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False reports about students “identifying as animals” and demanding unusual accommodations are like a resurrection of the 1980’s Satanic Panic. The public is being targeted with a wave of misinformation and greedy grabbing for views, at the expense of furry fans, public education, and LGBTQ people in general.

• The Daily Beast – Furry Panic Is the Latest Dumb GOP Attack on Public Schools and another story from Salon (they source this site.)
• Dogpatch Press – Origins of an urban legend: “litter boxes for furries” joke gets revived for moral panic

What better way to face bullying than to document it, and connect debunkers outside the community to watchdogs inside? Responsible journalists, take note!

Here’s a new resource from Troj, a furry fan, psychologist and researcher from Colorado: “I started making a map of school boards and regions that have courted the “litter box” myth and related urban legends about furries.” (They’re mainly American myths, but even reach Australia.)



Each point on the map has a note with details (check them for links to sources), and date of media coverage or earliest mention of a given urban legend. Similar myths are roughly grouped by color. They keep coming: at date of writing, one in North Carolina is too fresh to appear yet.

Troj sometimes collaborates with the Furscience data study group, but this isn’t anyone else’s endeavour, it’s personal curiosity. Troj explains:

“After coming across a flurry of social media posts and news articles about the urban myth, I was interested to see where it was popping up, when it first emerged, and how it appeared to be traveling, and thought of using the map to try to get a sense of any path or pattern. There is definitely a transphobic thread here that is VERY, VERY INTENTIONAL.

Look at all the huffing and puffing about children “identifying as” animals, and look at the way people are talking about the schools accommodating them. Also, that people (erroneously and foolishly) believe that the schools would conceal/lie about extending accommodations to a group of students — this seems ridiculous on its face — but makes sense when you realize these same people are outraged by even the possibility that a teacher or other adult might conceal a child’s “coming out” from the parents, usually for the child’s privacy and safety from backlash.

This is being peddled very intentionally and knowingly by conservatives who either know it’s bullshit, or really don’t care, as it allows them to sow hysteria and hatred against LGBTQ people (including kids) and their families.”

Daily KOS

Troj’s map coincides with high-charting sales and marketing for a book by far-right propagandist Matt Walsh. It echoes these myths and shows that loud liars aren’t just peddling political hate, they’re milking their gullible base for cash to raise careers. It’s as forced and strategic as any other campaign to demonize whole groups for gain.

Why shouldn’t people make fun of furries though? How is a fandom like an identity? Because it’s not for fun, it’s using an “acceptable” proxy to shield the agenda. Attackers are setting up dominos with the same old revanchist hate against minority groups and civil rights down the line.

Troj is just a dinosaur with a pet project, but has a serious message about community good on the scales:

“On top of conflating and confusing furries, therians, and otherkin — in addition to employing this obvious urban myth as a wedge to attack trans kids and adults (and the rest of the queer community) — I fear the potential fallout on geeky, awkward, and neurodivergent kids who may be targeted by both peers and adults in the wake of these legends. If the kid who wears cat ears and Naruto-runs through the halls is perceived as not just a garden-variety oddball, but even more, an agent of the “culture war”; imagine how that child might be treated not just by their peers who’ve heard the rumors, but by the hysterical adults who’ve believed them! That’s what worries me. I’ve seen people make some quite unhinged, very worrisome comments on forums about what needs to be done “to” or “about” these “furry children.”

If you actually talk to the targets, it’s hard to demonize them as threatening monsters but simultaneously helpless victims who need authority to clamp down. They look like creative thinkers on successful college paths. Right wingers, leave those kids alone.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon.Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

Moobarkfluff! Taebyn gives us another verse of Taco Grande. Which came first; Reggae or Ska? Taebyn fills us in. Why are parasitic worms all named after men?  Cheetaro joins us with a movie review of Robin Hood the 1970's movie from Disney. We tell some really bad jokes and all in all have a crazy time. Join us for a wonderful trip. Moobarkfluff!

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Songs in "History of Ska" segment:

"1st wave ska" section:  "Freedom Sounds" by The Skatalites

"2nd wave ska" section: "Mirror in the Bathroom" by The (English) Beat

"3rd wave ska" section: "The Impression That I Get" by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

 

Support the show Bearly Furcasting S3E4 - Completely off the rails! Parasitic Worms, Buggfuggle

Hadn’t heard about this, ’till Animation World Network let us know: “Apple TV+ has released a trailer for the new live-action / CG animated hybrid kids and family series Lovely Little Farm from Darrall Macqueen, the London-based BAFTA Award-winning producer of hit series Topsy & Tim and Teletubbies. The show premieres globally on June 10. The series follows sisters Jill and Jacky as they love and nurture all the animals on their farm nestled in lavender fields. Being a young farmer isn’t easy, but every day brings these sisters adventure and a chance to grow. ILM provides the show’s CG animation that brings the series to life.” There is actually quite a bit of CGI and puppetry involved in this show, as it seems that the young ladies have the ability to speak to the non-human animals on the farm. Take a look at the trailer to see what we mean.

image c. 2022 Apple TV+

Disney is always doing so much; it probably makes sense that some of it would slip by us. Include in that category Delphine and the Silver Needle, a fantasy novel for young readers written by Alyssa Moon. It came out last year in hardcover. “When Delphine, a young orphaned dressmaker mouse living in the walls of Cinderella’s château, stumbles upon an enormous secret, it upends everything she thought she knew: The magical tailor mice of legend really existed. Racing to stay ahead of King Midnight, the fearsome leader of the rats who is bent on harnessing age-old magic, Delphine embarks on an epic quest to uncover the truth about the past. Joined by Alexander, the most pompous noblemouse in the royal court, she travels a perilous route, encountering strange enemies and unlikely allies along the way.” Silver Needle is available now, and the sequel book Delphine and the Dark Thread comes our way this August.

image c. 2022 Disney Press

One of our members, Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, has a new book coming out next month. He has very generously offered digital ARCs of his book to anyone who wishes to read and review this novel before the release date on June 16th.

Check out the blurb to see if you would be interested in requesting an ARC:

On a multigenerational colony ship five hundred years off course, a lagomorph warrior must survive using only his wits and his sword.
Jiao Tu has been hired to rescue a young kidnapped mousling. A tip leads him to the Below, home to the engines that keep the world in motion. His mission has hardly begun when an encounter with a monstrous being plunges him into the midst of a struggle not only for control of the Below but for the world itself.
Teamed with an untested ratling warrior and the ratling leader of a gang of thugs, Jiao Tu must stop the monster and save the mousling—and the world—before it is too late.
Drawing inspiration from sources as diverse as Leigh Brackett’s planetary romances, Gene Wolfe’s Book of the Long Sun, Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane stories, Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D, Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo, and the wuxia tradition starting with Water Margins and Journey to the West, Uitvlugt has created a world all his own that promises a far-future adventure unlike any other.

The author wishes to advise that, in addition to fantasy swordplay, there are scenes that may be considered body horror.

Anyone who wishes an ARC may do so by contacting the Furry Writers Guild by Twitter or Email, or by contacting J.F.R. Coates via Twitter or Telegram.

Anyone who wishes to order Jiao Tu’s Endeavour may do so by clicking this link.

Given this is an ARC Giveaway, it is expected that you only request a copy of this book if you have a realistic chance to provide a review at the book’s release date, or shortly afterwards.

Happy reading!

More interesting discoveries for young readers. Kirkus Reviews described The Hedgehog of Oz by Cory Leonardo as “The Wizard of Oz meets The Wind in the Willows“. The publisher describes it like this: “Marcel the hedgehog used to live with his beloved owner Dorothy, but since getting hopelessly lost, he’s tried to forget the happy home he left behind. Now, Marcel lives a quiet life in the abandoned balcony of The Emerald City Theater where he subsists on dropped popcorn and the Saturday showings of The Wizard of Oz. But when he’s discovered, Marcel is taken far away from everything he knows and ends up lost once more. His quest to return to The Emerald City Theater leads him to Mousekinland, where he meets Scamp, a tiny mouse armed with enormous spirit (and a trusty sling-shooter). Before long, they’re joined by an old gray squirrel, Ingot, who suffers from bad memories and a broken heart, and Tuffy, a baby raccoon lost and afraid in the forest. And the travelers attract the attention of an owl named Wickedwing, who stalks them as they search for the old theater. From field to forest, glittering theater to the gutter, the animals’ road home is a dark and winding journey. But sometimes you need to get a little lost before you can be found.” The book is available now in hardcover from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2022 Simon & Schuster

More interesting reads we came across at this year’s L.A. Time Festival of Books. The Glitter Dragons — Dragon Girls is a new fantasy series for young readers, written by Maddy Mara. The first book is Azima the Gold Glitter Dragon.  “Azmina, Willa, and Naomi are thrilled to learn they’re Glitter Dragon Girls. Summoned to the Magic Forest by its magnificent ruler, the Tree Queen, the girls quickly find out their dragon-selves have unbelievable abilities. They can soar above the treetops, breathe glitter-y bursts of fire, and roar loud enough to shake the ground.With this newfound magic comes a big responsibility, however. As Dragon Girls, they are sworn protectors of the forest and must help keep it safe from the troublesome Shadow Sprites, who are determined to take the forest’s magic for their own.” All this and more are available now in trade paperback from Scholastic. Roar!

image c. 2022 Scholastic

Moobarkfluff! We learn about mathy things in two separate sections this week.  Taebyn is so disappointed in Bearly because he can't remember Mandlebrot. The past today takes a long look at Shrodingers evil pillow. Are hydrogen atoms sentient? Taebyn tells us about Ska. Does Taebyn have any exes? We pay tribute to LGBTIA+ S.T.E.M. folks. Moobarkfluff!

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Support the show Bearly Furcasting S3E3 - Mandelbrot, Ska Bands, This or That, Math

It seems like cats are getting into all sorts of business these days — in mangas at least. Check out Cat Massage Therapy by Haru Hisakawa. “Nekoyama, worn out after another long day at the office, stops at a therapeutic massage parlor — only to discover that it’s run by a cat! Not only that, but the cat actually does the massaging?! As the professional ‘meowsseur’ digs soft toe beans into Nekoyama’s aching muscles, his heart warms and his worries melt away. This is only the beginning, as he and other world-weary workers are about to meet the other feline professionals who have mastered pawfully cute techniques to reduce human stress.” Available now in full color from Seven Seas.

image c. 2022 Seven Seas Entertainment

Science – it’s easy, right? Stare at colored liquid in test tubes, look at some stuff under a microscope, maybe write some random numbers on the whiteboard – what could be simpler? Turns out, there’s more to doing science than at first glance, especially when that science involves furries!

NOW LISTEN!

SHOW NOTES SPECIAL THANKS

• All y’all who do the surveys!

PATREON LOVE

The following people have decided this month’s Fur What It’s Worth is worth actual cash! THANK YOU!

Uber Supporters

Sly

Premium Tier Supporters

Jarle, the Spirit Wolf

Get Stickered Tier Supporters

   

Kit, Jake Fox, Nuka, Ichigo Okami

Fancy Supporter Tier

Rifka, the San Francisco Treat and Baldrik and Adilor and Luno

Deluxe Supporters Tier

 

Guardian Lion and Koru Colt (Yes, him), Ashton Sergal, Harlan Fox

Plus Tier Supporters

• Skylos
• Snares
• Simone Parker
• Ausi Kat
• Chaphogriff
• Lygris
• Tomori Boba
• Bubblewhip
• GW
• Moss

McRib Tier Supporters

• August Otter
• TyR

 

MUSIC

• Opening Theme: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
• Break: Mystery Skulls – Ghost. USA: Warner Bros Records, 2011. Used with permission.
• Closing Theme: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Chill Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)

S9 Episode 23: Doing Furry Science - Science – it’s easy, right? Stare at colored liquid in test tubes, look at some stuff under a microscope, maybe write some random numbers on the whiteboard – what could be simpler? Turns out, there’s more to doing scie

Jylene Morgan is an author we met at this year’s L.A. Times Festival of Books. She creates illustrated stories for children — based on the real-life adventures of her family. Her first book is called Bummer: Our Pet Bighorn Sheep, and it’s exactly that — the story of her family raising a wild bighorn sheep from infancy when it wanders onto their rural farm. The second book, Bummer and the Nanny Goat (illustrated by Matthew Mew) carries on with the story as Bummer tries to learn getting along with a grouchy female goat. Ms. Morgan also took things in a more fanciful direction with her book There Was A Moose On Clifford Street. Visit her  official web site to find out more and hear more stories.

image c. 2022 Jylene Morgan

Papabear,

I wanted to ask you if there is a way to handle feelings of emptiness.

Since the last months of 2021, I ended up hitting my lowest point because things haven't gone the way I planned. I came back to Vancouver to finish a diploma and settled there to start a life, but unfortunately, being unable to find a job in a whole new country has led to feeling empty and without a purpose. I'm starting to think it is no use trying anymore now that my current situation has led to personal issues with my family.

It seems like I'm getting embittered each day. And I'm afraid of shutting myself to people I love, along with any possibility of enjoying the good things that life might bring.

Regards,
Anonymous
* * *
Dear Furiend,

Where are you from originally? Did you get your diploma? Why haven't you been able to find a job? What have you done to obtain a job? 

There are always options. Don't give up. Just because you haven't found work yet doesn't mean you won't.

Please send me more info on what type of job you are seeking and what you have done so far to find work.

Hugs,
Papabear
* * *
Hi, Papabear,
I'm surprised you wanted to get in touch with me directly and even ask questions about myself.

I'll proceed to answer your questions.

I'm from a little state in Mexico and I managed to get my degree as a Digital Artist in 2017 after struggling with college in many aspects, then I came to Vancouver in 2018 to improve my skills/demo reel to enter an animation studio there. The first diploma/course worked out for me, but it didn't help me out to get a permit, so I had to take another course in that area to get a PGWP and I succeeded in doing so last year.

After finishing the second course I tried to apply as a Teaching Assistant at the 3D Arts school where I got the diploma that qualified for a PGWP (Post Graduate Working Permit), or a part-time job while the permit was in process. I focused on refining the  animation pieces of the demo reel, while getting any documentation for the paperwork process back then, but I couldn't nail anything on animation areas since the requirements for entry levels are asking for a year of experience in similar roles.

Right now, the landlady's relative helped me out to find a temporary job and I'm waiting for receiving a call to let me know when I do start capacitation. 

I'm trying to find a job as a 3D Animator and so far I'm simply working on other 3D animation exercises to improve the reel, while trying to send a general application for different studios. But the demand for higher level roles has led me to get discouraged from working on my reel further and now I'm trying to get over that feeling.

This temporary job could help me out for a bit, since it would be the very first time I get in the working force and to build experience. But I would prefer if it was related to my area to keep honing my skills, now that I have a work permit.

That's pretty much what I have been doing so far.

Last thing to bring is that I even ended up befriending people from the Vancoufur community and volunteered to help the VR Chat artists to see if I can make contacts that lead me closer to my goal. There's a reason why I'm doing this, but I'll bring this out in a follow up message.

Thanks so much for coming around. 
* * *
Hello, Furiend,

It sounds to me as if you are doing all the right things. You are working to improve your skills, searching for work in your field, and, in the meantime, finding employment elsewhere to get some income while you pursue your dream.

It can be easy to get discouraged when things don't go your way as soon as you would like, but that is how the world can be. Let me tell you a story from my life. When I wrote my novel, The Steel of Enadia, I mailed it out to one hundred publishers before I got an acceptance letter (that's 99 rejections, 1 acceptance). And even that publisher didn't work out, so I ended up going with a small press in Canada that was running a competition judged by author Piers Anthony. I won, and got my book published. As happy as that sounds, the book sold poorly, which was also discouraging to me. What happened next was I started writing nonfiction books and found I had a real gift for that, which is what I am now doing in my life: writing nonfiction.

There are two lessons here: 1) Never give up trying, and 2) Be flexible and keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. In the business world, no one is going to give you a free ride and hand you your dream job. You have to work and sweat for it. Before I got my first job as an editor, I worked in a burger joint, as a cashier, and in a factory. Sometimes you have to sweat over a fat fryer before an opportunity strikes. Don't let yourself get down and don't give in to pessimism.

Optimism is key. The person who succeeds in life is the one who is optimistic about the future. Optimism inspires you to work hard and to keep going no matter what. How do you become more optimistic? Here are a few tips:

1. Don't blame yourself if things don't go your way immediately
2. On the other paw, give yourself credit when things DO go your way
3. Learn from your mistakes, but also from your successes, no matter how small, and build on those
4. If you have a setback, remember it is only temporary. "This, too, shall pass."
5. Believe in yourself and that you can make good things happen
6. Learn self-confidence. Don't put yourself down. When you interview for a job, always say to yourself, "Yes! I can do this!"
7. Don't develop tunnel vision; don't be so focused on one goal that you don't see opportunities outside that goal.
8. And, no matter what, always remember this: Be a good person. In the end, nothing else really matters but who you are as a human being

Hope this helps.

Bear Hugs,
Papabear

Moobarkfluff! Bearly and Taebyn take another trip to Lux's Transfurmation Station for a hot time!  We chat about events, and things going on. Jokes run rampant, and even fall dead.  Bearly points out some more stupid things. We give you some obscure movie quotes to figure out, and generally we have a sooooper time!  Don't scurryfunge, just sit back and enjoy the show Moobarkfluff!

The Rudy Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZhV8o_o0o4

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Support the show Bearly Furcasting S3E2 - Biblically Accurate Bonfires, Storytime, Stats, Jokes

Over the years there have been many adaptations of satirist George Orwell’s famous work Animal Farm, both on stage and on screen. Most often, each of them have deviated in some way from the author’s original story, an allegory for the Russian Revolution and the subsequent rise of centralized power under Joseph Stalin. Now we’ve been informed by Animation World Network that Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle) and his company The Imaginarium have joined up with Aniventure (Riverdance) to create a new CGI version of the story that Mr. Serkis will direct. It’s currently in production at Cinesite. No word on a release date — yet!

image c. 2022 The Imaginarium