Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The Neopian News Brief, your super-convenient summary of everything that has happened in Neopia throughout the past few days. There's a great deal to discuss, so let's get right to it, shall we?
 Our lead item this week is the formidable arrival of... gruel! That's right, on Wednesday the Food Shop unleashed a mouthwatering wave of new items based upon this pasty porridge. Want to cool off when the weather heats up, but can't afford to break the bank? How about a delicious gruel lolly?!?
 Are you looking to fill your tummy while on the go? Then a handful of dried gruel capsules just might be the snack you need. Given gruel's relatively modest price, you'll be able to gladly say yes when your pets ask for more. Gruel, glorious gruel!
 Wednesday also saw the debut of our latest sponsor game, Bubble Yum Blow Out! Floyd D. Duck is trying desperately to clear the board by popping all its bubbles, so help him to crane his neck and send more bubbles on their way. Connect three or more, and the bubbles will pop (earning you Neopoints and giving Floyd more room to work). Due to the relatively large amount of Neopoints that it gives out (I got over 800 NPs without even clearing Level Three on "Easy" mode), Bubble Yum Blow Out is quickly becoming a favourite in Neopia, ranking as one of the most played games on the site. Woohoo!
 Calling all stamp collectors! During the past week, four more stamps were added to the list of those currently available. Three stamps spotlighting the Virtupets Space Station were unveiled on Wednesday, featuring depictions of a roast gargapple, purple Grundo and N4 Bot.
 These three new releases have rarities between eighty and eighty-five, so if you're willing to wait a week or two, you should be able to snap them up for around 5,000 NP's or so. Additionally, a stamp featuring Commander Garoo will be awarded as the prize for this week's Lenny Conundrum, so look for those as they begin to turn up in the winners' shops early next week...
 Speaking of things turning up in shops next week, on Saturday the 23rd three new Petpet plushies will arrive in Claire's stores throughout the US and Canada. That's right, you and your pet will have a chance to get your hands (and their paws, or hooves, for those with Kau plushies) on an adorable Kadoatie, Harris, or white Doglefox plushie. This trio of sidekicks will not be Limited Edition, but keep in mind that this is probably the only shipment that will hit shelves before the holidays arrive.
 Stores are also being sent ten Rare Item Code cards, which will be given out to the first people who ask for them. Additionally, stores will also receive four lanyards each (a lanyard is a cord or strand worn around the neck, which is often used to carry keys, badges, whistles, and so on). These lanyards are never to be released again, so if you think you might want one, you had better hop over to Claire's on Saturday morning and pick yours up!
In one final merchandising note, Blue Bruces have begun to turn up in a number of Limited Too stores. If you fancy the idea of getting one, it might be a good idea to give your local LTD2 a call and see if any have come in...
 On Friday evening, the twisted genius responsible for such stellar titles as Meerca Chase and Carnival of Terror returned with his latest effort, a medieval opus called Escape From Meridell Castle. This time around, J. Boogie brings us the adventures of Valrigard the Draik, a noble warrior who has been stuck in the castle dungeon for the past three years. The unwitting victim of a dastardly set-up, Valrigard now needs your help to escape the dungeon and clear his name. One thing is for sure... it won't be easy. Are you up to the challenge?
 With all those ghost and Halloween paint brushes that popped up during the previous few weeks, it's only natural that things would return to normal for a little while (at least until the Christmas PB's start to roll out). This week saw the debut of four new paint brush styles that had nothing to do with either ghastly apparitions or yule tidings.
 On Monday, Neopians found a place in their heart for the baby Zafara, while Nimmos celebrated Tiki Tuesday in style, becoming the latest species to add the island paint brush to their collection of dazzling looks. Wednesday was the Scorchios' turn, as they became available in purple for the first time, and Friday marked the arrival of Fire Myncis. Hurray!
 This Friday was, indeed, a very special day at NeoPets, as we celebrated our third birthday. Not only was there vast merriment to be had by those in the office, but there were also some special treats for the rest of Neopia, as well. For starters, Cap'n Threelegs was feeling mighty generous, as he awarded free training to all who attended the Krawk Island Academy. There were also slices of birthday cake handed out at the Money Tree (and birthday cupcakes on sale in the Bakery), along with extra-special goodie bags that were for sale in the Toy Shop.
 Best of all, however, were all the birthday-related poems, drawings, and Caption Contest submissions that we received during the past few days. From all of us at NeoPets, we would like to give an extra special thanks to everybody who took the time to send something in and help make Friday such a memorable day!
 Now, it is time to take a closer look at the latest headlines from the world of finance. In the wake of last week's tumble by Kacheek Telecomm, many investors got wrapped up in the rumours of who might be next to get the axe. Meanwhile, others could not bear the thought of losing their life's savings at any given moment, and decided to get out of the market while they still had the chance.
 Despite an atmosphere of terror that is currently plaguing the economy, the Neodaq has still been able to show some signs of life, even pulling off a surprising twelve-point gain. When you think about it, given the current hostility towards the market (spurred on primarily by those who were burned by KATE's demise), it's pretty amazing to think that a company such as The Neopian Auction House could actually rally and put together an impressive twenty-two point gain like it has this week.
 However, there is one company whose success has left many investors very disturbed. Of course, I could only be speaking of Virtupets, whose value doubled this past week, climbing all the way up to forty NPs a share. As we've noted here before, it seems awfully strange that, while the rest of the economy continues to flounder, Virtupets keeps getting stronger and stronger...
 As is to be expected, a number of companies were victimised by all the rumours floating around this past week. Taking the biggest loss was Unis Beauty Salon, who were just one of a staggering ten companies that fell below the dreaded 15 NP mark. Apparently, despite holding a press conference to proclaim their innocence, it seems like investors are hesitant to take UNIB at their word (after all, who could forget the great "Peophin Shampoo Scandal" they were involved in last year?) Oh, and in case no one had noticed, even after you've included the four companies that climbed above 15 NP this week, there are still thirty-three companies (of the Big Board's forty-five) that are out of commission... incredible!
So then, you have investors continuing to wait for another scandal to erupt, while two-thirds of Neopia's companies remain stuck under fifteen NP. Yet, the Neodaq has posted a gain for the second straight week. What could possibly happen next? We will just have to wait and see....
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