We've all seen the horrible pictures on the news of cows infected with BSE--the disoriented, sick cows staggering, their legs giving way from under them.

    Here in North America we've been fanatic about not allowing untested foreign cattle or beef into our countries for fear of accidentally importing what's commonly called Mad Cow Disease.

    Could Dutchie be infected with a little known version of Mad Cow Disease? Could she be suffering from

    STUFFED COW DISEASE (SCD)?

    Could re-uniting Mortimer with his One True Love expose stuffed cows all over this side of the Atlantic to a terrifying illness with no known cure? Think of the devastation that would strike stuffed cow ranches all over North America if we unsuspectingly unleash such a horror!

    Oh the humanity!

    We haven't had any word yet from Dutchie or her owner Red about whether or not Dutchie has been tested for SCD and what the results were.

    I haven't told Mortimer. There's no point in alarming the little fuzzy guy until we get all the facts. There's no point in throwing around the words "quarantine", "refused entry into Canada" or even "deportation".

    There will be further bulletins as events progress.

--Marn

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.

Here's where the instructions are on how to get it.