caused the glass to retract and continued: "Bites spread the virus. That's how our three operators got infected. The infection runs its course from 24 to 36 hours. They are vulnerable to tasers and gun fire. They retreat from fire but attack pretty much everything else: people or animals. The virus leave the brain in a continuous state of rage that causes their hostility and the only thing that will stop them are kill shots. You can shoot them to pieces but unless you get their head or their heart they just keep coming." "We brought you here to see it with your own eyes. This is no bullshit. Pandora is real and we know that the terrorist have it. It's only a matter of time before they use it. When they do, we had better be ready because the epidemiology of this thing is terrifying. Once this virus is established and starts spreading by secondary vectors like mosquitoes, there simply aren't enough bullets to stop it."

Pandoria After clearing security and going down two different elevators, I guessed that I was at least 500 meters underground. The corridor had heavy steel blast doors with key card locks and bio-hazard signs every 50 meters. The deeper into the facility that we went, the higher the biohazard protection level of the labs that lined the corridors. I asked the guard what the USAMARID needed from the Dept. of Homeland Security and he told me that answer was well above his pay grade. We finally entered a lab marked BL-5 and I followed the guard inside. We had to strip and leave our clothes in a locker. We passed through a chemical shower and another steel door to a locker room where we put on surgical scrubs. We passed through a final airlock where a computer sat in front of the final door. The guard told me to go log into the computer in the corner of the room. He then excused himself saying that this was as far as he goes. The computer asked me to input my name, rank and agency: McGrath, Scott Special Agent Department of Homeland Security. The computer then asked for me to to state my name, surname first. "McGrath, Scott." The computer screen turned green and displayed: Voice Print ID verified. Agent McGrath clear for access to Pandora. The big steel door popped open and I entered the lab. A group of eleven men were waiting: two scientists and nine other agency representatives. As soon as I entered, the senior scientist said, "Good. Now that Homeland Security has arrived, we can begin." "Gentlemen. Everything that you see here is above top-secret. The code word is Pandora and its very appropriate." "Several years ago CIA and NSA received intel that there was a BL4 bio lab somewhere in the tribal areas of Pakistan just across the border from Afghanistan. They also found that over several years that appropriate equipment for such a lab from Germany, France and Russia had been diverted from legitimate projects and had ended up somewhere in Pakistan." "We've been looking for that lab ever since. We finally found it two weeks ago. As soon as we located the lab, a joint team of SEALs and Delta Force operators were sent in on a covert raid to bag and tag it. What we found was horrifying. Please follow me." As I looked around I saw a few familiar faces: Colonel Will James was a troubleshooter for the Joint Chiefs. SAC Gwen Heller was FBI's Senior Agent in Charge of the counter-terrorism desk. The imminent epidemiologist Dr. Tom Ross with CDC was looking very troubled. Most of the others I had never seen before but their very bearing screamed military or spook. We entered a room with black boards and display monitors. The scientist continued the briefing: "We found that the lab was working on a number of weaponized pathogens. All of the familiar horrors like Anthrax, Marsburg and Smallpox and one that we've never seen before. It is a chimera virus that we have code named Pandora. It's why we're here and it may be the scariest damn thing I've ever seen in a bioweapon." "Pandora began as a flavivirus called VEE or Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. Through years of manipulation and gene splicing, it has become this." The big monitor in the room came to life and showed an electron microscope image of a spherical virus. The scientist said, "This little horror is a blood borne pathogen that attacks the brain. It causes fever and chills and then the victim falls into a coma. While the victim is in a coma the virus continues to attack the brain and eventually destroys the cerebellum while leaving the lower brain function essentially in tact. At this point about a third of the victims die. The rest wake up from the coma and attack the very first person that they see. They continue attacking everyone in site until they are killed." "When we raided the lab, three of our guys got bitten and succumbed to the infection. This is what they look like now." The scientist pressed a button that caused a panel to retract. Behind thick glass were three people that had once been elite special forces operators that had been transformed by the virus. As soon as the panel retracted and they saw us, they attacked the glass with such violence that the glass was smeared with their black blood. It was clear that anyone that those things got their hands on would be in very serious trouble. The scientist caused the glass to retract and continued: "Bites spread the virus. That's how our three operators got infected. The infection runs its course from 24 to 36 hours. They are vulnerable to tasers and gun fire. They retreat from fire but attack pretty much everything else: people or animals. The virus leave the brain in a continuous state of rage that causes their hostility and the only thing that will stop them are kill shots. You can shoot them to pieces but unless you get their head or their heart they just keep coming." "We brought you here to see it with your own eyes. This is no bullshit. Pandora is real and we know that the terrorist have it. It's only a matter of time before they use it. When they do, we had better be ready because the epidemiology of this thing is terrifying. Once this virus is established and starts spreading by secondary vectors like mosquitoes, there simply aren't enough bullets to stop it."

I think he's past shrugging and is actually giving us the finger.

Each of the stories must be unique. The kiss of death of either of the stories is for the author to cross plotlines and blur characters. When I'm writing more than 1 story, I don't even write in the same genre- like I'm working on a horror and a sci-fi story. No chance of blending those.

Not in any particular story- I'd like to be a big menacing jock who gets tired of seeing Comsies characters getting bullied and befriends some of them... and maybe falls for one of them. ______________ Just had a thought- a HUGE new kid from the South who just moved to town starts school. "Y'all can call me Brick."

show up drunk and belligerent. that always works.

Great- another team in the SEC Mississippi State or Ole Miss can't compete with. We play Florida, Auburn, Alabama and LSU every year. If we get a seven win season, we're probably ranked.

and they are joining the SEC

Dwarf planet sized up accurately as it blocks light of faint star http://www.eso.org/p...c/news/eso1142/ 26 October 2011 Astronomers have accurately measured the diameter of the faraway dwarf planet Eris for the first time by catching it as it passed in front of a faint star. This event was seen at the end of 2010 by telescopes in Chile, including the Belgian TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. The observations show that Eris is an almost perfect twin of Pluto in size. Eris appears to have a very reflective surface, suggesting that it is uniformly covered in a thin layer of ice, probably a frozen atmosphere. The results will be published in the 27 October 2011 issue of the journal Nature. In November 2010, the distant dwarf planet Eris passed in front of a faint background star, an event called an occultation. These occurrences are very rare and difficult to observe as the dwarf planet is very distant and small. The next such event involving Eris will not happen until 2013. Occultations provide the most accurate, and often the only, way to measure the shape and size of a distant Solar System body. The candidate star for the occultation was identified by studying pictures from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. The observations were carefully planned and carried out by a team of astronomers from a number of (mainly French, Belgian, Spanish and Brazilian) universities using — among others — the TRAPPIST [1] (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope, eso1023) telescope, also at La Silla. “Observing occultations by the tiny bodies beyond Neptune in the Solar System requires great precision and very careful planning. This is the best way to measure Eris’s size, short of actually going there,” explains Bruno Sicardy, the lead author. Observations of the occultation were attempted from 26 locations around the globe on the predicted path of the dwarf planet’s shadow — including several telescopes at amateur observatories, but only two sites were able to observe the event directly, both of them located in Chile. One was at ESO’s La Silla Observatory using the TRAPPIST telescope, and the other was located in San Pedro de Atacama and used two telescopes[2]. All three telescopes recorded a sudden drop in brightness as Eris blocked the light of the distant star. The combined observations from the two Chilean sites indicate that Eris is close to spherical. These measurements should accurately measure its shape and size as long as they are not distorted by the presence of large mountains. Such features are, however, unlikely on such a large icy body. Eris was identified as a large object in the outer Solar System in 2005. Its discovery was one of the factors that led to the creation of a new class of objects called dwarf planets and the reclassification of Pluto from planet to dwarf planet in 2006. Eris is currently three times further from the Sun than Pluto. While earlier observations using other methods suggested that Eris was probably about 25% larger than Pluto with an estimated diameter of 3000 kilometres, the new study proves that the two objects are essentially the same size. Eris’s newly determined diameter stands at 2326 kilometres, with an accuracy of 12 kilometres. This makes its size better known than that of its closer counterpart Pluto, which has a diameter estimated to be between 2300 and 2400 kilometres. Pluto’s diameter is harder to measure because the presence of an atmosphere makes its edge impossible to detect directly by occultations. The motion of Eris’s satellite Dysnomia[3] was used to estimate the mass of Eris. It was found to be 27% heavier than Pluto[4]. Combined with its diameter, this provided Eris’s density, estimated at 2.52 grams per cm3 [5]. “This density means that Eris is probably a large rocky body covered in a relatively thin mantle of ice,” comments Emmanuel Jehin, who contributed to the study[6]. The surface of Eris was found to be extremely reflective, reflecting 96% of the light that falls on it (a visible albedo of 0.96[7]). This is even brighter than fresh snow on Earth, making Eris one of the most reflective objects in the Solar System, along with Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus. The bright surface of Eris is most likely composed of a nitrogen-rich ice mixed with frozen methane — as indicated by the object's spectrum — coating the dwarf planet’s surface in a thin and very reflective icy layer less than one millimetre thick. “This layer of ice could result from the dwarf planet’s nitrogen or methane atmosphere condensing as frost onto its surface as it moves away from the Sun in its elongated orbit and into an increasingly cold environment,” Jehin adds. The ice could then turn back to gas as Eris approaches its closest point to the Sun, at a distance of about 5.7 billion kilometres. The new results also allow the team to make a new measurement for the surface temperature of the dwarf planet. The estimates suggest a temperature for the surface facing the Sun of -238 Celsius at most, and an even lower value for the night side of Eris. “It is extraordinary how much we can find out about a small and distant object such as Eris by watching it pass in front of a faint star, using relatively small telescopes. Five years after the creation of the new class of dwarf planets, we are finally really getting to know one of its founding members,” concludes Bruno Sicardy. Notes [1]TRAPPIST is one of the latest robotic telescopes installed at the La Silla Observatory. With a main mirror just 0.6 metres across, it was inaugurated in June 2010 and is mainly dedicated to the study of exoplanets and comets. The telescope is a project funded by the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS), with the participation of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and is controlled from Liè [2]The Caisey Harlingten and ASH2 telescopes. [3]Eris is the Greek goddess of chaos and strife. Dysnomia is Eris’ daughter and the goddess of lawlessness [4]Eris’s mass is 1.66 x 1022 kg, corresponding to 22% of the mass of the Moon. [5]For comparison, the Moon’s density is 3.3 grams per cm3, and water’s is 1.00 gram per cm3. [6]The value of the density suggests that Eris is mainly composed of rock (85%), with a small ice content (15%). The latter is likely to be a layer, about 100 kilometre thick, that surrounds the large rocky core. This very thick layer of mostly water ice is not to be confused with the very thin layer of frozen atmosphere on Eris’s surface that makes it so reflective [7]The albedo of an object represents the fraction of the light that falls on it that is scattered back into space rather than absorbed. An albedo of 1 corresponds to perfect reflecting white, while 0 is totally absorbing black. For comparison, the Moon’s albedo is only 0.136, similar to that of coal. More information This research was presented in a paper to appear in the 27 October 2011 issue of the journal Nature. ___________________________________ Eris is the largest dwarf planet- larger and more massive than even Pluto. These objects at the extreme edge of our solar system form a class called Kuiper Belt or Trans-Neptunian Objects. Pluto, Eris and the Dwarf Planets Mike Brown, CalTech

Bacteria, however alien they might be, would indeed be a natural process. They might find us delicious. If they can survive the environment of Mercury, we would find them completely unstoppable. It would make the Black Death look like a sewing circle.

That's one definition. There are several actually. From the Urban Dictionary: Troll- One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument It is also a verb: example: I'm going to troll the republicans and the democrats at the same time on Digg. (this is good for hours of fun- they get so confused when you flame Bush and Obama at the same time) Not every troll is an asshole. The best trolls aren't there simply to stir the pot (although many are). The best trolls are there to expand your consciousness and make you see many sides of an issue. For instance: it's real easy to get drawn into the Israeli-Palestinian thing and think that everything is the fault of one side or another. A proper troll will spank you hard for thinking like that.

hockey is a sport? I just thought it was drunk Canadians fighting with sticks. *runs away*

I think its much more likely that a natural process is at work here. Aliens would probably be much more interested in earth and its many trailer parks.

South Eastern Conference Win by default

It's Don Quixote. He was considered a little crazy but he had no men to get killed.

I am a very special type of troll. Not like any of the ones listed. I like to attack what is considered "the conventional wisdom". When the conventional wisdom says that Obama is the best thing since sliced bread or Bush has horns and a forked tail, I attack! The truth is always somewhere in the middle and to we get entirely to comfortable with corporations reading corporate press releases telling us that other corporations are evil. Once upon a time the conventional wisdom said that left handed people were the devil's own and that homosexuals needed lobotomies. THINK for yourself. CHALLENGE convention. FIND the truth.

Strange Hollows Discovered on Mercury NASA/JPL Press Release Oct 24, 2011: NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has discovered strange hollows on the surface of Mercury. Images taken from orbit reveal thousands of peculiar depressions at a variety of longitudes and latitudes, ranging in size from 60 feet to over a mile across and 60 to 120 feet deep. No one knows how they got there. "These hollows were a major surprise," says David Blewett, science team member from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. "We've been thinking of Mercury as a relic – a place that's really not changing much anymore, except by impact cratering. But the hollows appear to be younger than the craters in which they are found, and that means Mercury's surface is still evolving in a surprising way." Hollows inside the Raditladi impact basin. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted similar depressions in the carbon dioxide ice at Mars' south pole, giving that surface a "swiss cheese" appearance. But on Mercury they're found in rock and often have bright interiors and halos. "We've never seen anything quite like this on a rocky surface." If you could stand in one of these "sleepy" hollows on Mercury's surface, you'd find yourself, like Ichabod Crane, in a quiet, still, haunting place, with a black sky above your head. Another example of hollows in Tyagaraja, a crater 97 km in diameter. Courtesy of Science/AAAS "There's essentially no atmosphere on Mercury," explains Blewett. "And with no atmosphere, wind doesn't blow and rain doesn't fall. So the hollows weren't carved by wind or water. Other forces must be at work." As the planet closest to the Sun, Mercury is exposed to fierce heat and extreme space weather. Blewett believes these factors play a role. A key clue, he says, is that many of the hollows are associated with central mounds or mountains inside Mercury's impact craters. These so-called “peak rings” are thought to be made of material forced up from the depths by the impact that formed the crater. Excavated material could be unstable when it finds itself suddenly exposed at Mercury's surface. "Certain minerals, for example those that contain sulfur and other volatiles, would be easily vaporized by the onslaught of heat, solar wind, and micrometeoroids that Mercury experiences on a daily basis," he says. "Perhaps sulfur is vaporizing, leaving just the other minerals, and therefore weakening the rock and making it spongier. Then the rock would crumble and erode more readily, forming these depressions." A fresh 15-km-diameter impact crater. Hollows are present on a section of the crater wall that has slid partway down toward the floor. Courtesy of Science/AAAS [larger image] MESSENGER has indeed proven Mercury unexpectedly rich in sulfur. That in itself is a surprise that's forcing scientists to rethink how Mercury was formed. The prevailing models suggest that either (1) very early in Solar System history, during the final sweep-up of the large planetesimals that formed the planets, a colossal impact tore off much of Mercury's rocky outer layering; or (2) a hot phase of the early Sun heated up the surface enough to scorch off the outer layers. In either case, the elements with a low boiling point – volatiles like sulfur and potassium – would have been driven off. But they're still there. "The old models just don't fit with the new data, so we'll have to look at other hypotheses." To figure out how the planets and Solar System came to be, scientists must understand Mercury. "It's the anchor at one end of the Solar System. Learning how Mercury formed will have major implications for the rest of the planets. And MESSENGER is showing that, up to now, we've been completely wrong about this little world in so many ways!" What other surprises does Mercury hold? The sleepy hollows of the innermost planet may be just the beginning. _______________________________ Every time we visit a world that thought to be dead, we have found some dynamic process at work. Nature is a great teacher and in this case, its how much more that we have to learn.

I Know nothing about the case but I caution everyone against jumping to conclusions. There are many possible motives for murder. The young mans sexuality may not have been the issue. For instance: if he was friends with a girl who had a husband or boyfriend, it's possible that he was perceived as a rival and killed out of jealously. It's sad that he was murdered for any reason. Let the investigation proceed and lets see if it was indeed a hate crime.

Nope. Not at all. At least not on the list.

Wolverine (your score: 20) Characters: Lycas, Nilo, Sirin, and Drenis in the Aspect of Crow trilogy; Marcus in "The Wild's Call" Powers: Fighting ability—strength, speed, and toughness Nobody messes with Wolverines. You're fearless, assertive (okay, aggressive), and tenacious. You might be a Marine, or a middle linebacker. You're the best at whatever you choose to do, because you give yourself no alternative. Best matches: Bears, Cougars, Wolves Watch out for: Crows, Owls, Swans Was there ever any doubt!?

I'm frightening enough as it is. No need for a costume.

I'm glad to see anyone who feels secure enough to come out as long as they don't think they are the chosen spokesperson for all gay people on earth or act like a douche-bucket. Welcome to the party Mr. Quinto.