Micah's stories

Help the Turtles!
Tue 24 Jul 2001 - 08:15

It's really difficult to post news about animals you can't help, so this morning I kept an eye out for 'Help Your Favorite Animal' type news. I found one in a newspaper: the storms in Florida have wiped out over 80 sea turtle nests, of the 99 that biologists were monitoring. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium allows you to adopt nests for $25, and they'll keep you updated on the health of your choice.

What about your favorite animal charities? Post some of them in the comments section, so we can all find a good cause. :)

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First Osprey Chick Born in England in a Long Time
Mon 23 Jul 2001 - 17:20

For our readers in the UK, the BBC reports that the first osprey chick to be born in 150 years in England has been born and promptly photographed. Apparently they were reintroduced in the 1950s. We have ospreys in my area; I've seen them perched on street lights overlooking ponds. They really are beautiful birds.

Chesley Art Award Nominees
Mon 23 Jul 2001 - 13:01

The Chesley Art Awards for science fiction and fantasy art and achievement are usually handed out at Worldcon, at the end of August. Take a look at this year's nominees.

Michael Whelan at Worldcon
Mon 23 Jul 2001 - 09:23

Those of you going to Worldcon will have a great opportunity: Michael Whelan, the extremely talented sf/f artist whose work has appeared on multiple book covers, in gallery exhibits and in art books, will be present. You can visit his site online at Glass Onion. It's not too late to register, though it'll cost you an arm and a leg.

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Elfwood Down... and Up Again?
Fri 20 Jul 2001 - 14:26

The Elfwood archive has hosted a lot of furry and fantasy artists for a long time. I had no idea it had been down until I found this message on their front page.

This links to a long-running conversation (spiked back into life by S'A'Alis stepping down) about how few people who offer services for free are recognized and helped when they need it -- which is while they're doing it -- but rather when they've stopped doing whatever it is they're doing for people. Want to make sure your favorite stuff sticks around? Go find the administrators and send them a warm fuzzy email. Really. They won't know how much they're appreciated (emotionally; intellectually they can check hits, connections, whatever) until you tell them.

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S'A'Alis Steps Down as FM Admin
Fri 20 Jul 2001 - 12:13

From the bulletin on FurryMuck:

The wizards of FurryMUCK SM regret to announce that S'A'Alis has chosen
to step down as wizard and administrator of FurryMUCK SM for personal
reasons. He has graciously offered to continue hosting the muck until
the transfer to a new site can be accomplished, and we are currently
finalizing plans for such a new site. We will have more details on the
move as they become available. --The Wizcore

More About Graphic Novels
Thu 19 Jul 2001 - 15:39

Sfsite ran a nice column on graphic novels and their current role in science fiction publishing. The point about Neil Gaiman's graphic novels not being listed on his previous publication credits was interesting. Usually if someone writes something radically different from what they're trying to sell, you won't see it listed on the inside of the book (a romance-sf/f author won't have both his/her romance and sf novels listed in the sf book)... but if The Sandman doesn't fall under the same audience preferences as American Gods, where does it belong?

Whales and Bears
Thu 19 Jul 2001 - 09:39

A couple of only mildly depressing articles about animals (it seems very difficult to find cheerful ones; I guess those don't make the news unless they're odd, like the falling cow). Climate change threatening the food supply for blue whales is the first. The second involves Canada lifting the moratorium on hunting grizzly bears. I'm trying to figure out why people would want to hunt bears. Kill them if they're a menace, eat them for food... but just spontaneously hunt them? What good is that?

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The Healing Power of Purring
Fri 13 Jul 2001 - 13:09

No kidding! Apparently the frequency at which cats purr help strengthen their bones and possibly accelerate their healing. So grab a cat next time you're feeling pained. Or, well, pick one up gently.

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Sea Creatures
Thu 12 Jul 2001 - 11:05

Some interesting stuff from Scientific American today... apparently great white sharks like their wives to stay home while they wander. And more disturbing, an article about the decline of the sea turtle because of poaching. This one contains a couple of disturbing and graphic pictures of turtles being cut up in restaurants, so don't read this one over lunch. There are prettier pictures, too, though.

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