Lord Liaden

I'm not sure if you're aware that The Phantom is one of the seminal figures in the evolution of comic-book heroes, having first appeared in newspaper strips in 1936, and published almost continuously ever since. He was the first hero to wear a colorful skin-tight costume, and a mask with pupiless eyes. He had a secret jungle headquarters and animal companions. He's often considered a transitional figure between pulp-era characters like the Shadow and Tarzan, and the likes of Superman, Batman, and Captain America.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom

Per Beau's breakdown above, probably the best outcome we could have hoped for under the circumstances.

Last time I read that article it said that there weren't 40 women, children, and elderly for the initial exchange, but that there were still ~100 hostages left that haven't been bombed, shot, or starved to death by the Israelis.

Story being updated now.  The aerial attack did very little damage.  NYT is reporting minor damage to 1 military base, with no injuries.  CNN says Biden administration says "almost all" drones and missiles were shot down.

Iran has actually displayed remarkable restraint during this whole affair in Gaza. It's clear that the Iranian government does not want a wider conflict, just as it's clear Bibi wants to provoke one. That's why I don't think escalation is inevitable. This time Israel launched the attack, so Iran for political and military reasons must respond; but they're trying to keep any response proportional to the provocation.
 
Hamas is a big part of the problem here. They do want escalation, to radicalize more Palestinians. Unfortunately Iran does not have enough influence over Hamas' leadership to outright stop them, but I don't doubt they're putting as much pressure on Hamas to modify their actions, as the United States is putting on Israel.

I wasn't praising them. Just pointing out a fact.
 
Below is a thorough, non-partisan analysis of Iran's response to the Israeli strike, its implications and possible outcomes. If you want a clearer understanding of the dynamics involved, it's worth investing eight minutes forty seconds.
 
 

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Nobody makes Hulk twerk. It balances out.

Thing is, the trial Trump is mouthing off about now is a criminal trial, not civil. Penalties for violating those orders, and/or contempt of court, is not fines. It's jail time.

“Although it is the instinct of every district attorney to defend convictions, our job is to see that justice is done.”
 
It's refreshing to hear a prosecutor express that principle, even in Texas. It's one that should be emphasized throughout the judiciary and law enforcement.

"The University of Memphis said in a statement that due to free speech, they cannot legally prohibit the event."
 
That's garbage and they know it. The First Amendment applies to government censoring or banning speech. It doesn't require any private organization to provide a platform for speech that it doesn't approve of.

Trump is used to dragging out law suits against himself, making them so costly and time-consuming that the other party eventually drops the case, while also trying to intimidate them. He doesn't seem to understand that the "other party" in this case has far more resources than he does, and is beyond his power to intimidate.

In the books and Netflix series a cortical stack effectively grants you Life Support immortality by way of an obvious inaccessible focus. The books describe rich people having banks of blank clones for them to download into. One punishment in this world is to forcibly remove someone’s digital self from “their” body and adding the now empty body to the public bank of available bodies. The first book has the main character walking around in someone else’s body and having to deal with their nicotine addiction and attraction to another character. This might be a transform attack in Hero terms. Transform from human body to cortical stack digital human freight and vice versa. 

Well, my apartment's water heater broke down. I'll have to borrow hot water from my landlord downstairs until he can get it fixed. The pump was making some rather disturbing sounds, though, maybe it's possessed.

Jurassic Park eat your heart out: scientists really are bringing back extinct beasts

I didn't see any of that, but Cthulhu dropped by to borrow my lawn mower.

That's still a better look than any of her three catsuits. At least it's a uniform. 

Hmm... well, those times I've seen "cosmic/primal energies" referred to in Champions SFX, or in the comics, it's usually for things comparable to the Silver Surfer's Power Cosmic, Darkseid's Omega Beams, Green Lantern's green energy, the Infinity Gems/Stones, and the like. Implicitly, something grander and more fundamental than even stellar plasma. But for your game, of course you can define it as you like.

Most of what magic feel magical in Hero is focusing on the special effects and description rather than mechanics.  I mean you can buid all the D&D spells with Hero, but there's a big difference between "8d6 blast vs ED (fire) Area Effect Radius Explosion -3 to Magic Skill roll" and "a spark of fire flies from his fingertips and erupts into a gigantic ball of flame!"

Enterprise was just starting to find its footing in season 4, exploring the founding of the UFP and the first conflict with the Romulans. And finally exchanging Jolene Blalock's ridiculous body stocking for a proper uniform.
 
Sad that it got cut off so soon.

I think this was the perfect response to a GOP proposal to rename Dulles airport after Trump.
 
Democratic congressmen unveil bill to rename a federal prison after Trump (nbcnews.com)
 
I'm just disappointed that nobody pointed out that renaming an airport after him wasn't so out of bounds, either, as he's likely a flight risk.

A disturbingly large proportion of the population needs that book, though the ones who need it most are least likely to read it.
(( merged ))