Looks like Smokey Bear has some competition.

Oregon-based Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) has introduced its new mascot, Reddy Squirrel. The rake-toting red squirrel was FSEEE's response to the U.S. Forest Service and Ad Council's recently revamped Smokey Bear fire-prevention campaign. To reflect increased dangers faced by homeowners living near forests, Smokey Bear's 58-year old motto has been changed to "Only you can prevent wildfires."

FSEEE maintains that since forest fires are not preventable, the Forest Service should emphasize how to prepare for the inevitable wildfires. Reddy's motto is "No one can prevent forest fires. Be ready!"

Reddy Squirrel will make her debut September 1 in Forest Magazine. Andy Stahl, executive director of FSEEE, said the Reddy Squirrel campaign will target people who live in or near forests, and the insurance companies that underwrite their homes. Although the group has only spent $25 on the character, a Web-based cartoon, television and radio spots, and packets of information for homeowners are also planned.

Midwest Furfest is pleased to announce the availability of online registration for its upcoming convention (which occurs November 22-24, 2002 near Chicago, Illinois, but you already knew that). You can now enter all of your information in and pay in a couple of easy steps. Yes, you can have that warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing that your registration is secure and complete, with no messy checks to write, no nasty-tasting envelopes to lick, no painful paper cuts to endure!

All you have to do is stop by http://www.furfest.org/registration/onlinereg and follow the instructions there. We look forward to seeing you in November!

And now, the answers to a few questions that might arise:

Though it's no Jolt Cola, green tea has been found to be remarkably effective as a treatment for skin cancers in mice, and scientists hope that caffeine may soon be used to help kill these harmful cells in humans. Though previous studies have shown injesting caffeine can also combat skin cancer, there are doubts to whether the amount needed is suitable for human consumption.
"Whether you can give enough orally to be effective in humans is not known," Allan Conney, researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey, says."Whether people could ingest that amount without becoming hyperactive is also a real question mark."

Alright!!! One of my all time favorite games is getting an update and in the day of cel shaded 3d graphics it'll be interesting to see how they do it this time. For more details check out the press release.

If you are on the bubble deciding if you can afford to go to this year's ConiFur NorthWest, now is the perfect time to check out the current competitive pricing plans that the various airlines are offering. Upon getting reports of very low rates from some of our membership, I've been doing research online and found that round trip tickets are indeed dropping quite a bit. Most coast to coast round trip tickets are at $300 or less! Now you can fly for as low as $236 through American Airlines for example. Fares up and down the west coast average $180 or less. Many others are matching this fare or offering better deals.

Try Orbitz and Travelocity for low fares.

Now is the time to shop for those great prices! And don't forget to make your reservations for your hotel room as well as they are going fast.

-Dan Canaan
-Flinthoof
-ConiFur NorthWest