Nick Park's Aardman Animation department, previously responsible for Wallace + Grommit and Chicken Run, will be reviving their old Academy Award-winning classic "Creature Comforts" as a 13-episode series for ITV1 in 2003. Alas, that leaves us US fans to forage for it...

http://www.c21media.net/news/news_dtl.asp?id=3430&categ=3

Just when you thought all squirrels were good for is stashing peanuts and acting silly, Ananova reports about one who helped the cops at a burglary scene.

A lot of furries keep unusual pets, but how about a pygmy hippo?
The 500 pound endangered water animal was kept in the man's yard for over a decade along with many other species of unusual birds and animals. A realtor showing a house nearby tipped off the California Fish and Game, who seized the hippo after the owner could not produce a permit for it. It will be moved to a home for hippos in Florida.

Créations, a Quebec supplier of professional mascots best known for the Montreal Expos mascot Youppi!, has lodged a complaint against Bell Canada for running a series of advertisements the company believes are responsible for a wave of mascot abuse.

Jean-Claude Tremblay, the company's president, complained in a National Post article:

"Just this weekend I had one [mascot] with six people on him. They tried unzipping his costume ... one of the kids was halfway inside the costume with the person. He fell on his back and then they jumped on him."

http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20020529/377315.html

A reliable insider at the SciFi Channel's bulletin board has given some information on the announced "Battlestar Galactica" remake. According to him, the Channel's President Bonnie Hammer is not giving producers Ron Moore and David Eick much latitude with the story. She wants a show with more sex, focused on teen characters, and their love problems.

You decide! Check out my newest scaley-furry alien story on Strange Horizons, Freedom, Spiced and Drunk. Afterwards, you can learn more about the Jokka at Cheldzan Jokku.

Since late 1999, the Australian Museum has involved in a project unique in this world- the cloning of an extinct species, namely the Tasmanian Tiger. While no living representative of this species has been witnessed since the death of the last one in captivity in 1936, the museum possesses several preserved pups. While the ones that were preserved in formalin are unusable due to the effect of the preservative on the cell structure, there is a female pup that was preserved in ethanol. She is the linchpin of the cloning project, as this allowed intact DNA strands to persist. While the successful replication of individual Tasmanian Tiger genes, as detailed at http://www.austmus.gov.au/thylacine/newsrelease.htm,
does not mean there will be a living representive of the species any time soon, it does mark something singular. For the first time in human history, there is the indication that we may be able to bring back from the darkness of death and total extinction a unique species that was destroyed solely by our hands.

Word is out that Warner Brothers will begin making Looney Tunes theatrical shorts for pre-movie entertainment again. For more info:

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34926

The opening weekend for Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron was the best for a 2D animated film since Disney's Tarzan. Pulling upwards of $24 million, it looks to have a smooth run at the box office. The DVD is scheduled for release in November. For the full scoop:

http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34962

My beautiful and talented programming director Susan Parkin (SusanDeer) has informed me that we have a few open spots on our preliminary programming schedule. If you have an idea for a panel, roundtable, or workshop (and particularly if you are willing to run it!) please drop a note to programming@anthrocon.org. Better still, you can submit your idea on our handy-dandy Programming Suggestion Form at
http://www.anthrocon.org/info/progform

And do not forget our INVENTION FAIR! We've already had a lot of inquiries and have heard some very good preliminary ideas. The full
information can be found on our web page at
http://www.anthrocon.org/info/programming. The deadline for entry is June 20, so get those brains in gear. Remember, one of the prizes we're offering to our resident geniuses is a FREE ROOM-NIGHT at the Adams Mark! Cut down on your hotel costs by showing off your cerebral capacity!

And for those who have been asking, the elevator renovation project is on schedule. By this year's con we should have one guest elevator working on the new 21st-century program (and one staff elevator as well, so the maids can get the towels up to you); one elevator will be undergoing renovation, and two will be on the old 19th-century program. We should see a noticeable difference in elevator response this year, and by next year it will not be an issue. Our thanks to "Magic Tom" Hughsted, the Adams Mark's Convention Services Manager, for all of his dilligent help.

-- Uncle Kage

A bill to ensure that the state respects and protects the dignity of humans has passed in Germany with a clause adding animals as well.
Don't know what else to say on the matter, so comment away and read the article here.

1. Info From the Head Mad Hatters

Greetings fellow furs. Well, summer is nearly here and preparations for FC2003 are well on their way. I cant help but to be excited about the things to come. Including out camp-out and picnic listed below. Break out the smores! Mmmmm chocolate.....mmmmm. Anyhow, there is ONE thing that I would like to try to help clarify. FC has been advertising itself as having the first 5 day con. I just wanted to let everyone know that even though the actual convention space and a few events WILL indeed span the course of 5 days, that ALL traditional programming will occur on traditional days. So for those of you who are unable to stay around, you
will not miss out on the quality traditional programming that you have come to expect from FC. So come for 3 or stay for 5, all we are concerned about is seeing your happy faces enjoying our improved schedule of events and the company of your fellow furs at our new, awesome hotel.

Also, take some time to scan over our web pages and be sure to return. Many new exciting things will be appearing in the near future, including our forums, some of our new imaginative interactive events and some surprises thrown in just for fun.

As posted to alt.fan.furry:
From: Dr. Samuel Conway
Newsgroups: alt.fan.furry
Subject: FUR: ANTHROCON hotel announcement
Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 08:45:42 -0400

The Adams Mark has decided to give us the "Run of the house", which means they have released *every* sleeping room.

And naturally, the remaining rooms filled up in a matter of days.

U.S Representative Nick Lampson has introduced legislation aimed at revitalizing America's human space exploration. Full details are available in the SpaceRef article.

Some local news... A golf ball stealing fox is back in action on a Winnipeg golf course. No one is quite sure why the fox waits in ambush, waiting to steal a ball off a green, and no one knows where it's hiding them. Golfers beware!