A point of interest for Victoria Day, (and an excuse to push "The Holidays" off my user page)

Her Royal Majesty, Queen Vitoria, Monarch of the United Kingdom and Empress of the British Empire, (on which the sun once never set), was born on May 24th, 1819. Her coronation took place on June 20th, 1837. She passed from this world on January 22nd, 1901. Rounded to no decimals, Victoria lived to the ripe, old age of eighty-two, having reigned for sixty-four years.

Victoria's great-great-granddaughter, Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, was born on April 21st, 1926. (However, Commonwealth citizens celebrate her birthday on the second Saturday in June, when the weather's nicer.) Her coronation took place on June 2nd, 1953. And of course, Her Majesty is still with us today. Rounded again to no decimal places, Elizabeth II has so far lived to be ninety-five and reigned over the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations for sixty-eight years.

In conclusion, the current monarch of England has both out-lived and out-reigned Victoria, whose birthday we celebrate today. God Save The Queen!

In the past few years, some Protestant groups have tried to argue against referring to the Christmas season as “The Holidays” because they feel that it takes away from the Holy status of Christmas and of Christ. What they fail to understand is that “The Holidays” does not mean Christmas exclusively. There are, in fact, quite a few holy days during this time, not all of them Christian.

Here is my list of holidays and important occasions for the 2020 Holiday Season. It includes events that happen between Advent Sunday, (the beginning of the traditional lead up to Christmas), through Christmas Season, (the twelve days beginning Christmas Day and ending on January 5th or “Twelfth Night”). But not counting Epiphany, (the season which follows Christmas.)

- November 29th – Advent Sunday, Kartika Chaumasi Chaudas (Jainist)
- November 30th – Kartik Poornima (Hindu), Guru Nanak Jayanti (Sikh), Kartik Rath Yatra (Jainist), Full Moon
- December 1st - Rosa Parks Day (arrest), World AIDS Day
- December 2nd - Women's Brain Health Day, National Mutt Day (USA)
- December 3rd - Mauder’s Day (Dudeism), International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)
- December 4th - Eid il-Burbara (Islam), The Slackernalia (Dudeism), International Cheetah Day
- December 5th - Krampusnacht (Austrian Trad.), Day of the Ninja, St. Sabas (Christian)
- December 6th - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, Saint Nicholas Day
- December 7th - St. Ambrose (Christian)
- December 8th - Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Christian), Bodhi Day (Buddhist), Afflux (Discordian)
- December 9th - Anna’s Day
- December 10th (sunset) – Chanukah (Jewish, to 18th)
- December 10th - Mahavir Swami Deeksha (Jainist), Human Rights Day
- December 11th - Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster
- December 12th - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Hispanic Catholic)
- December 13th - Acadians Remembrance Day, Kerabotsmas (Dudeism)
- December 14th - Monkey Day
- December 15th - Dhanu Sankranti (Hindu), Zamenhof Day (Esperanto), International Tea Day
- December 18th - International Migrants Day
- December 21st – Winter Solstice, First Day of Winter, Yalda (Zoroastrianism), Yule (Pagan) Yule (Christian), Blue Christmas (Christian), The Winter Slowstice (Dudeism), Global Orgasm for World Peace
- December 23rd – Festivus (Seinfeld), Humanlight (Secular Humanism), Christmas Adam (silly)
- December 24th – Nittel Nacht (Jewish), Christmas Eve (Christian)
- December 24th (sunset) - Asara B'Tevet (Jewish)
- December 25th – Christmas Day (Christian), Feast of the Nativity (Orth Christian), Geeta Jayanti (Hindu), Mauni Ekadashi (Jainist), Newtonmas (Atheism), Prime Minister’s Birthday (1971)
- December 26th – Boxing Day (unknown), Feast of St Steven, Wren Day, National Whiners Day, Beginning of Kwanzaa (to January 1st)
- December 27th - Saint John Apostle and Evangelist (Christian), Holy Family (Catholic)
- December 28th - Holy Innocents (Christian)
- December 29th – Full Moon
- December 31st - New Year’s Eve, Watchnight (Christian), Pope St. Sylvester (Christian)
- January 1st – New Year’s Day, Baptism of the Lord Jesus (Christian), The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God (Catholic), Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Orth Christian), Feast Day of St Basil the Great (Orth Christian), Gantan-sai (Shinto), Public Domain Day, Z Day
- January 2nd - Guru Gobindh Singh’s birthday (Sikh), Day After New Year’s Day (PQ)
- January 3rd - Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Some Catholics), J.R.R. Tolkein’s Birthday (1892)
- January 4th - World Braille Day
- January 5th - Twelfth Night (trad.), Mungday (Discordian), Hayao Miyazaki’s Birthday
- January 6th - Epiphany (Christian), Dia de los Reyes (Hispanic Catholic), Carnival Season (Catholic, Greece), Feast of the Theophany (Orthodox Christian)

TOTAL HOLIDAYS and OCCASIONS = 83 (does not include January 6th)

Religious = 45

Christian = 21

On December 25th = 6

And that’s why we call it “The Holidays.”

I was going to post this last night so that it would be up all day for everyone to see. Instead I'm posting it tonight when the day's nearly over. Otter, FOCUS!

---

On this day in 2010,  dogbomb was out walking in his famous Beastcub Gshep fursuit. As he went along the pier at his local beach, he noticed a girl in a wheelchair, Sarah. She couldn’t move very much, but she could smile. She smiled at Dogbomb. He was moved by her smile to let her hold “the big doggy’s” paw and nuzzle his chest. She did not want to let go right away, so he stayed and let her hold hands for as long as she liked.

At last she’d had enough. As Dogbomb was leaving, Sarah’s mother explained the situation to him. Sarah had advanced cerebral palsy. Her mind was sharp, but her body failed her, as he had seen. Yet she had learned to express her appreciation to her caretakers in small ways, as she had with him.

Later, he wrote about the experience in his FurAffinity journal.* The post went viral. The fandom was so moved by the incident that Dogbomb became a spiritual leader and a considered voice in our little community.

Sometimes it only takes a little thing to make a big difference.

* NB. I have not been able to find this journal.

The following text was taken from a Twitter thread by Samuel Sinyangwe. Sources are included where possible. The original string of tweets included some illustrations whose purpose seemed unclear; I have omitted most of them, but they should still be in the sources, which I’ve added.
The original thread can be found at https://twitter.com/samswey/status/.....55701271732224 -- ADB

---

For those who are interested in research-based solutions to stop police violence, here’s what you need to know - based on the facts and data. A thread.

Lesson 1. Everything you’ve probably heard is a lie. Specifically, the most discussed “solutions” to police violence have no evidence of effectiveness. For example, Body cams don’t reduce police violence...
A randomized control trial evaluating the effects of police body-worn cameras
Police departments are adopting body-worn cameras in hopes of improving civilian–police interactions. In a large-scale field experiment...
SOURCE: https://www.pnas.org/content/116/21.....29.short?rss=1

2. There is no evidence that better police training programs or “implicit bias” training changes police behavior. The trainings vary in quality and rarely result in any accountability [or] changes in decision-making. Don’t put this at the top of your agenda.

Next, what works...

3. More restrictive state and local policies governing police use of force are associated with significantly lower rates of police shootings/killings by police. This is backed by 30+ years of research. We identified specific policies that work here:
Police Use of Force Project
The Police Use of Force Project investigates how police use of force policies can help to end police violence.
SOURCE: http://useofforceproject.org/

4. Demilitarization. Police depts that get more military weapons from the federal govt kill more people. You can stop that from happening through local and state policy. Montana (Red state) has gone the furthest on this. Your state can and should follow.
Militarization and police violence: The case of the 1033 program - Casey Delehanty, Jack Mewhirter,...
Does increased militarization of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) lead to an increase in violent behavior among officers?
SOURCE: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/fu.....53168017712885

5. Police Union Contracts. Every 4-6 years your police dept’s accountability system is re-negotiated. Purging misconduct records, reinstating fired officers, dept funding - it’s in the contract. Cities with [contracts which favour police unions] have higher police violence rates.
The Police Union Contract Project investigates how police union contracts block accountability.
SOURCE: https://www.checkthepolice.org/

6. Predictive policing on the police. Yes, use the technology against them. Data on use of force, complaints & lawsuits can be used to identify officers who [are] most likely to shoot someone next and prevent it from happening. Use the methodology to save lives.
SOURCE: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news.....tdi-story.html

7. Invest in alternatives to police as crime prevention strategies. Every 10 additional organizations in a city:
- Reduces the murder rate by 9%
- Reduces violent crime rate by 6%
- Reduces property crime rate by 4%
Community and the Crime Decline: The Causal Effect of Local Nonprofits on Violent Crime - Patrick...
Largely overlooked in the theoretical and empirical literature on the crime decline is a long tradition of research in criminology...
SOURCE: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/fu.....03122417736289

8. Establish non-police alternatives to 911 calls involving people with mental illness. For example, 1 in 5 of the 911 calls in Eugene, [Oregon] are diverted to mental health first responders instead of police to respond. A success being scaled in Portland.
When Mental-Health Experts, Not Police, Are the First Responders
Some police departments are looking to a program in Eugene, Ore., as a model for how to better deal with 911 calls involving...
SOURCE: https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-m.....ers-1543071600

9. Resource the Department of Justice (after the current president is voted out) to initiate more investigations of police departments. Departments that receive federal intervention have 25-30% fewer police shootings than those that do not.
SOURCE: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/.....lice-shootings

10. Know [that] change is not only possible, it’s already happened in some places. Oakland police shot 8 people on avg each year 5 yrs ago and, after these interventions were implemented, they had 0 shootings this yr, 1 last yr (the officers were fired) and 0 the yr before. Lives saved.

11. Finally, we’ve catalogued an extensive range of research studies and other information detailing potential solutions to police violence at...
SOURCE: https://www.joincampaignzero.org/research

12. And if you don’t have time to read the research right now, we’ve presented most of this research in rapid succession in this video:
SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_.....ature=emb_logo

In order to establish these findings we had to:
1. Build the most comprehensive database of police violence in the US
2. Conduct analyses of police use of force policies and union contracts in the 100 largest US cities
3. Track every state policing bill passed in the past 5 years
4. Track every research study published on the subject over the past five years and evaluate for quality
5. Meticulously catalogue the findings so they can be broadly accessible

And all that with little to no funding. Next up: evaluating the 1,000 largest police depts in the US. [omitted for space]

LOOK, A DISTRACTION!

---

How To Get A Fursuit

The other day, I was watching Star Raccoon talk on his Youtube Channel about how to get a fursuit. His description was kind of brief. I thought maybe I could do better. Getting a fursuit is actually a pretty long, involved process. The first step especially goes right to the heart of what being Furry means. But first, here's Star's video for your perusal.
Ask A Raccoon: Fursona and how to get a Fursuit! -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KMJUkYbZ1Y
https://youtu.be/5KMJUkYbZ1Y

There are ten steps to getting a fursuit. Here they are in order.

1) Character
Most fursuiters start with a suit of their own fursona and for most of them, that's enough. If you're lucky enough to be able to afford more than one fursuit, it can be another of your own characters. If its not your own, always get permission from the person or organization who owns the character first. Getting that permission is your responsibility!

At any rate, you will need to know what the character looks like. If you're good at drawing, then draw it. Then draw it again several times, because the character will change every time until you decide on its final appearance. If you can't draw, then at least make a written description. Be thorough! Consider the character's main or back fur colour, the colour of its tummy, (which is different from its back in most animals), and the colour of its feet, face, ears, spots or stripes, and anywhere else that it isn't the same as as its main colour. Consider its eye colour and the colour of its teeth. Is it male or female? What clothes does it wear? Does it wear jewelry? Does it carry tools, weapons or other accessories? Is it big or small? Is it skinny, fat, lythe, stalky, big muscles? (The suit will be your size no matter the character's size, but a good maker might be able to make it look like it's bigger or smaller. Or maybe not, but it can't hurt to ask.) What about its tail? Does it have extra arms or legs? Are its legs plantigrade, (like a human), digitigrade, (like a cat or dog), or unguligrade, (like a deer?) Does it glow anywhere? Is it realistic, cartoonish or somewhere in between? Get all the details down!

Bear in mind that the more complex your character's appearance, the harder and more expensive your fursuit will be to make. The more like your own body it looks, the quicker and cheaper making it will be.

2) Save Up!
Next, you'll need a refsheet of your character. They show like an architect's blueprint what your character looks like. They cost more than regular art -- typically in the hundreds of dollars -- so start saving.

If you can draw your own refsheet, you can skip this step.

3) Refsheet Artist
Look for an artist to draw your refsheet. You want one whose art resembles your character. Especially, it matters whether their usual art is realistic or cartoony. Find one whose style looks like what you imagined when you were designing your character.

Then ask the artists that you like two things. First, ask if they draw refsheets. (Make sure they know you want it for a fursuit maker. Fursuit refsheets are different from character refsheets, which are only useful to other artists.) If no, then POLITELY thank them for their time and try somebody else. If yes, then ask how much they charge. Also, make sure they're okay with following your sketches or text description. (Don't hire an artist who needs your refsheet to make your refsheet!) Finally, tell them you'll get back to them and keep saving until you have enough. By the way, it's okay to consider more than one artist at a time.

Again, if you can draw your own refsheet, you can skip this step.

4) Refsheet
Now that you have enough money, go back to the artist and ask them to draw your refsheet. Ask when they want their money; up front, on completion, partial payments as they go? Then give them the sketches and/or text description that you made, (which you asked if they were okay with in the last step), and pay them, (as applicable.)

If you can make your own refsheet, then start by looking at other people's refsheets. Ask fursuit makers what they require from refsheets. Figure out how to draw one before you start. When you're confident that you know what you're doing, take your time. Do the best, neatest job you can. Your final fursuit depends most of all on the maker knowing what you want.

5) Save Up Again!
There are four levels of fursuit.
- Just the head is... just the head. It's not advisable to get just the head because without at least the tail it won't really look like your character, just you in a funny animal mask. The head is the most complex and difficult part to make. Expect to pay $500-$1,000 for it, depending on how complex it is.
- Partial fursuits are the head, tail, hands and possibly feet. You cover the rest of your body with clothes as normal. Expect to pay $500-$1,500 for that.
- Semi-partials include the head, tail, gloves and feet, but may also include the shoulders, the upper part of the torso, arm gloves, (which may cover just your lower arms or your upper arms too), or feet with leggings. Again, you cover the rest of your body with clothes. Expect to pay $1,000-$2,000 for all that.
- A full suit includes the head, tail, full body, hands and feet. The maker might also supply jewelry and oother accessories, or you can get those yourself. Expect to pay $3,000 and up. I've heard of full suits that cost $15,000 -- in 1999 dollars, no less -- but those were exceptionally complex.

If you are younger than eighteen or nineteen, a partial fursuit is your best choice. You are still growing and a full suit will quickly become too small for you, but a partial will (literally) grow with you. The problem, of course, will be affording it. Your mother and father will probably not want to spend $1,000 on a funny animal costume, even for Christmas. You might consider getting a used suit; Furbuy is one place to look. You will still need to come up with hundreds of dollars and you will be buying somebody else's problems, but it's a possibility to consider.

If you wonder why the rest of the suit costs so much more than the head, look up the price of fake fur. You wouldn't believe it! Consider also that it takes hundreds of hours and a lot of skill to make a fursuit. Makers deserve to be paid for their time!

Anyway, decide what you can afford and start saving up for it. It's best to have all the money ready in advance, because you never know when you'll lose your source of income. You don't want to owe your maker and not be able to pay, that would be very bad! And if you decide to buy a used suit, you will have to pay up front, even if it's through Paypal or another escrow service.

6) Fursuit Maker
When you think you'll be able to afford a fursuit, you're probably wrong. Still, it's best to choose a maker in advance. Look for makers whose fursuits look like your refsheet. Again, it's okay to consider more than one fursuit maker at a time, (but you'll end up with just one.) Keep in mind that popular makers will have waiting lists that might be hard to get onto. Newer makers won't be as busy, but they won't have as much experience either, and their work might not be as good. Most makers have a gallery of their completed fursuits for you to judge. (Be wary of those who don't!)

When you've chosen makers whom you like, find out how much they charge. Even if you're not on their waiting list, it's a fair question. They might want to see your refsheet at this point to judge whether it's something they can or want to do. Some might even give free or cheap estimates. (Be sure their estimate at least guesses at shipping and handling, because you'll have to pay that, too.) By the way, makers are likely to be pretty busy, especially if they're popular. When you ask, expect to wait days for a reply.

That done, you can finish saving up.

7) Duct Tape Dummy
This is essentially a tailor's mannequin which exactly matches your body size and shape. Fursuit makers use it to tailor your fursuit to fit you exactly. You are responsible for making it and sending it to your fursuit maker.

You will need four things to make your DTD; old clothes that you can sacrifice, a helluva lot of duct tape, paramedic's sheers, and a friend to help you.

You start by dressing in underwear that's not too revealing, since your friend is going to see it. Then you put on your sacrificial shirt, pants, slippers and, if you're being really thorough, gloves. The shirt must have long sleeves and the pants full legs. A shirt with a collar is best. A turtleneck sweater and jeans is ideal; shorts and a tee shirt won't do at all. Even though you're going to cut them up later, they must be clean and dry so that the duct tape will stick properly.

Now, you and your friend start wrapping you in duct tape. THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO THIS ALONE! It has to press your clothes tight to your body everywhere that you're dressed. The tape should overlap with each pass. Once your whole body is covered in duct tape, wrap it a second time for strength. (Strong with the glue duct tape is, but not that strong!)

Finally, your friend will use the paramedic's sheers to cut the duct tape and your sacrificial clothes open so that you can get out. Paramedic's sheers are angled and have a broad, blunt end on one blade so that they cut your clothes and not you. (They're not ridiculously expensive and can come in handy for other occasions.) Make sure you can trust your friend to NOT cut off your underwear, too!

Usually it will be enough to cut about half-way down the back, possibly through the shoulders to part-way down the arms, plus the wrists and/or ankles. Don't cut more than just enough to let you wriggle out!

You then fold up the completed DTD and seal it in a box to send to the maker. (It might help to enclose a copy of your refsheet, too, but NOT YOUR ONLY COPY!) Your fursuit maker will seal it up and stuff it; that's their responsibility.

8) Commision, Pay, And Wait
It's finally time to approach your chosen maker with a commission for your fursuit. By this time, they should at least have seen your refsheet. If necessary, start watching their waitlist for an opportunity to get onto it. The maker will probably want at least some payment in advance to reserve your place in their queue, and probably more to begin.

When your maker does begin your fursuit, they'll probably be doing more than one commission at at time. That's because parts of your suit will need to stand and set after some steps, especially with your head, as well as waiting periods while supplies they need are delivered late again. There's no sense in standing idle during these periods, so they have two or three commissions on the go at any time. Be aware of this and don't take it personally. But even when they're concentrating on your commission, it takes hundreds of hours to make a fursuit. (Plus they need to go to the bathroom, eat, buy groceries, sleep, and generally take care of the rest of their lives.)

Don't expect yours to be ready for months, possibly more than a year!

9) Final Payment
Eventually, you will receive the maker's final bill. It will probably be higher than the estimate because of things the maker could not predict, but it shouldn't be too much higher. It's not unreasonable to ask for details. If you've been paying increments as the work progressed, this will probably be a bigger payment than the others because it will include shipping and handling; the costs of putting your fursuit in a box, (which hopefully will withstand abuse by the postal apes), and sending it to you. If you paid in full up front, it could all be shipping and handling. At this point, you could, if you wish, offer to pay extra for things like insurance, registration, tracking, or a courier like UPS or FedEx instead of the post orifice. All of these will cost extra and it's your responsibility to pay for it.

10) The Final Wait
When you pay the final bill, the maker should either give you an estimate from the post office, (or whichever couriers they used), of how long it will take to get to you, or else give you a tracking number so that you can look it up yourself. Don't count on this estimate; couriers and the post office both make mistakes, use the wrong figures, misplace boxes, or just can't be bothered.

Anyway, waiting for delivery will be the hardest part of the whole project. Will it arrive? Will it be as good as the maker promised? Will it fit right? Will it have to be sent back for alterations or repairs? Will it get to you in time for the convention? You will worry. You will tear your hair out. You might have to pay import fees and duty for it, depending on your local laws and where the maker lives. (You probably should have looked those up and added them to the maker's estimate in step six!) And when the box finally arrives, you will be afraid to open it.

But you will open it. And if the maker was any good, you'll immediately fall in love. Congratulations, you are now a fursuiter!

...there are, however, no guarantees that you will be a good fursuiter. At first, nobody will appreciate you other than yourself. Becoming a famous fursuiter, like Telephone or Majira, is your problem.

Summary
There are ten steps to getting a fursuit: making your character; saving up for a refsheet; finding an artist to draw your refsheet, or learning to draw one yourself; hiring an artist to draw your refsheet, or drawing it yourself; saving up for the fursuit; choosing a fursuit maker; making a duct tape dummy; commissioning a fursuit maker to make your fursuit, (and waiting while they make it); paying for it; and waiting for the post office or courier to deliver it. At all of these steps, it is your responsibility to pay what you owe, to keep track of what you owe and what's going on, to do your own parts properly, to comunicate clearly and honestly, and most of all, to be patient. With a little luck, (and a lot of money), the results will be a fursuit that lasts you for years and accurately reflects the character that you want to portray.

A NOTE ON DHGATE
There are Chinese factories that make fursuits. Their products are much cheaper than any western makers, as little as $300-$450 for a full suit. Fursuits from DHGate have two main disadvantages.

1) They are cheap because they are poorly made. They look shoddy, they fit badly, and they don't last very long. You won't be happy with one.
2) They are mostly pirated copies of fursuits by western makers. They do this on the cheap by not paying royalties to anybody. Imagine going to a convention in a DHGate fursuit and meeting the original fursuit, or the person who owns it. They won't like it and neither will the convention. It could be embarrassing.

As tempting as their prices might be, don't get a cheap, Chinese fursuit. They're not worth it.

Wish.com is no better for finding Furry goods.
https://youtu.be/GCoqR5u7KY0

Finally, Full Disclosure
I am not an artist or a fursuit maker. I do not have a fursuit myself. All that I know about the process of getting one comes from other people talking about their experiences, from too many sources to list, over several years. Except for how much refsheets cost; I learned that by asking artists.

-- D'Otter

---

UPDATE -- added link to Ash Coyote's video 30AP2020

By now, I'd expected to be at Furnal Equinox 2020. I would have lead my first panel ever, (Greymuzzles), and be getting ready for my second panel ever, (Mustelids Meet.) The con didn't happen because of the pandemic. Every furry in town is sad because it didn't happen. So are Furries from a couple hundred klicks around Toronto who were also planning to come. They're in good company. So far, at time of writing, not only Furnal Equinox, but Gateway FurMeet, Furry Down Under (FurDU), and Furry Weekend Atlanta have been cancelled, while ThaiTails, Otterdance, Motor City FurMeet, Golden State FurCon, Fauntastic, and Biggest Little FurCon are being postponed.
Source: Furry Convention Calendar -- https://furrycons.com/calendar/

It's sad not being able to visit other furries. For extroverts among us, who need social stimulation, it must be torture. (Introverts like me are in a better position, but we still get lonely.) Please remember that it's not the end of the world, it's only for now. Consider that we might not all make it through the pandemic, for many of us have health problems and the first Furries are in their fifties and sixties now. You can make sure that it was not your fault if one of us dies. By doing so, you might even save a life or two.
- Keep your distance until doctors say it's safe to stop. Hello is as good as a hug.
- Cough or sneeze into your elbow or a Kleenex™.
- And wash your hands, often and thoroughly. It should take you at least twenty (20) seconds.
- In particular, wash your hands before you touch your face, especially your eyes, nose or mouth, (and possibly again after.)

This is the Semmelweis technique that surgeons use before operating, it's as thorough as it gets.

https://youtu.be/IisgnbMfKvI

If you haven't seen this video yet, please watch it, it explains things very thoroughly and clearly and is easy-to-watch.

https://youtu.be/BtN-goy9VOY

This is the web page it mentions. -- https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus

For the same information with more attitude, try John Oliver.

https://youtu.be/c09m5f7Gnic

"Zazu" referred to this Vietnamese video.

https://youtu.be/BtulL3oArQw

And here's the Tick Tock dance version. (one of them)

https://youtu.be/ctF5aMV05kM

Remember, friends, it's not the end of the world. It's not forever, just for now.

https://youtu.be/wxrWz9XVvls

Keep calm and carry on.

Lotsa otter hugs,
-- Dee

AUSTRALIA IS ON FIRE!

And I know that many of us are concerned: for friends or even family who live there; for the millions of animals who died in the fire, or who escaped but then starved to death because all their food burned up; for both. It's easy to feel helpless in the face of such a disaster. Luckily, it's pretty easy to help, too. Here are some Australian charities that could use a few sheckles, if you can afford to give. If not, please copy-pasta this journal or link to it.

But first, thank you Pocari Roo  adezu for explaining the situation and putting these charities forward.

https://youtu.be/enbBkmZU-Yw

Australian Red Cross
https://www.redcross.org.au/campaig.....ecovery-donate

Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.
https://www.koalahospital.org.au/adopt-a-koala

NSW Rural Fire Service
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/voluntee.....-local-brigade


Buy a Bale
https://www.buyabale.com.au/donate/

WIRES
https://www.wires.org.au/donate/emergency-fund
(works best with Safari or Explorer)

Country Fire Authority
https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/su.....cfa#donate-cfa

WWF
https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved.....ency#gs.rj66gg

Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal
https://www.frrr.org.au/cb_pages/di.....overy_fund.php

PS. Yes, I did contribute to WIRES and the Australian Red Cross myself.

I wish my friends and acquaintances good luck in 2020, to you and to all of us.

Although, doesn't it seem like bad luck is what makes us go out and make things better? Maybe we should start saying break a leg instead!

Break a leg, you Furries!

 fenchfletcher's cat, Skitty, has been throwing up a lot lately and has scabbing on her throat that could be an alergic reaction to something. (She also needs her vaccinations.) She needs to see a vet. Fench can't afford it.

Fench needs money for vet bills. He's taking Pay What You Want commissions, (minimum $5 please.) He's also reluctantly accepting donations. Please consider helping this Furry artist and his cat.

Here is Fench's own journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9338749/

Here is Fench's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/fenchfletcher/

Here is Fench's commission details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/commiss.....fenchfletcher/

Or if you'd like to just contribute, Fench's Paypal account is cookiekangaroo[at]yahoo.com and his Ko-Fi is https://ko-fi.com/fenchfletcher

And remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this journal, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.


I do not know or watch fenchfletcher myself; he was recommended by jimbear, here.

In the past few years, some Protestant groups have tried to argue against referring to the Christmas season as “The Holidays” because they feel that it takes away from the Holy status of Christmas and of Christ. What they fail to understand is that “The Holidays” does not mean Christmas exclusively. There are, in fact, quite a few holidays during this time, not all of them Christian. Here is my list of holidays and important occasions for 2019 which happen between Advent Sunday, (the beginning of the traditional lead up to Christmas), through Christmas Season, (the twelve days beginning Christmas Day and ending on January 5th or “Twelfth Night”). until Epiphany, (the season which follows Christmas.)

- December 1st – Advent Sunday (Catholic), Rosa Parks Day (anniversary of her arrest)

- December 1st to 24th – Advent Season (Catholic)

- December 2nd - Women's Brain Health Day (Canada), National Mutt Day (USA)

- December 3rd - International Day of Persons with Disabilities (UN)

- December 4th - Eid il-Burbara (Middle East Christians), International Cheetah Day

- December 5th – Krampusnacht (Austrian Trad.), Day of the Ninja

- December 5th to 6th - Sinterklaas (Dutch, St Nicolas Eve + St Nicholas Day)

- December 6th - St. Nicholas Day (Christian), National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women (Canada), 30th Anniversary of the Polytechnique Montréal Shooting

- December 8th - Geeta Jayanti (Hindu), Bodhi Day (Rohatsu, Buddhist), Immaculate Conception of Mary (Catholic)

- December 9th – Anna’s Day (Sweden, Finland, lutefisk)

- December 10th - Human Rights Day (UN)

- December 11th - Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster

- December 12th – Rohini Vrat (Jainist, monthly), Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Hispanic Catholic), Full Moon (Moon Before Yule)

- December 13th - Acadians Remembrance Day

- December 14th - Monkey Day

- December 15th - Zamenhof Day (Esperanto)

- December 16th - Dhanu Sankranti (Hindu)

- December 16th to 25th - Posadas Navidenas (Mexico)

- December 20th - International Human Solidarity Day, World Barking Day

- December 20th to 23rd – Yule (Pagan)

- December 21st – Winter Solstice, Official First Day of Winter, Sanghamitta (Buddhist), Yalda (Zoroastrianism), Blue Christmas (Christian), Global Orgasm Day

- December 22nd, sunset, to 30th – Chanukah/Hanukkah (Jewish)

- December 22nd to January 2nd – Yule (Christian, aka Yuletide)

- December 23rd – Humanlight (Secular Humanist), Festivus (Seinfeld), Christmas Adam (because Adam came before Eve)

- December 24th – Nittel Nacht (Jewish), Christmas Eve

- December 25th – Christmas Day (Christian), Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox Christian), Newtonmas (Sir Isaac Newton's birthday, 1642)

- December 26th – Boxing Day (?), Wren Day (Celtic), Feast of St Stephen (Christian), Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrianism), Kwanzaa begins (to January 1st)

- December 27th – Feast of Saint John the Apostle (Christian)

- December 28th - Holy Innocents (Christian)

- December 29th - Holy Family (Catholic)

- December 31st – New Year’s Eve, Watch Night (Christian)

- January 1st – New Year’s Day, Mary Mother of God (Catholic), Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Orthodox Christian), Feast Day of St Basil (Orthodox Christian), Gantan-sai (Shinto New Year), Z Day

- January 2nd - Guru Gobindh Singh’s birthday (Sikh), Day After New Year’s Day (PQ)

- January 3rd - Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Some Catholics)

- January 4th - World Braille Day

- January 5th – Twelfth Night (trad.)

- January 6th – Epiphany (Christian), Dia de los Reyes (Hispanic Catholic)

TOTAL HOLIDAYS and OCCASIONS = 68 (does not include January 6th)

Religious = 36

Christian = 23

And that’s why we call it “The Holidays.”

 tasimmet is worried about her friend. He's broke, homeless and hopeless. He's tried to kill himself and keeps going back to hospital because he's afraid he'll do it again. He had a meeting about income assistance today, (I haven't heard how it went.) Tassy managed to put him up in a motel last night and feed him so he'd be coherent at the meeting.

The situation is not as urgent as it was yesterday. However, Tassy is still taking emergency commissions to help her friend further. Please consider helping this Furry artist to help her friend.

Here is Tassy's own journal on the subject with more information and commission details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9329997/

Here is Tassy's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/tasimmet/

If you would like to contribute, please send Tassy a note. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/newpm/tasimmet/

And remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this journal, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.


I watch tasimmet myself.

 ainoko has been evicted from his apartment. He is now homeless, probably living in his car. The landlord was petty and mean-spirited about evicting him. Ainoko came home to find the lock changed, (well before the end of the month), and his posessions tossed out the window onto the ground. His posessions, including sex toys and pornography, were left where children could get at them. He's consulting lawyers. (Law firms often give initial consultations for free.)

Obviously, Ainoko needs money. He's not in a position right now to offer anything in return. In fact, he doesn't seem to be asking for help, but he needs it. Please consider helping this homeless Furry artist.

Here is Ainoko's orignal journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9324846/

Here is Ainoko's most recent journal on the subject. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9326540/

Here is Ainoko's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/ainoko/

If you'd like to contribute, Ainoko's Paypal account is johnny_yuma1965[at]hotmail.com

And remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this journal, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.


I watch ainoko myself now, but he was recommended by jimbear in a PM.

Remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta either part of this journal or the whole thing. The URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.

---

 illogical is having trouble paying bills. The trouble stems mainly from injuries to his wrist that make it difficult to draw for a living. He has also had an unexpected expense; he had to by an asthma inhaler for his father. Caring for his father, (and recently helping their landlord to fix their leaky roof), have also taken time away from what drawing he can still do.

Illas needs money, simple as that. He's working on commissions which he already owes, but hopes to be able to draw flat sketches in return for donations. Please consider helping this Furry artist.

Here is Illas's own journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9324370/

Here is Illas's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/illogical/

To help Illas out, please send a note. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/newpm/illogical/

I watch illogical myself.

UPDATE -- Illas does need help, but the details above are wrong. I'm still trying to understand the problem. I'll update again when I can be sure I'll get it right. 19NO2019
UPDATE -- I have made corrections. I hope my journal now properly reflects the situation. I apologize for taking so long. 22NO2019

---

 kittyshark.creations.inc and her fiance are being used as nursing slaves. Her fiance's grandmother is in late stages of senile dementia. "Mamaw's" family can't be bothered with her since Sai and her fiance are there to do it for them. Sai has no time for herself and it's making her very sick. Sai has pneumonia and strep throat; she calls herself a "walking pharmacy." Her mental condition is bad and going downhill; she attempted suicide once. Sai has lost family and friends because she's literally not permitted to visit or even talk to them. Her fiance has to work to pay his family rent for her and him, so Sai is usually alone with "Mamaw." Of course, they have no money for themselves, either. On top of all this, "Mamaw" goes out of her way to be cruel to Sai. (This is at least partially because of the dementia, but that doesn't help Sai to cope with it anymore than her family does. Honestly, "Mamaw" should have been put in a hospice long ago.)

Sai and her fiance need to GTFO. They need money for transportation, first-and-last and supplies. She has a "Payhip" where she's selling art bases, but it's not enough. She needs the help of generous Furries. Please consider helping to liberate this enslaved Furry artist.

Here is Sai's own journal on the subject. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9322015/

Here is Sai's GoFundMe, with further details and a way to help. -- https://www.gofundme.com/f/1t81coa7s0

Or Sai's Paypal account is serrinneajackson[at]hotmail.com

Here is Sai's Livejournal entry with all the details. -- https://saisaikittyshar.livejournal.com/

Here's that "Payhip" where Sai sells bases. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9322015/


I watch kittyshark.creations.inc myself.

---

THIS JUST IN

"Doggo" needs a new car. His perfectly decent car blew its water pump and died, apparently totalled with a locked-up engine. He needs a new car to get to work before winter starts.

Here is Doggo's GoFundMe, with further details and a way to help. -- https://www.gofundme.com/f/xhrzwh-n.....cp+share-sheet

This journal on the subject just points to Doggo's GoFundMe. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9324776/


I do not know or watch Doggo myself; he was recommended by wolfin22, here.
UPDATE -- Wolfin isn't "Doggo," he was just posting for a friend. Sorry! 19NO2019

 plu's mother was injured on the job. Her left hand is a mess. Her employer, (to put it briefly), prevented her from receiving financial assistance. She now has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and needs meds to get by. Plu would like to help support her by getting a job, but is hampered by three things: they live in an out-of-the-way part of the state; Plu has pretty severe asthma, so walking or biking to work is out of the question; and they have what used to be a car, but it's not roadworthy. Just getting his mother to doctor appointments and buying groceries, they need to beg help from a neighbor.

Plu needs a car to find a job and then get to work, as well as help out at home. He figures it will take US$2,200.  foxyrabbit makes sex toys based on his fursonna, for which he gets royalties. Plu is also selling off some characters. But he's reluctantly accepting donations, too. Please consider helping this down-on-his-luck Furry and his mom.

Here is Plu's own posting on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/view/33663703/

Here is Plu's character sale. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/view/33703807/

Here is more info about Plu's sex toys -- https://www.furaffinity.net/view/33399166/

Here is Plu's GoFundMe. -- https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-som.....cp+share-sheet

Or if you'd like to just contribute, (or you have trouble with GoFundMe), this is Plu's Paypal account. -- https://www.paypal.me/Pluface

And remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this journal, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.


I do not know or watch plu myself; he was recommended by nedoiko, here.

 wysdrem's laptop is dieing, rather spectacularly. She is a digital artist so, without a computer, she cannot do art. She has a new desktop and is busily setting it up, but now she needs to pay for it.

Wysdrem is offering emergency commissions to pay for her new computer. Please consider helping this tech-maimed Furry artist.

Here is Wysdrem's own journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9291522/

Here is Wysdrem's latest update. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9293241/

This is what she's offering in more specific detail. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/view/33029465/

Here is Wysdrem's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/wysdrem/

Or if you'd like to just contribute, Wysdrem's Ko-Fi is https://ko-fi.com/wysdrem and her Paypal account is https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/zoemnx.

And remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this journal, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.


I do not know or watch wysdrem myself; she was recommended by alishka, here.

Remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this journal, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.

---

 peachymars and his partner recently moved from West Virginia to Florida. They're short on funds, partly because of the move, partly because of medical bills. They don't have health insurance at this point, either. They're having a lot of trouble finding work. Mars is already up to his neck in commissions and can't take more right now.

Mars is reluctantly accepting donations. Please consider helping this SOL digital artist.

Here is Mars's own journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9289908/

Here is Mars's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/peachymars/

If you'd like to contribute, Mars's Ko-Fi is https://ko-fi.com/peachymars

I do not know or watch peachymars myself; he was recommended by synviver, here.


EDIT -- changed Mars's pronouns to he/him, (but left plural when refering to both him and his partner) 15OC2019

---

 jace is dealing with a plate-load of issues, but clinical depression is making nearly everything problematic. His doctor is trying him on different meds, but he literally Just Can't right now. Anybody who's dealt with clinical depression will understand this.

Jace is reluctantly accepting donations. Please consider helping this unwell Furry artist.

Here is Jace's own journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9290030/

If you'd like to contribute, Jace's Paypal account is madyena[at]gmail.com

I watch jace myself.

Remember Vivziepop and her werewolf character, JayJay? She's selling "Die Young" pins and tee-shirts, as well as tees, hats and pins from her "Hazbin Hotel" project. If you're interested, you can find them here.
http://bit.ly/2LuO89q
(This has been an unpaid advisory for any of Vivziepop's fans who might be here.)

I was talking with some friends earlier this week about Paw Day. There was some confusion between that and somebody's idea to draw a paw print on your hand today, (May 25th), to help other Furries find you. (This seemed like a bad idea to me as it might also help people who were hostile to Furry find you. But that's a different issue.) I'm sure that Paw Day was originally May 20th, because I made a note at the time of the original proposal for Paw Day. But the Furry who proposed it didn't say what it was for exactly, (although it was used that year as an excuse to post paw fetish art), or whether it was supposed to be on a certain day on a certain week in May, (the way Mothers Day is always the second Sunday in May), or on May 20th no matter what day it was,. Nor did he say if it was meant to be perpetual or just for that one year.

My friends and I discussed the matter at length. We even came up with ideas for a Paw Week and to declare May "Furry Month." (We abandoned the latter idea.) We did agree that Paw Day was May 20th. Then, somehow, I ended up in charge of reviving the day.

A quick search on FA seemed to show that Paw Day never really took off, but it didn't entirely die, either. I think it started in 2011 or 2012, as those are the oldest references I found. But it's always been May 20th. So let's make that official, (or what passes for "official" in Furry.)

Well, you'll all either pick this up and run with it or you won't.

May 20th will now and forever be Paw Day! Its purpose will be to celebrate paws in all their wonder, (including, but not limited to, paw fetishes.)

Paw Week will be the Sunday through Saturday in which May 20th falls. Its purpose is to celebrate Furry in general and paws in particular and to help bring local Furries together.
Paw Week 2020 will start on May 17th and end on May 23rd.

Celebrate these occasions in friendship, with a positive attitude and otherwise in whatever way you see fit. Please pass this information on if you like the idea.

And stay tuned for a discussion of the Furrinalia! (Please Google it before starting the inevitable drama-fest.)
-- Dee

Let's talk about something less controversial. Here's a list of the podcasts I listen to regularly.

Writing

As a Furry author I always want to improve my craft. I consider these podcasts "professional development."

Dead Robots Society - http://deadrobotssociety.com/ (weekly)
SF author Terry Mixon and horror writer Paul E Cooley discuss various topics about the writing process, with reguar distractions by cats and squirrels.

Fangs and Fonts - http://fangsandfonts.com/ (back from the dead, roughly once a month so far)
Ocean Tigrox, Tarl “Voice” Hoch, Roland Jovaik and Yannarra Cheena discuss writing in the Furry genre.

Independent Claws - http://www.chriswilliamsauthor.com/?page_id=21 (occasionaly)
Chris "Sparf" Williams discusses various aspects of writing.
NB. Sparf used to post his podcast roughly once per month, but it hasn't updated since a co-production with Fangs and Fonts on August 14th of 2018.

Reading and Writing Podcast - http://readingandwritingpodcast.com/ (when the spirit moves them)
Jeff Rutherford interviews authors.

Writing Excuses - https://writingexcuses.com/ (weekly)
"Fifteen minutes long*, because you're in a hurry and we're not that smart." (*usually longer)
Margaret Dulap, Mary Robinette Kowal, Mahtab Narsimhan, Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor and Dan Wells talk about every aspect of writing there is, one at a time, in order. They haven't finished yet.

Furry

The Anthroholics (Soundcloud) - https://soundcloud.com/user-534967572 (roughly weekly)
JT Fox and Adrion Knollstead (badger) critique Furry and Furry-adjacent movies.

Fur What It's Worth - http://www.furwhatitsworth.com/ (roughly monthly)
Tugs Puppybear and RooChi "Roo" Lexico discuss Furry topics from an introductory perspective.

Growl (Soundcloud) - https://soundcloud.com/growlpod (occasionally)
A new Furry podcast, it hasn't really found its feet yet.

Southpaws (Podbean) - https://southpawscast.podbean.com/ (usually weekly)
Savrin, Fuzzwolf and Shiva yap about Furry, politics and other stupid things in the news. They often talk about Furry writing from a publisher's perspective.
NB. formerly Knotcast

XBN Podcasting Network - host the following Furry podcasts
Furcast - https://furcast.fm/ (weekly with occasional breaks)
Paradox Redwolf and Fayroe Bluefox host a weekly comedy podcast with a third co-host who changes from time to time, currently Neex Otter. Guests change with each show. Fayroe's wife, Ikasury Dire Wolf, also makes occasional appearances and is very cool.
NB. adult content
Friday Night Tracks - https://fridaynighttracks.com/ (every other week)
Paradox Redwolf spins various EDM and whatever else takes his fancy, often with guests
NB. was "Friday Night Tech," title has not updated in all XBN pages
Maestropaws - https://maestropaws.com/ (was weekly)
Mike Paws hosts classical and romantic era music, movie and show tunes and video game music.
NB. hasn't updated lately, back episodes are available
Fur Features - https://furfeatures.com/ (occasionally)
Paradox and Jesse host in-depth interviews with movers and shakers in the Furry fandom. This new podcast hasn't quite found its feet yet.

Adult

NB. I write Furry porn, not exclusively, but often. I follow sex and kink podcasts to better inform myself on these topics. Besides, it's fun.
But these podcasts do contain sexual references and often strong language. Listener discretion is advised.

Erotic Awakening - http://www.eroticawakening.com/podcast/ (weekly)
Dan and Dawn discuss BDSM, Master/slave and polyamory topics from an insider's perspective.

Femme Domme Mystique (RSS) - http://femdom.libsyn.com/rss (occasionally)
Mistress Simone discusses BDSM from the perspective of a professional dominatrix, especially interesting for her business PoV
NB. doesn't update regularly anymore, but occasionally, lots of back episodes

Graydancer's Podcast/Ropecast (RSS) - http://graydancer.libsyn.com/rss (occasional)
Graydancer talks about tieing people up in beautiful, uncomfortable poses.
NB. Graydancer hasn't updated in a while. He spoke previously about new laws making it difficult for adult podcasts to remain in distribution and hinted that he might have to stop.

The Passion And Soul Podcast by Lee Harrington - http://passionandsoul.libsyn.com/rss (seldom)
Lee Harrington is an author and educator who writes non-fiction in various fields of kink, including sacred sexuality.

The Big Little Podcast - https://www.biglittlepodcast.com/ (roughly quarterly)
Mae, Mako, and Spacey discuss AB/DL and "Little" topics. (I think Mako once mentioned having a Furry connection.)
(These guys are really nice!)

Weird / Other

Hello from the Magic Tavern - http://hellofromthemagictavern.com/ (weekly, currently in hiatus)
Arnie Kneecamp, (a voice from Jackbox Games), fell through a rogue dimensional portal behind a Burger King into the magical world of Foon. There he hosts a weekly podcast with his co-hosts, Chunt the shape-shifter, (usually a talking badger), Usidore the Blue Wizard, and various guests from different walks of life in Foon. This is a weekly improvised comedy show featuring actors from other Earwolf shows.
NB. currently on hiatus between seasons
NB. Because of Chunt the Badger and many of their guests being animals, I consider HftMT at least Furry-adjacent. If you're familiar with the show, I'd like to know what you think.

Welcome to Nightvale - http://podbay.fm/show/536258179 (twice monthly, 1st and 15th)
Cecil Palmer hosts a "daily" evening show on NPR in the disturbing, little town of Nightvale, where Bad Things Happening is just the way life is. (Yeah, everybody's heard of Nightvale. I just wanted to try my own paw at describing it.)

Hello Internet - http://www.hellointernet.fm/ (monthly?)
CGP Grey and Dr Brady Haran pontificate on current events. Both gentlemen are Youtube celebs; Grey for his occasional insightful rants, Brady for Numberphile, Periodic Table of Videos and other channels. This show has a huge fan base, whom Grey and Brady refer to as "Tims," and who occasionally make their power felt in the world.

IRL - MozillaCast (RSS) - https://feeds.mozilla-podcasts.org/irl (on hiatus between seasons)
Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox web browser and other powerful apps, produce this periodic look at various topics about the Internet, especially privacy and security issues.

...and I guess that's about it. I always keep an eye-out for other interesting podcasts, so I'd welcome your comments, lists, and suggestions.

Before I begin, let me say that I got most of this information from news reports and science videos on Youtube, along with bits and pieces that I looked up on Google. I am not an expert in anything, and this summary should on no account be considered definitive. It is merely what I’m pretty sure I know.

To understand what’s going on with the Max 8 and 9 variants of the Boeing 737, it is necessary first to understand turbojet engines. In simplest terms, a turbojet engine, (hereafter a “jet”), is two sets of turbines connected by an axle and covered by a cylindrical wall that keeps pressurized air inside it. As the axle spins, the first turbine stuffs air into a combustion chamber. There, it is mixed with fuel and burned, which increases the pressure a lot more. The burned air next flows through the second turbine, which turns the axle, which turns the first turbine. Finally, the hot, burned air flows out of a nozzle at high speed and with high force. This, in agreement with Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of thermodynamics, causes an equal and opposite reaction which pushes the whole thing forward along with anything attached to it, (like an airplane.)

It’s like a gun, when you shoot it, pushing back against you, except that instead of one hard shove, it’s a constant push.

The problem with this is that a lot of the energy in the burned air gets thrown away as heat. That’s why jets are powerful, but not very efficient. What engineers do about that is make the second turbine bigger. This makes it take more power from the nozzle and add it to the power turning the axle. It’s more power than the first turbine needs, but then they add a third turbine on the axle in front of the first one. This makes better use of the exhaust energy.

The third turbine can be an old fashioned propeller and “turboprop engines” are very efficient. (They’re usually quieter, too.) But a turboprop can’t push an airplane as fast because propellers add drag. What engineers do instead is add a “bypass fan” inside an outer cover. This turbine doesn’t help make the jet go, it just adds thrust, (pushes the airplane), so it makes the whole thing a lot more efficient. The more energy from the jet that goes into bypass thrust, the more efficient it is.

The Max 8 and 9 variants of Boeing’s 737, (hereafter the Max 8), use a new jet engine with the highest bypass yet created. It makes the Max 8 about 14% more fuel efficient than the previous version, (series 800.) At current fuel prices, each flight would be a lot cheaper. This is good, (for somebody.)

But they come with a problem. The new engines are big. They’re so big that, mounted on series 800 engine pylons, (the parts that connect the jets to the plane), their bottoms come within seven inches (18 cm) of the ground, close enough that they could bump it. That’s not good.

There are a couple of things that the engineers could have done about this. They could have made the landing gear taller. That solution would have been “sub-optimal,” as they say, because then the gear would have taken more space in the nose and wings, weighed more and crowded either the fuel tanks or other important things. Instead, they changed the engine pylons. Making them shorter wouldn’t have helped, (they’re already short), so the engineers made them sweep up and forward. This gave the engines enough clearance from the ground for safe take-offs and landings.

But that created another problem. Now, I’m not an aerospace engineer, so it seems to me that the new pylons would make the plane a bit nose heavy, so that the nose would tend to tip down. In fact, the new pylons make the plane tail heavy, so that the nose tends to tip up. Neither is good, but a tail heavy plane can stall, especially taking-off; the wings tilt so far up that they don’t lift the plane anymore and it falls down tail-first. That’s very bad.

There are a few things that the engineers could have done about this. They could have added dead-weight ballast to the nose, lead plates or something. This would have been sub-optimal because it would make the plane heavier and take away from the number of passengers and their luggage that it could carry. They could have used live ballast to adjust the trim, for instance by putting a fuel tank in the nose and using that tank last. That would still have been sub-optimal, because fluids shift as the plane moves, which would have made it harder to control. (That’s bad.) The best solution would probably have been to move the wings back a little. The problem there is that a lot of things attach to the wings, wires and fuel pipes and hydraulic lines and what all else. Moving the wings, even a little, would have meant re-designing a lot of the plane’s systems and taken a lot of time.

Added to this, Airbus was selling a new version of their A320, which had the same new enginess. It was competing with the Max 8. So Boeing wanted to get their new plane out the door ASAP!

What the engineers did was install their Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, MCAS for short. That’s an extra on-board computer connected to a pair of sensors as input and the systems that control the tail flaps as output. The sensors measure the plane’s “angle of attack,” how much the nose is up or down compared to the tail. If it’s getting close to the angle at which the plane would stall, it makes the tail flaps move to bring the nose back down. (It can do this because modern airplanes are all “fly-by-wire.” A computer watches what the pilot and co-pilot do to the controls and make the plane’s wings and tail and engines and so forth do what they want. It has to be that way because flaps and things are too heavy to operate the old fashioned way, you’d have to be the Incredible Hulk!®) And this solution does work.

But... surprise... there’s a problem. There are situations in which the two sensors give different readings. (I don’t know what those situations are.) When that happens, MCAS becomes unpredictable. It can make the nose point down, even though the plane is already flying straight and level. What’s worse, MCAS works in the background, so pilots don’t even know why the plane is trying to crash itself. And this is what happened to Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

Now there are several things that the engineers could have done to prevent this. They could have written the software that the MCAS computer runs to account for the possibility that the two sensors would disagree. And they’re doing this, now that people have died. They could have gone with just one sensor, although two gives the system back-up in case one fails. They could have used three sensors and had MCAS pick the two that agree. Sure, the other one might be the one that’s right, but it’s a lot less likely. And of course, they could have fixed the nose-heavy engine pylon problem in the first place. Then MCAS wouldn’t have been necessary.

In fact, the engineers did supply safety systems that would help when MCAS goes wrong. They put a couple of switches to disable MCAS beside the throttle controls. They also added an angle of attack indicator to show the pilot what MCAS thinks that is, and a “Disagree” light to warn when the two sensors are giving different readings, so that the crew are warned when MCAS is about to go wrong. There are two problems with this solution.

- Boeing offers the angle of attack indicator and disagree light as optional extras. Buyers can “cheap-out” and not get them. (Neither Lion Air nor Ethiopian Airlines bought them.)
- MCAS is not even mentioned in Boeing’s training, either for pilots new to the 737 line, or for 737 pilots new to the Max 8. (Only Boeing knows why.) The Lion Air pilot might never have known what the MCAS switches were for.

But it gets worse. Black box data from the Ethiopian Airlines crash showed that the pilot did figure out what the switches were for. The voice recorder showed that the co-pilot desperately searched the manual for the correct procedure and apparently found it. But MCAS seemed to keep turning itself back on! That is most definitely and emphatically Not Good!

TL:DR
So the proximate cause of the two crashes was the MCAS. The cause-in-fact, however, was big jet engines on a (relatively) small plane. The motive for wanting the big jets was reasonable, but it created a chain of solutions causing more problems that ended with an unsafe airplane. And what can we learn from this? In the words of Mick Jagger, you can’t always get what you want. Boeing should have put smaller engines on the Max 8, even though they were less efficient.

Twelfth Night, the traditional end of the Christmas season, is tomorrow. Therefore, I consider this information timely, if only just.


In the past few years, some Protestant... um, let's say "groups." ...have spoken and in some ways acted to "win Christmas back for Christ," by protesting and trying to suppress all references to "The Holidays." Their objections come from a level of ignorance which they could easily correct with a little Google-whacking, would they but look beyond the ends of their noses. Here, then, is my list for this year.

The Holidays 2018-2019

Sunday, December 2nd[– Beginning of Chanukkah (Jewish, ends 10th), Advent Sunday (Christian, ends 24th)

Wednesday, December 5th – Krampusnacht (Austria), Day of the Ninja, Walt Disney's Birthday (1901), Sinterklaas (begins, two days)

Thursday, December 6th - St. Nicholas Day (Christian)

Saturday, December 8th - Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (Catholic), Bodhi Day (Rohatsu, Buddhist)

Monday, December 10th - Human Rights Day (UN)

Tuesday, December 11th - Anniversary of the Statute of Westminster

Wednesday, December 12th - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Catholic)

Friday, December 14th - Monkey Day

Saturday, December 15th - Zamenhof Day (Esperanto), International Tea Day

Sunday, December 16rth - Posadas Navidenas (Hispanic Christian, ends 25th), Dhanu Sankranti (Hindu), Beethoven's Birfday (1770)

Monday, December 17th (sunset) - Asara B'Tevet (Jewish)

Tuesday, December 18th - Geeta Jayanti (Hindu)

Thursday, December 20th - World Barking Day

Friday, December 21st – Winter Solstice, First Day of Winter, Yule (Pagan), Yule (Christian), Saint Thomas the Apostle (Christian), Blue Christmas (Christian), Yalda (Zoroastrianism), Global Orgasm Day

Sunday, December 23rd – Humanlight (Secular Humanist), Festivus (Seinfeld), Christmas Adam (because Adam came before Eve)

Monday, December 24th – Christmas Eve (Christian)

Tuesday, December 25th – Christmas Day (Christian), Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox Christian), Newtonmas (Sir Isaac Newton's birthday, 1642)

Wednesday, December 26th – Boxing Day, Feast of St Steven (Christian), Zarathosht Diso (Zoroastrianism), Wren Day, National Whiners Day, Kwanzaa (to January 1)

Friday, December 28th - Holy Innocents (Christian)

Sunday, December 30th - Holy Family (Christian)

Monday, December 31st – New Year’s Eve, Watch Night (Christian)

Tuesday, January 1st – New Year’s Day, Mary Mother of God (Catholic), Feast of the Circumcision of Christ (Catholics), Feast Day of St Basil (Orthodox), Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (Orthodox), Gantan-sai (Shinto New Years), Global Family Day (UN), Z Day (Secular)

Wednesday, January 2nd – Day After New Year’s Day (Quebec)

Thursday, January 3rd – J.R.R. Tolkein’s Birfday (1892)

Saturday, January 5th – Twelfth Night (trad.), Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti (Sikh), National Bird Day (USA)

Sunday, January 6th – Epiphany (Christian), Dia de Los Reyes (Three Kings Day, Hispanic Catholic), Feast of the Epiphany (Theophany, Orthodox), Nativity of Christ (Xmas, Armenian Orthodox)

TOTAL HOLIDAYS and OCCASUIONS = 59 (does not include January 6th)

Religious = 32

Christian = 21

And that’s why we call it “The Holidays.”

There, I got all thirty-one of them up. Enjoy!
https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery...../ConBravo-2018

I took quite a few pictures at ConBravo 2018, an annual general "nerd con" at the Hamilton Convention Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. I managed to get some use out of most of them. I'd meant to post them days ago, so I put about half of them up. But now I really have to get ready to go to CanFURence in Ottawa, Canada. I'll post the rest of them either Sunday or Monday when I get back, (unless it's a really boring con and I decide to do it there.) Sorry, folks!

Remember, if you'd like to help, but can't contribute right now, a signal boost is usually helpful, too. You may copy-pasta this whole journal or either part, the URL links should still work, but you might need to re-make the personal links.

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 marmelmm is too close for comfort to being homeless. He got fired just in time for Christmas 2016. Since then, he's been living on "savings, some help from friends and family, and my wits (my unemployment benefits expired in 2017)." He applied for Social Security half a year ago and is still waiting to hear from them. Meanwhile, he's behind on rent, utilities, and other bills. He's tried to sell stuff to make ends meet but hasn't had many takers.

M. Mitchell Marmel is trying to put US $5,000 together. (So far he has US $1,245 in pledges.) He is a skilled colorist, but mostly he is reluctantly accepting donations. (Seriously, begging for charity is eating the poor guy's soul.) Please consider helping this greymuzzle.

Here is M. Mitchell Marmel's own journal on the subject with a link to his GoFundMe, (which has more details.) -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8764854/

Here is M. Mitchell Marmel's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/marmelmm/

If you'd like to contribute, here is M. Mitchell Marmel's GoFundMe account. -- https://www.gofundme.com/save-forte.....m-homelessness

He also has a Ko-Fi account. -- https://ko-fi.com/marmelmm


I do not know or watch marmelmm myself; he was recommended by chromatophore, here.

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 illogical is still looking after his dad, who is recuperating from two or three simultaneous illnesses that have left him temporarily unable to look after himself. This leaves Illogical no time for art, (personal or commissions), or much of anything else. It therefore also leaves him short on funds for paying his own bills.

In brief, Illogical needs money. Any donations will help. Please consider this Furry artist, dealing with being bound by family obligation.

Here is Illogical's own journal on the subject with further details. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8812082/
Or see his previous journals for the whole, long story; he's been at this for quite a while.

Here is Illogical's gallery for your perusal. -- https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/illogical/

If you'd like to contribute, please ask Illogical through his user page.


I watch illogical myself.

I just posted these.

https://youtu.be/KtAWG-q3ayE

https://youtu.be/ZAOB1PfX4W4

https://youtu.be/mUM4t1-SVRM

And here's the whole playlist, so you watch them in sequence.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?li.....SM9ChhMtpmsZu2

I know that these are very rough, I'm sorry. Unfortunately, all I have right now is an M$ Proscan PLT8990-K, which can barely even run a video editor, nevermind load all three videos to join them. When I can get (or borrow?) something with more "horsepower," I'll be able to add some stills I took as well. (I still need to edit those before I upload them.)