Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Category: Current events

Furry news of the week: Pseudo-furries past and future (7-28-14)

by Patch O'Furr

It’s the regular feature of news bites, scoops, and Snausage links. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
Only minor stories got my attention this week, so I threw in a few topic starters.
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– Technology’s Rainbow Connection – Silicon Valley’s Embrace of the Gay and Lesbian Community
The NY Times article relates to a general conflict about keeping subculture “weird” vs. inviting mainstream attention. (For example- A sex educator has trouble understanding why people wear costumes to gay pride parades, especially Furries.) Thanks for the shout out, Tristan!

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Furry news of the week: fursuiters in flight (7-18-14)

by Patch O'Furr

San Francisco’s Frolic Party news, Jagermeister’s ads, Fursuiters in flight, Music videos, MONGRELS are guests for Fur Con, and MUCH more…
News bites, scoops, and Snausage links- a regular feature. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
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PetRBRT

– Furries Frolic In San Francisco: Queerty news.

The influential monthly Furry club night, Frolic, has a story on Queerty. (It’s hosted at a historic gay bar, due to their friendliness to subculture.) Next week, July 25, Frolic hosts it’s popular 4th annual special outdoor event for 100-200 attendees, Furries In the Wild.

– Jagermeister’s ads.

The drink named after “master of hunters” got many views for their anthropomorphic ads. Their marketing team has included “one of the organizers for Eurofurence.”

– Fursuit Bungee Jumping in Germany.

Share: “Keenora and a bunch of Euro furs all went bungee jumping, and their pictures were on the news.”

bungee

– Sakurafox Suiting Suggestions 7: Flying and TSA inspection of fursuits

The 7th entry in Sakura Fox’s super helpful series, goes in-depth for anyone who flies with this special cargo. (My less-than-perfect solution of an action packer with bungee cords had problems on this month’s trip to Anthrocon. They changed rules so no bungee cords are allowed, leaving me with a flight to catch and just a roll of cheap tape to protect it. Yikes!)

– Furries in music videos this week.

Weird Al’s “Tacky” has ears and rainbow tail on background actors at 1:40.

In San Francisco, indie rapper MC Crumbsnatcher made the fourth music video in a grossout-humor themed series full of furry performers. (I acted in Husky suit with another actor dressed in a toilet suit- I drank from the bowl and got whacked with a newspaper.) Video production came from a furry-run studio, and DJ Neonbunny of Frolic.

In Toronto, a cast of 90% local fursuiters shot a music video for indie musician Megan Lane. Behind the Scenes: “In the music video, people from the furry community stand in as stunning visual representation for underdogs.” (Shared by Potoroo, music fur and Torfur list mod.)

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Furry news of the week: Pittsburgh’s official “Anthrocon Day” (7-5-14)

by Patch O'Furr

ANTHROCON’s official holiday, world record, FBI investigation – Wolfgem and Beastcub recover from tragedy – New con: Pac Anthro Weekend – More

Here’s the regular feature of Furry news bites, scoops, and Snausage links. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
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– July 5th officially declared “Anthrocon Day” by Pittsburgh’s Mayor!

– WTAE reports: Furries return to Pittsburgh for Anthrocon
Pittsburgh TV on the world’s largest annual Furry convention that brings around 6000 people and $7 million to the city.

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Making a successful Furry float for San Francisco Pride 2014

by Patch O'Furr

(Video from SFPride/Clear Channel. Unedited here at 2:36:00 – may be NSFW.)

Bay Area Furries brought the first Furry float to SF Pride since 2004 or so. I estimate 50 at the parade (with 20 or more fursuiters), plus 20 or more at attached Pride events we held. We carried out a long-time wish to be in the parade after two years of informal Pride meets.

Setting aside the reason for Pride, here’s stuff I learned about fursuiting – a request for help with contributing photos/videos – and a no-expectation hint that donations would be loved to cover costs (but really, the $1000 budget was a gift.) Read the rest of this entry »

Furry news of the week: Obama likes us (6/26/14)

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s the regular feature of news bites, scoops, and Snausage links. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!

Note: Blogging here is going to be very sporadic for a while. I’m an organizer for a furry float in the San Francisco Pride Parade. Phone and email have been blowing up all week, there’s 70 RSVP’s and I have 2 meets to handle. Then there’s Anthrocon, and much more.
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– Russell the Electric Giraffe meets the President
I was amused to see Lindz, owner of Russell the Electric Giraffe, using a Blotch avatar on Facebook. An intro video says:

Lindsay Lawlor once attended Burning Man in a full-sized Giraffe suit, until one day a friend of his suggested he build a mechanical giraffe from metal, electronics, and a slew of flashing LED lights…

Have fun reading about his trip to the White House to introduce Russell and Obama.


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Furry news of the week: new E-zine, Buzzfeed, dolphin experiments (6-11-14)

by Patch O'Furr

New Furry e-Zine – Buzzfeed on Furries – Documentary movie: trippy 1960’s dolphin experiments – More
Here’s the regular feature of news bites, scoops, and Snausage links. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
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– FURRY AND FUZZY MAGAZINE
2nd issue of monthly e-zine released in web hosted flipbook and PDF download. A quick review finds inner-focused fan articles and art, covering:
– Featured artist (a welcome feature for better introduction than random web browsing.)
– Interview with a Furry (skippable for casual browsing due to length without focus. The series started long before the zine.)
– Movie reviews
– Stories
– Advice (from a familiar fuzzy face: Ask Papabear.)
– Furry Things and Places (vehicles, buildings… it shows creativity and humor I could see getting a humor/general interest place in a non-fan publication.)
Minor criticism: the cover graphics so far say “zine” to me, with underdeveloped art backgrounds. Favorite feature so far: #1’s “Furriest shirts from The Mountain” article brings refreshing humor about t-shirts with wide familiarity.

– 11 EYE-OPENING MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE FURRY FANDOM
Buzzfeed writer takes a trip to Califur.

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Furry news of the week: Animal Project movie, costume pranks and more (6-4-14)

by Patch O'Furr

The Animal Project movie – Arizona wants your help to name ringtail – Owlman and velociraptor costume pranks – Flayrah Newsbytes – More.
Here’s the regular feature of news bites, scoops, and Snausage links. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
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ringtail Courtesy of Writer/Director, Ingrid Veninger- (we’ve been in touch about a possible interview.)

– THE ANIMAL PROJECT MOVIE

Opening June 6th Worldwide: pUNK FILMS’ THE ANIMAL PROJECT

“A widower, single parent, and struggling acting teacher has a rocky relationship with his teenage son. After an unusual and inspiring dream, he has the group of actors he teaches don furry mascot suits and become ‘animals’ in the real world.”

THE ANIMAL PROJECT opens Theatrically in Toronto at TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX. Tickets here.
and iTUNES throughout Canada.
and VIMEO VOD throughout the world, excluding Canada.
Watch our trailer here.

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Furries, self-esteem, and identity: perspective from a psychologist

by Patch O'Furr

‘If everybody’s doing it, it’s probably wrong’.

From The man who destroyed America’s ego: How a rebel psychologist challenged one of the 20th century’s biggest – and most dangerous – ideas:

“FOR MUCH OF HUMAN HISTORY, our beliefs have been based on the assumption that people are fundamentally bad. Strip away a person’s smile and you’ll find a grotesque, writhing animal-thing. Human instincts have to be controlled, and religions have often been guides for containing the demons. Sigmund Freud held a similar view: Psychotherapy was his method of making the unconscious conscious, helping people restrain their bestial desires…”

Furries: Do you like your fursona? Do you have higher self-esteem, and feel happier and better with it?

Or do you represent “bestial desires” of a “grotesque, writhing animal-thing?” Are you fundamentally bad, and need to restrain what you are inside?

The 1960’s brought an alternative movement of self-esteem, dedicated to boosting “unconditional positive regard” for the self. Education and public policy has now become deeply supportive for this. But there are dissidents to this, too. Meet Roy Baumeister.

ego
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Furry news and Snausage links of the week (5-29-14)

by Patch O'Furr

Dutch street fursuiting! – Sakura Fox’s new Suiting Suggestions – Anthrocon programming – Serious crime reported – NYC’s “banned pets” – Furaffinity “Project Phoenix” – Misunderstood Hyenas. – Snausages: a regular feature of links and story samples. Tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
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Courtesy of NoctisIgnem

Courtesy of NoctisIgnem

– “FURSUITERS TURN THE CITY INTO A HAPPIER PLACE”
This is what furries are for! This is why I post about Street Fursuiting.
Reddit has the article from Dutch news, with English translation from generous sharer NoctisIgnem:

“This saturday Eindhoven got livened up by 30 fantastical animals. Photo opportunities and hugs were available all around. ‘Whenever furries or fursuiters turn up they put a smile on people’s faces, both young and old.'”

– SAKURA FOX: “SUITING SUGGESTIONS 6: WATER CIRCULATING COMPRESSION SHIRTS”
A new addition to a great series from a fabulous fox.
More “Suiting Suggestions” in previous features with Sakura about Street Fursuiting.

– ANTHROCON 2014 POCKET PROGRAM
Panels and programming revealed in latest draft. See you there in a few weeks!

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2014 How Weird Street Faire furmeet in San Francisco

by Patch O'Furr

ABC News gave a shout to furries at the 2014 How Weird Street Faire. On May 4, thousands of costumers filled the streets for the 15th annual event. 43 furries RSVP’ed, and fursuiters had changing space in walking distance, thanks to generous member Boiler. (Send her love during misfortune that happened to her family recently.) The previous 2013 How Weird furmeet gave us wonderful photos. This year, I edited them to video, and they’re also in this album.

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