SMOF News, volume 3, issue 22
Numbering snafu, furry Nazis, Hugo developments, and news in brief.
Newsletter Numbering Scandal!
SMOF News sent out issue 18s on both January 3 and 10, with the next couple issues being incorrectly numbered as a result. This issue resumes at the correct number. The webpage versions of last three issues may be renumbered to reduce confusion when it comes time to publish the index for volume 3.
The editor notes the irony of having noticed this right after sending out last week’s issue with the story about dodgy award voting numbers.
Furry Convention Chair Pushed Out By Staff Revolt
Dogpatch Press has the story (found via File 770) of the chair of Garden State Fur the Weekend (New Brunswick, New Jersey, May 3-5) stepping down, officially for health reasons. But it adds:
The story could end there, but unofficially, the change was forced by staff resignations. You’re seeing the aftermath of revolt behind the scenes, then getting back on track for launch. Yes, they stood up with the power of collective will to change the leadership for the better.
The revolt occurred because the ex-chair, Dashing Fox, is an associate of the Furry Raiders, a fringe group within anthropomorphic fandom that has long openly advocated for Nazism. Dogpatch Press sketches out some of that long history; be warned that it includes mentions of molestation, suicide, and Milo Yiannopolous.
The new chair of GSFTW is Shy Matsi. Dogpatch Press notes that efforts to exclude other Nazis are ongoing.
Hugo Mess Leads to Resignations Elsewhere
Worldcon Intellectual Property is the nonprofit which owns the service marks used by the World Science Fiction Society, the body responsible for World Science Fiction Conventions, which award the Hugos. Due to overlap with the committee of the Chengdu Worldcon, whose handling of the Hugo Award voting has come into question, as well as other incidents noted below, WIP has announced a number of actions:
Dave McCarty has resigned as a Director of W.I.P.
Kevin Standlee has resigned as Chair of the W.I.P. Board of Directors (BoD).
W.I.P. has censured or reprimanded the following persons, listed in alphabetic order, for the reason given:
Dave McCarty – censured for his public comments that have led to harm of the goodwill and value of our marks and for actions of the Hugo Administration Committee of the Chengdu Worldcon that he presided over.
Chen Shi – censured for actions of the Hugo Administration Committee of the Chengdu Worldcon that he presided over.
Kevin Standlee – reprimanded for public comments that mistakenly led people to believe that we are not servicing our marks.
Ben Yalow – censured for actions of the Hugo Administration Committee of the Chengdu Worldcon that he presided over.
Donald Eastlake has been elected Chair of the W.I.P. BoD.
WIP adds that further actions may be taken.
In Brief
Candidates for this year’s European Fan Fund, which will send the winner to this year’s Eurocon (Rotterdam, August 16-19), are Jane Mondrup and Joro Penchev. Fandom Rover has candidate statements, links to voting options, and an explanation of the rules. Voting is open through April 1.
ATL Comic Convention (Atlanta, Georgia, February 9-11) has added Sean Patrick Flanery, Christian Serratos, and Quinton Aaron as guests.
Indiana Comic Convention (Indianapolis, Indiana, March 22-24) has added Grey Delisle, Colby Minifie, George Takei, and Jyoti Amge as guests.
Event Calendar
Weekend of February 2-4
AggieCon 53: A Midsummer Night’s Con, College Station, Texas, USA
Capricon 44: The Endurance of Stars, Wheeling, Illinois, USA
Contabile 34 - Triple Time! (music), Buxton, UK
ScotiaCon: Prehistoric Panic! (anthropomorphic), Glasgow, UK
AnthroExpo: 8-Bit Heroes (anthropomorphic), Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Winter War 50 (gaming), Champaign, Illinois, USA
CaptainCon (gaming), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
Rocket City Gamefest, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
PopiCon! 2024 (gaming), South Bend, Indiana, USA
Anime Lubbock, Lubbock, Texas, USA
Setsucon (anime), Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
AnimeCon London, London, UK
My Hero Convention: Texas (My Hero Academia), Irving, Texas, USA
East Bay Comic Con, Concord, California, USA
Creation Dallas (media), Plano, Texas, USA
Alaska ComiCon, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Megacon Orlando (media), Orlando, Florida, USA
Weekend of February 9-11
Boskone 61, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Winter Fantasy 48 (gaming), Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
Running GAGG XXVIII: How to Train Your Squirrel to Train Your Dragon (gaming), Geneseo, New York, USA
DualCon (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Paradice (gaming), Worthing, UK
Game On! 2024, Bellevue, Washington, USA
AmberConNI 2024 (diceless RPGs), Belfast, UK
Kami-Con Season 15: Villainy (anime), Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Animangapop (anime), Plymouth, UK
Isekai Anime Con, Sandy, Utah, USA
ExpOtaku Logroño (anime), San Millán, Spain
Animeverse Fest (anime), Houston, Texas, USA
Zipcon 2024 (anime), Akron, Ohio, USA
Farpoint 31 (media), Pikesville, Maryland, USA
UMW Eagle Con (media), Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
ATL Comic Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Big Lick Comic-Con, Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Middle East Film & Comic Con, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Weekend of February 16-18
Radcon 9: Witches, Warlocks, and Wizards, Pasco, Washington, USA
CONpossible: The Jungles of Venus (alternate history), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Life, the Universe, and Everything #42 (symposium), Provo, Utah, USA
DunDraCon 47 (gaming), Santa Clara, California, USA
Itzacon XVII: Return From the Grave (gaming), Galway, Ireland
Polar Vortex 8 (gaming), Lisle, Illinois, USA
Con of the North (gaming), Bloomington, Minnesota, USA
Orccon 2024 (gaming), Los Angeles, California, USA
Escape Winter Con 2024 (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
Williamsburg Muster (wargaming), Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Decepta Con IX (social deception gaming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
J-Popcon (anime), Copenhagen, Denmark
Katsucon 2024 (anime), National Harbor, Maryland, USA
Fan Expo Vancouver (media), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Geek Days Rennes (media), Rennes, France
Philip K. Dick Film Festival, New York City, New York, USA
StingrayCon (media), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Boston Sci Fi Film Festival 49, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
Gallifrey One's Miracle on 34th Street (Doctor Who), Los Angeles, California, USA
Weekend of February 23-25
ConCave 43, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA
FenCon XIX, Irving, Texas, USA
Cosplay Up! 2024 (costuming), Manila, Philippines
FurSquared 2024 (anthropomorphic), Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
NordicFuzzCon 2024 (anthropomorphic), Malmö, Sweden
Atlanta Game Fest 42, Peachtree Corners, Georgia, USA
Total Confusion 38 (gaming), Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA
Plattecon XXXVII: Year of the Glitch (gaming), Platteville, Wisconsin, USA
CalCon (gaming), Kalmar, Sweden
Gamicon Arsenic (gaming), Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA
LootFest (gaming), Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Festival International des Jeux (gaming), Cannes, France
Fire and Ice Convention (gaming), Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA
Prolog 2024 (gaming), Trollhättan, Sweden
SoRCon 15 (boardgames), Basildon, UK
PrezCon 2024 (boardgames), Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Anime STX, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Nerd Fest (media), Swedesboro, New Jersey, USA
Shawicon (media), Shawinigan, Québec, Canada
StocktonCon (media), Stockton, California, USA
Con Nooga (media), Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Pensacon (media), Pensacola, Florida, USA
Weekend of March 1-3
CoastCon 46, Biloxi, Mississippi, USA
Picocon 41: The Menagerie, London, UK
Ret-Con 2024, Cary, North Carolina, USA
Cor41u (fanzines), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Cardboard*Con: Ye Olde Cardboard Con 15 (cardboard sf costuming), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Gdakon (anthropomorphic), Gdansk, Poland
Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention 12, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Evercon 24 (gaming), Rothschild, Wisconsin, USA
SaltCON Spring (gaming), Layton, Utah, USA
Tennessee Game Days Spring 2024, Franklin, Tennessee, USA
GAD-CON 2024 (gaming), Aberdeen, Maryland, USA
CincyCon 2024 (gaming), Hamilton, Ohio, USA
Cold Barrage 2024 (miniatures gaming), Havre de Grace, Maryland, USA
Games With Trains, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Intercon V: Voices (LARPs), Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
Kawacon: 3 Wishes (anime), San Antonio, Texas, USA
SwampCon Cirque du Gator (anime), Gainesville, Florida, USA
Made in Asia (anime), Brussels, Belgium
Anime Crossroads 2024, Plainfield, Indiana, USA
ExpOtaku Almería 2024 (anime), Almería, Spain
Puchicon NJ (anime), Teaneck, New Jersey, USA
Hall of Heroes Comic Con, Elkhart, Indiana, USA
Emerald City Comic Con, Seattle, Washington, USA
Sunrise Comic Con, Sunrise, Florida, USA
Cult Classic Convention (media), Bastrop, Texas, USA
KhromaKon (media), Baltimore, Maryland, USA
PeoriaCon 2024 (media), Peoria, Illinois, USA
House of Mouse Expo (Disney-owned media), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
Coda
Add bacteria to the list of things that can run Doom (The Register)
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