Definitions by andy
Nadziranim
Singular Nadziran. Evil wizard-creatures in the employ of the Darklords in the Lone Wolf series. Their evil powers include the ability to distort perceptions and change people's memories to drive them mad, as illustrated with the character Qinefer in the Legends of Lone Wolf novels.
They appear as dark shadows containing multicoloured flickering lights.
They appear as dark shadows containing multicoloured flickering lights.
Nadziranim by Andy May 1, 2004
Stalinvast
A world in Ian Watson's Warhammer 2000 novels. It is a hive world in which humans live in vast enclosed cities or "hives", while the remainder of the planet remains wild.
The world is destroyed by the Empire at the end of the first book, to eradicate Genestealers and a demonic hydra-creature which had been planted at its core by a secret cabal.
The world is destroyed by the Empire at the end of the first book, to eradicate Genestealers and a demonic hydra-creature which had been planted at its core by a secret cabal.
It's a pretty strange name for a planet. Like, a Russian dictator who's put on weight? I'm surprised anyone settled there.
Stalinvast by Andy May 1, 2004
journo
Corporate journalist (political slang word). aka propagandist.
Journos are scumbags who tape people fighting the cops and stuff like that, knowing damn well that the cops will get the pictures off them and use them to persecute people, but who go ahead regardless, and then act all shocked when their cameras get smashed and they get chased off.
Also responsible for most of the disinformation which people take for "common sense" - for instance, the idea that the US has "liberated" Iraq.
For every one good journalist, there's ten or twenty who are corporate whores.
Journos are scumbags who tape people fighting the cops and stuff like that, knowing damn well that the cops will get the pictures off them and use them to persecute people, but who go ahead regardless, and then act all shocked when their cameras get smashed and they get chased off.
Also responsible for most of the disinformation which people take for "common sense" - for instance, the idea that the US has "liberated" Iraq.
For every one good journalist, there's ten or twenty who are corporate whores.
Some favourite journo tricks:
Make out before a demo that there's going to be loads more people than they will, and that there'll be trouble when there won't - thereby making an excuse for repression - and then when the crisis fails to materialise, attribute this to the repressive policing which was legitimated by the initial scare stories. e.g. London Mayday.
Just ignore events which don't fit your worldview or your story. For instance, only ever cover violent protests and ignore any where there's no trouble. Or don't bother covering the protest itself - just make a fuss about how there was "no violence" and this was all the cops' doing. c.f. non-coverage of the third day of protests at the Gothenburg EU summit (because they were peaceful).
Cut bits from out of interviews so everyone says what you want them to say. For instance, in the Rushdie affair, local news put on an Asian saying the book had stirred controversy and a white guy saying he defended free speech. All very stereotypical. But get the full transcript and you find the Asian guy said he supported the book even though it caused controversy, and the white guy was a Nazi who wanted Asians out of Britain, rambled on forever and just said a little snippet about free speech in the middle. It was cut and pasted to make it fit preconceptions.
Get all your info from a single biased source. For instance, info on protests and on "race relations" comes from the police. If the police are your only source, you end up always tailing their line, without even knowing it. Another example is the "lobby system": in Parliament, some journos are allowed into the inner sanctum of political life... as long as they agree only to report the stuff they're told officially. So they might be able to find out that MP such-and-such is doing coke or that so-and-so admitted that the Iraq war was all about oil, but they aren't supposed to reveal it - yet they sound authoritative because they're in the inner sanctum and can quote "sources close to the prime minister" and stuff like that.
Ask a question such as, "do you think the liberation of the Iraqi people was a good thing?" - if someone says "well yes I suppose", report this as: "such and such says US is right: we needed to overthrow dictator, says such and such in interview".
Divide news up into chunks and don't put together stuff which is similar. For instance, NEVER link economics and politics. This way everything stays confusing.
Use simplifying concepts. For instance, every conflict in Africa is by definition "tribal" and a proof of "their" incivility. Anyone who uses force against a government the west likes must be a "terrorist" and be motivated by an irrational ideology or religion. And so on. That way, everything seems to make sense and nobody asks any questions about what's REALLY going on (e.g. mobile phone companies in the Congo, US support for the mujahideen in Afghanistan, etc. etc.).
Any rumour you like the sounds of is a "fact". Any fact you don't like the sounds of is a "rumour" (make sure to include "rumours" from the other side as well).
Make out before a demo that there's going to be loads more people than they will, and that there'll be trouble when there won't - thereby making an excuse for repression - and then when the crisis fails to materialise, attribute this to the repressive policing which was legitimated by the initial scare stories. e.g. London Mayday.
Just ignore events which don't fit your worldview or your story. For instance, only ever cover violent protests and ignore any where there's no trouble. Or don't bother covering the protest itself - just make a fuss about how there was "no violence" and this was all the cops' doing. c.f. non-coverage of the third day of protests at the Gothenburg EU summit (because they were peaceful).
Cut bits from out of interviews so everyone says what you want them to say. For instance, in the Rushdie affair, local news put on an Asian saying the book had stirred controversy and a white guy saying he defended free speech. All very stereotypical. But get the full transcript and you find the Asian guy said he supported the book even though it caused controversy, and the white guy was a Nazi who wanted Asians out of Britain, rambled on forever and just said a little snippet about free speech in the middle. It was cut and pasted to make it fit preconceptions.
Get all your info from a single biased source. For instance, info on protests and on "race relations" comes from the police. If the police are your only source, you end up always tailing their line, without even knowing it. Another example is the "lobby system": in Parliament, some journos are allowed into the inner sanctum of political life... as long as they agree only to report the stuff they're told officially. So they might be able to find out that MP such-and-such is doing coke or that so-and-so admitted that the Iraq war was all about oil, but they aren't supposed to reveal it - yet they sound authoritative because they're in the inner sanctum and can quote "sources close to the prime minister" and stuff like that.
Ask a question such as, "do you think the liberation of the Iraqi people was a good thing?" - if someone says "well yes I suppose", report this as: "such and such says US is right: we needed to overthrow dictator, says such and such in interview".
Divide news up into chunks and don't put together stuff which is similar. For instance, NEVER link economics and politics. This way everything stays confusing.
Use simplifying concepts. For instance, every conflict in Africa is by definition "tribal" and a proof of "their" incivility. Anyone who uses force against a government the west likes must be a "terrorist" and be motivated by an irrational ideology or religion. And so on. That way, everything seems to make sense and nobody asks any questions about what's REALLY going on (e.g. mobile phone companies in the Congo, US support for the mujahideen in Afghanistan, etc. etc.).
Any rumour you like the sounds of is a "fact". Any fact you don't like the sounds of is a "rumour" (make sure to include "rumours" from the other side as well).
Moonbase
A base established on a moon. In particular, the two bases established by the Autobots on the two moons of Cybertron prior to Transformers: The Movie. Given the highly original names "Moonbase One" and "Moonbase Two" (!!), these were to be the base of operations for recapturing Cybertron from the Decepticons. They were meant to be secret, but the Decepticon Laserbeak was able to infiltrate them. Before any attack could be launched, the moons were devoured by Unicron.
Helghast
Powerful shape-shifting monster from the Darklands, in the world of Magnamund. Appear most prominently in Lone Wolf 2: Fire on the Water and the corresponding novels (Legends of Lone Wolf 3 in Britain, 3 and 4 in America).
In its true form, a Helghast looks like an undead creature with a rotting face and glowing red eyes, and wears a long hooded cloak. Helghast can, however, disguise themselves as humans and other creatures, and are often used as spies and assassins. Very strong (for a monster encountered at this point in the series), they are also immune to ordinary weapons and can only be damaged by magic weapons. (Because Helghast are undead, the Sommerswerd does them double damage).
Lone Wolf is tracked and attacked by a number of Helghast while attempting to reach Durenor. Most importantly, the tunnel into Hammerdal is overrun with the creatures. There is also a Helghast in the Ragadorn Ale-House Brawl board game.
The word is both singular and plural.
In its true form, a Helghast looks like an undead creature with a rotting face and glowing red eyes, and wears a long hooded cloak. Helghast can, however, disguise themselves as humans and other creatures, and are often used as spies and assassins. Very strong (for a monster encountered at this point in the series), they are also immune to ordinary weapons and can only be damaged by magic weapons. (Because Helghast are undead, the Sommerswerd does them double damage).
Lone Wolf is tracked and attacked by a number of Helghast while attempting to reach Durenor. Most importantly, the tunnel into Hammerdal is overrun with the creatures. There is also a Helghast in the Ragadorn Ale-House Brawl board game.
The word is both singular and plural.
Leviathan
1) any large, powerful monster or creature.
2) a giant whale in Greek (or is it Roman?) mythology.
3) a similar giant whale in Final Fantasy games.
4) title of a book by Thomas Hobbes, which gives an authoritarian argument that flaws in human nature make the state necessary.
5) a name for the state, especially an authoritarian and far-reaching state, derived from Hobbes's book.
2) a giant whale in Greek (or is it Roman?) mythology.
3) a similar giant whale in Final Fantasy games.
4) title of a book by Thomas Hobbes, which gives an authoritarian argument that flaws in human nature make the state necessary.
5) a name for the state, especially an authoritarian and far-reaching state, derived from Hobbes's book.
garda
Armoured band of cunts in the Republic of Ireland, equivalent to pigs everywhere else. These baton-wielding yobs act much the same way as their sister organisations elsewhere, beating up foreigners and protesters and generally making the world a nastier place.
Like the IRA, they wear all black and cover their faces with masks (the riot squad do, anyway). Unlike the IRA, they don't even PRETEND to be fighting for liberation.
Like the IRA, they wear all black and cover their faces with masks (the riot squad do, anyway). Unlike the IRA, they don't even PRETEND to be fighting for liberation.