Sent in by Doodles: "Well, this _has_ been a weekend, hasn't it? Enough about wailing and gnashing of teeth. May's catalog is coming and there's lots of crunchy goodness for all as the publishers get their act in gear for ComicCon International. There's some new titles this month, and lots of old ones. So much for saving up for college. =};-3"

Three months after the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia, investigators have discovered that one of the on-board experiments - containing live worms - survived.

The worms, known as C. elegans, are nematodes about the size of a pencil tip. They were stored in canisters mid-deck aboard the shuttle and had remained unopened until this week. With a life cycle of only about eight days, the worms are several generations removed from their ancestors placed aboard the shuttle in January.

Ohio Morphicon's Year Zero party will be held June 21 in Columbus Ohio. Please check out:

http://ofc.wereanimal.net/

...for more information. We'll have a free picnic and puppet show, predator/prey games, an outing for miniature golf, break for dinner, and then furry bowling in the evening. There will also be a possible zoo trip the following day, pending interest.

This is all to set the stage for next year's Ohio Morphicon furmeet, planned around the same time.

Ohio Morphicon is an upcoming (2004) first-year furmeet. Please see our webpage for more information!

Trickster

Since we've done well with our room block and since some room types were sold out while others types remained, the hotel has adjusted things a bit and agreed to extend the reservation deadline to May 7 (next Wed). Please see http://www.c-ace.org/ for more information.

Here is a direct copy of what I just finished posting on AFF.

read on...

Below is an announcement that Uncle Kage asked me to pass on to Flayrah

Horse and Dog is artist Boyd Webb's fourth film, and it follows the journey of the two animals across the English countryside on a camping trip. A summary of the work is here, with accompanying essay "Noble Beasts", while a less forgiving review can be read in The Guardian

Horse and Dog is showing in London from April 25th - May 25th in the Estorick Collection.

[This news was e.mailed as a press release from the Internet Room at ConFurence 2003 last Friday. Now that I am home and using my own computer, here it is again from me.]

The winners of the second annual Ursa Major Awards (formally the Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts of the Year Awards), for the Best in anthropomorphic/"funny animal" literature and art first published during the calendar year 2002, were announced at a presentation ceremony on Friday, April 25 at ConFurence 2003, the 15th annual International Anthropomorphic Convention held at the Hilton Burbank Airport and Convention Center in Burbank, California on April 25 - 27, 2003.

Editor's note: this piece refers to what are now known as the 2002 Ursa Major Awards.

Men in the UK may soon be able to be screened for prostate cancer by a sensitive canine nose. Few other details, but abc.net.au has the scoop.

Skunky Scuttlebutt
The Official Newsletter of Mephit FurMeet 2003!
Volume 2

In this Edition:

"Put a Tiger on Your Table"
Airline Discounts
Dealers Den Updates
LAN Gaming
Registration News
Video Contest
Volunteering
T-Shirt Contest
Hotel Information
Health/Medical Reminders
Charity Auction Updates

Hey Y'all,

Come join us for the very first Rocket City FurMeet and have lots of fun with Furry friends from all over while seeing just how lovely springtime in Alabama can be! Make plans now to travel down Sowth, and come visit the real home of the US Space Program, Huntsville, Alabama!

We're putting together quite a variety of events and things to do while at RCFM, including a panel with our Guest of Honor Bill Holbrook (author of the comic strips Kevin & Kell, On the Fastrack and Safe Havens).

On alt.fan.furry this morning, Doodles announced Confurence is dead...read on...

Perhaps some of the animals of the Kruger National Park of South Africa know that the best defence is a good offence. Its reported that a poacher, toting an assault rifle and an axe was killed, by an elephant and a leopard!. This South African site has the details.

Andre the seal accidentally found himself in the Scottish River Leven and Loch Lammond. He had been eating salmon stocks worth thousands of British pounds. The town tried to capture him, but failed. In the end, they did the only thing they could: they granted him a fishing license.

Happy birthday, structure of DNA! This landmark discovery was first published 50 years ago today.