/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/ "Semarak Api" The 88th Firebirds Official Newsletter Website: http://ftp.sarawak.com.my/org/firebirds/ Online Version: http://ftp.sarawak.com.my/org/firebirds/newsletter.htm Volume Twelve, 15 March 1998 Part A /~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/ PART A: Atten-HUT! Classified Ad Latest News and Updates Bulletin Board So You Want to be a Marine.... PART B: >From the Quill Pen Musings of a Guylian-Eating Officer Addresses and Sites /~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/ <^><^><^><^><^> Atten-HUT! <^><^><^><^><^> How was your fortnight, everyone? Here's hoping that this newsletter will be the perfect thing to top it off! Believe me, I try my best. :) We have a fair bit of S:AaB news, as well as an impeccably filled "Musings" column. "So You Want to be a Marine..." is somewhat unique this fortnight, and I hope that you'll enjoy its difference. Unfortunately, "Interstellar Chat Radio" will not be included in this issue, due to lack of submissions and space constraint. Still, I hope that the rest will be more than enough to make up for it. Continuing "Semarak Api"'s salute to the cast of Space: Above and Beyond, this fortnight we turn our focus to Morgan Weisser, more familiarly known as the obsessed Nathan West. As always, thank-yous and a few rounds of Chiggy von Rootbeers goes to Peregrine and Albatross, without whom this newsletter would not be possible. I'd also like to say thank you to Kate 'Doc' Duncan and Jennifer 'Octavia' Ray for their invaluable contribution to "Semarak Api". Happy reading. Semper fi! Captain Yasmin "Garuda" M. 88th Firebirds Squadron <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> Latest News and Updates <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> 88th FIREBIRDS NEWS _Recruits_ I'd like to say "Welcome!" to our newest member, Uma (Nightingale). She'll be joining the newsletter list. SPACE: ABOVE AND BEYOND NEWS _General_ The April issue of _Starlog_ (#249) has a good three-page story on Glen Morgan and Jim Wong, written by Marc Shapiro. It focuses mostly on Space but also on The X-Files. There's color photos of the Wild Cards and McQueen, as well as quotes from Morgan and Wong. The article is quoted as saying: "Space", however, isn't completely, utterly, totally dead. The show is now airing in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel and in overseas markets. And the release of "Starship Troopers" -- its literary source a precursor to "Space: Above and Beyond" -- *might*, along with the current aggressive fan-led campaign, spawn a Space revival. _Cast and Crew_ Joel de la Fuente has recently performed in a play at Naked Angels/The Tiffany Theatre. Joel said, "The name of the evening is: Winter Shorts 2. There are six short plays in the evening. I'm in the second, entitled 'Little Bites.' It is directed by Josh Hamilton and I am co-starring with Dina Spyby (most recently of 'Men Behaving Badly')." _Fandom_ Operation Adopt-a-Bill: the Space Ready Reserves needs your help in order to continue to advertise on the Sci-Fi Channel and in various publications, as well as to continue to drum up grass-roots support for Space at conventions, and to meet other operating costs. To get a list of SRR bills needing adoption, go to You can reach these pages and the sponsors list from the main logistics webpage at . _Merchandise_ New Ready Reserves t-shirts, as well as other paraphernalia, can be seen at . There is also an order form which you can use to order these merchandise. More merchandise is also available at , which has pictures and descriptions of the items. If you can't web-browse and need a text version complete with order form, you can send mail to the auto-mailer at . <^><^><^><^><^><^> Bulletin Board <^><^><^><^><^><^> Subject: The Meaning of Wang From: Hudhud Hey FBs ! Got this from The Star, January 28. I think you should read it. After the Jade Emperor made the tiger the guard of heaven, the animals on earth began to hunt and eat humans. Heeding mankind's pleas for protection, the emperor sent the tiger down to restore order. It fought many battles with the lion, horse and bear. And when the great turtle of the sea threatened human lives by causing floods, the tiger slew it. For its might and bravery, the tiger earned its stripes when the Jade Emperor marked its skin with one stroke for every animal he had defeated and made him king of all the other animals. The Chinese interpreted the markings on the forehead of the tiger as the pictogram 'wang' meaning 'king' and honoured the creature accordingly. Oh my, I guess Paul's callsign should be 'King', not 'Joker'. A very great thanks to my best friend Uma who struggled herself to find out about this. __________________________________________________________ Subject: S:AaB World Roster From: Wildfire , 41st Wild Furies/Asian Airwing The listings of S:AABers from Canada and USA have been updated. Ukraine has been added to the countries listed. URL: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/4441/saabworld.html __________________________________________________________ Subject: 2 tapes needed From: Wonder Man , Asian Airwing We in UAE Dubai have Arab Sat & Asia SAT (well..most of us). So when Space AaB was aired we saw it on Star Plus (mid last year) at that time I was in Oman & I lost recording 1/2 of the 1st eps. While moving to Dubai I lost recording another one : "the one when the 58th were on a planet and met some old colonel with old tank & wang met Elroy-L and Wang tried to steel some parts from the 58th etc etc I can't remember the rest". [Garuda's note: the episode is "Pearly"] Now, unfortunately when the Star Plus re-air them I was on a vacation!! And missed it again! Since we all in Asia, can some one close from here who tape these two eps. Pls. send me a copy (can contact me for that) and will pay whatever needed with many many many many many thanks. <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> So You Want to be a Marine.... <^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^><^> An Afrit Sang by 1st Lt Antonio Vince De Capello, USMC (Vietnam vet) ...shut yer eyes, minkie. it ain't no use you can let them fall but an afrit follows. ...heeled by fear haring you to make hell on earth none too sparingly. Daring the spittle to flow from the breast to cleave the brain no dice, no dice all bets are off... see? an afrit follows. man! you're all spinal beating chicken, hatching tick-bombs getting easy aint it preacher? getting with it, father-of-two? Alarm's an alarming wake sound off, three four dip the stick hit the floor cannon one-two, short. war's on the cinq senses obliterating my premier man's touch, my hand's were not mine to shake Mortar romances target zero like woman and me when we say hello like romeo with juliet nihilo tragedy a-baste with spongiform lust the afrit gets some. growing and dead before long feeding on decay making gravy from fat swollen bodied corpses making happy on life's little surprises the rifle sputs, a trifling tattoo, that soldier's breath stops short -----mercy's hollow ring a bell instead ---accompaniment for death's suite We be the chorus.... Warm up the band. and the afrit sings pastoral. /~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~/ CONTINUES IN PART B