I wasn’t as proactive as I thought I would be, and I’m pretty sure I missed a couple posted during the first of September, so apologies there. Otherwise, here was last month’s Newsbytes.

The CGI adaption of Firebreather – a comic about a half-dragon, teenage superhero created by Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn – debuts November 24 at 7PM EST/PST on Cartoon Network.

The movie is directed by Peter Chung, creator of animated series Æon Flux (not to be confused with the live-action film), and written by Jim Kreig. [Lovejoy/Weasel Wordsmith]

Furry art and story gallery Inkbunny has changed their content policy to permit limited photography and human-based art.

Humans and human-style characters are now allowed in art as long as they are not engaged in sexual activity and don't show genitals or sexual arousal. Stories containing humans were already permitted along similar lines.

Photographs of objects created "by you or for you" or acting as a background to another work may also be uploaded.

Launched in June, Inkbunny's features and policies won fans among those looking for a venue to sell their work, but many who draw humans or human-like characters avoided the site. Sculptors, photographers and fursuit builders also had little to contribute until now.

Are you a carnivore or a herbivore? The question might not mean what you think. [tip: Relee]

BBC 4's Inside the Medieval Mind recently touched on a question that puzzled medieval missionaries: were the dog-headed people thought to inhabit distant lands worth saving? [mekoryuk/furry reddit]

These beings appeared to be human in most respects, except that they had the heads of dogs. The question was, did they have the souls of humans?

Boomer The Dog is attempting to change his legal name, as reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

I want to have my own identity. Everyone should have their own, and if it means having another name than what they were given, then they should go for it.

At the courthouse, Judge Ron Folino warned that he might veto the change if it "causes confusion in the community" or would be "seen as bizarre."

Update: Boomer's petition was denied; Judge Folino ruled the change to "The Dog" could risk public welfare. His closing statement: "Although Petitioner apparently wishes it were otherwise, the simple fact remains that Petitioner is not a dog."

Swandog says it best: "Can't afford a fursuit? Just style your hair!" (or use a hairpiece)

Not wanting to let Arizona get all the glory, the Ohio Senate has passed a bill banning the creation of "human-animal hybrids."

The bill was supported by the Ohio Christian Alliance and threatens violators with up to a year in jail, and a minimum fine of $250,000 if they make a profit.

Politico notes the Arizona state legislature's attempt to ban human-animal hybrids. [Bos'n]

Senate bill 1307, which passed 16-12, prohibits (among other things):

• creating or attempting to create an in vitro human embryo by any means other than fertilization of a human egg by a human sperm.
• creating or attempting to create a human-animal hybrid
• transferring or attempting to transfer a human embryo into a nonhuman womb
• transferring or attempting to transfer a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, and
• transporting or receiving for any purpose a human-animal hybrid

The Chained Wolf at work. Drawn by Runhurd.

For most of us, the furry fandom is something of a passtime. Sometimes, there might be some form of spiritual connection. But sometimes you can take it too far.

This was first brought to my attention by Ironwolf85, who chatted to me on FA, after reading some of the early chapters from my current book project, The Chained Wolf Presents: The History of Humanity – A Somewhat Mildly Amusing Guide to a Now Extinct Species – a full draft of which has been finished (quick plug there).

He sent me a message in which he included the following passage:

The furries you see in the furry community are usually just humans in a different skin, they press their desires, wants, and needs into the artistic creation because they feel the furry can do what they cannot. It is not so much that they are animals with human intelligence as humans in an animal’s skin.

Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher, who recently showed a distaste for the furry fandom

Wil Wheaton, aka Wesley Crusher from Star Trek: The Next Generation, appears to have a bit of distaste for us furry types. On a blog about fandoms, he left this comment:

Furries give me the creeps, and I've had some random dude dressed up in a fucking fursuit try to hump my leg enough times to feel pretty comfortable saying that.

You want to dress up like animals and do shit together? Great, have fun. Just leave me alone when you're doing it. I don't think it's cute and I don't think it's funny. It's a violation of my personal space and I don't like it.

Just as everyone is entitled to their opinions about me and my work and my blog and everything else, I am entitled to hold this opinion and express it.

Spectra and a friend at MFF 2007

Fandom member Spectra Vixen (Brianna Foxx) was severely injured in an car accident on Sunday morning and is currently in critical condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.^[1][2]

Spectra spun out on ice and hit a guard rail which entered her car. She was flown to the hospital, which contains a level 1 trauma center. Her partner, Butterscotch Vixen, drove to the hospital to be by her side.

Spectra suffered a severe cut from her upper right chest and shoulder, down to her knee. Her right arm was nearly detached at the scene, six to eight inches below the shoulder, and the doctors were unable to save it.^[3]

As of Sunday night, Spectra was in the intensive care unit. By Monday, her condition had improved slightly, and Butterscotch reported "the docs seem happy with the numbers they see".^[3][4]

-- THE HUMAN MEMOIRS, 582 pp. of furry goodness for only USD $19.99

Quentin 'Cubist' Long here. I was a bit dismayed to learn that Mr. Howell, author of THE HUMAN MEMOIRS, was less than enthused about the cover I'd created for his book; but I swallowed my price and asked if he had any better ideas for the cover.
Jesu Kriste, did he ever have a better idea! And you can see Howell's excellent art at this URL:

http://anthrozine.com/site/gfx/thm.cover.jpg

I've junked the original cover; from now on, I am happy to state that all copies of HUMAN MEMOIRS will proudly bear this work of art.

THE HUMAN MEMOIRS
ANTHROlogy One ($19.99 until the end of 2006, $24.99 thereafter)
ANTHRO Press
ANTHRO: The netzine that started it all!

Quentin Long here once again. I am proud to announce that G. Howell's world-renowned novel THE HUMAN MEMOIRS, the first serial presented in ANTHRO, is now available as a convenient paperback book! The $19.99 price buys you 580+ pages of 'furry' goodness that you can enjoy even when the Internet is down. Surf on over to the ANTHRO Press website and check it out! And while you're there, feel free to check out ANTHROlogy One, the first book from ANTHRO Press, not to mention Freedom City, the first typeface inspired by the work of Phil Geusz.
Enjoy!

Medgadget.com has an interesting article about animal/human cross-breeding that is quite interesting.
The full article is Here

"The mixing of humans and animals in the name of medicine has been going on for decades. People are walking around with pig valves in their hearts and scientists have routinely injected human cells into lab mice to mimic diseases."