While (re)writing the review of _Life of Pi_ that I promised the kind readers of Flayrah, I was suprised to come across this news story. Martel's story of a hindu boy trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger has been acused of blatently lifting from Brazilian Moacyr Scliar's _Max And the Cats_ which is about... Er... A jewish boy trapped on a lifeboat with a panther.

Martel's reply, "why put up with a brilliant premise ruined by a lesser writer?".

Great news for those of us who tend to put things off until the last minute! Midwest Furfest's hotel, the Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, IL, has agreed to accept reservations at the con rate past the October 31st deadline for as long as there are rooms left in our block. The downside is that there really aren't a whole lot of rooms left, so get them while you can!

Call the hotel to make your reservations at (847) 605-1234, or toll free (800) 233-1234. If you have any questions, please send an
email to hotel@furfest.org.

See you in a little under three weeks!

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that many hobby farmers in western states are forming a network to preserve endangered livestock -- breeds which have fallen out of favor for one reason or another. The article includes pictures of several rare Jacob Sheep, once much prized for its multi-colored wool

CBC news is reporting that raccoons are invading Manitoba in significant numbers. One person is quoted in the article as coining a new phrase to describe the raccoon: "The zebra mussel of the prairies."

Further Confusion's hotel room block ran out of rooms for the 22nd, 26th, and 27th of January last week. Many thanks, it looks like we are expecting a big crowd this year. We have expanded the block once more giving us an additional 40 rooms on each of the nights where we were low.

This evening's Simpsons Halloween Special (the thirteenth and final edition) featured as its final tale of horror a take-off on the Island of Dr. Moreau, called "The Island of Dr. Hibbert". In a reverse twist on the original plot by H. G. Wells, instead of animals turning into people it featured the extended Simpsons cast turning into animals.

Plot highlights: Homer has a romantic encounter with his wife after she turns bestial, and then at the conclusion of the tale he tries to convince the tribe of townie therianthropes to convert back to human, with an impassioned speech. "But all you do is eat! and sleep! And mate! And roll around in your own filth! And mate! And... Umm... Where do I sign up?" Homer joins the pack (as a walrus hominid, aptly), and they all live happily ever after.

The Canadian Anthro & Cartooning Expo (CACE) returns again next year in a new time slot (May 30 to June 1, 2003) and a new hotel, but don't worry ... we're still keeping the friendly atmosphere and the comfortable vibe! Also returning will be our great selection of workshops, classes and panels, the focus on the creative aspects of the fandom, the Art Show and Dealers Room, and our popular Friday Night Chocolate Social, amongst other attractions.

This second annual Recommended Furry Reading List has two purposes. Firstly, it is open for all Furry fans to recommend the best anthropomorphic movies, TV series, novels, artwork, games, etc. that they found during 2002. It is for fans who want to know what anthropomorphic movies, TV series, novels, etc. are worth looking for.

We are planning a re-launch of the FurNation System on November 1st, 2002. The new co-location will give FN a much needed boost in bandwidth and capacity, and should satisify the system requirements well into next year.

You may now bounce around in complete joy!

"The Sight" is a 500+ page British horror fantasy by David Clement-Davies about the supernatural struggle between good and evil among a pack of talking Transylvanian wolves. There are both hardcover and paperback editions. A plot synopsis and cover picture are online at Amazon.co.uk.

(mwalimu adds: Also has a listing at amazon.com.)

History has long recorded Laika the dog, the first living being in space, as having survived for some time after her lauch by the USSR in November 1957. Because Sputnik 2 couldn't be returned to Earth safely, the offical line was that Laika was given a dose of poisoned rations after a week in space, and died peacefully, saving her from a death-from-re-entry. A later therory emerged claiming she only lived 4 days, then overheated. The reciently revealed truth is even worse, and shows that the little stray died a much nastier death than the poison story, and much sooner than four days. Within the first few hours after launch, Laika was dead from overheating and panic.

Ironically, her 'sucess' was taken to show that people wouldn't come to harm from the forces and stresses of a launch and a zero-g environment, leading to the first people in space.

Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade "may be fairly counted as the last great anime film of the 20th century–or perhaps the first great one of the 21st" as it's official website labels it. And it is a title well deserved.

Rabbit Valley is trying to raise money for a reprint of the acclaimed Associated Student Bodies comic series. Visit Rabbit Valley's Web Site or FurEAuction for a full list of items available. Lots of classic and rare 1980's comics from Sean's collection are included. (Also keep an eye out for some rare ASB issues too!)

If all goes as planned, Rabbit Valley hopes to have the new printing in time for Further Confusion. Stay tooned...

Sunday morning, October 27, Margaret Julia Groat came into the world. The proud parents are Jim and Rebekah Groat. Congratulations to them!

I just recently saw the commercial for the Simpsons annual Halloween special. There's some apparent transformation in there, and a lot of furry goodness (Marge becomes a feline, Bart a spider, Lisa an owl and Homer a Walrus... and Ned becomes a Cowtaur). I'll be setting my VCR for this one...