It is one of those magical things that could only happen on the internet. I decided the only way to handle it was for Mortimer to read the news from my guestbook and decide for himself what he wants to do.

Mortimer has a twin brother he didn't know about!

Separated at birth by who knows what cruel twist of fate, each not knowing that the other existed ? they could have gone through life completely unaware of each other.

Donnagirl, a musician in Ohio, saw Mortimer's picture in my diary and left an entry in my guestbook that she has Mortimer's twin brother living with her.

I am, as you can well imagine, dizzy with shock. Mortimer is being Mortimer and going with the flow.

Scientists are fascinated by this whole "separated at birth" thing with identical twins, because they give great insight into the question of how much nurture forms us (how much the way we are raised makes us the people we are) and how much nature forms us (how much of the people we are is hardwired into us at birth.)

This twin research is proving to everyone's surprise that more of us may be hardwired in than anyone suspected. Some twins separated at birth have lived eerily parallel lives, right down to the same occupation, obscure brand of cigarette smoked ... but these studies involve very tiny numbers of people so no one is making any final decisions yet. Separating identical twins for adoption is rare, and it's hard to track them down even when it does happen.

Um, I think you should be sitting down for the next part, eh.

Ready?

That eerily parallel lives thingie I mentioned? About how some identical twins, separated at birth and each unaware of the other, end up following the same occupation?

Well, even you know what?

MORTIMER'S TWIN BROTHER IS A MOUNTIE TOO!

I almost fainted when I heard that, eh.

Look, I know I said I would respect the moose's privacy, move on to other things, but sometimes life just doesn't go as you would expect it. I thought both my readers would want to know this latest, incredibly startling, development in Mortimer's life.

There will be further bulletins as events progress.

--Marn
THIS JUST IN--Mortimer is not one of two identical twins, it appears Mortimer IS ONE OF IDENTICAL TRIPLETS. Yes, Andiegrrl over in Oz has yet another sibling of Mortimers! And ... and ... and He's A Mountie, Too! Wait until the world of science hears THIS, eh!

SETI@home

There has been an outpouring of sympathy for the plight of one small moose. The incredibly cute and deeply talented Paul of Rilting fame has even made a button for the Do It For The Moose Campaign.