Fur Names

Recently, I have been thinking about the creative process behind choosing names for our fursonas.

Lupestripe came in the back end of 2006, when I first joined the Fandom. The weekend before I joined, I attended a little university reunion to celebrate Christmas and a friend of mine (who is not a fur) was talking about how he would like to buy a badger suit and go under the name "Earthstripe" (for what reason I don't know but it is a dream of is anyway).

The Tuesday after this, I joined the Fandom. My original moniker was Packwolf. I had had this since April 2004 but I thought that this was too generic and a quick Google search highlighted that this name was quite common in the Fandom. I wanted something a little more unique.

It had taken me six years to get to this stage of joining the Fandom so waiting on the log in screen for IRC, I wasn't going to surrender all that courage and give up just because I couldn't think of a name for my fursona.

Remembering back to my friend, I decided to take the word "stripe" and as I am a wolf, I decided to stick the word "lupe" in front of it to form Lupestripe. Ten minutes into my first IRC session, I quickly worked out why there were few people with the word "lupe" in their names as it was easily bastardised to "lube", in my case to form Lubestripe. By that point though, I had already made an impression and it stuck.

I am not too sure whether I am 100% happy with my name but it's not too bad so I'll probably just stick with it lols.

Where did your name come from?

Fur Names

Recently, I have been thinking about the creative process behind choosing names for our fursonas.

Lupestripe came in the back end of 2006, when I first joined the Fandom. The weekend before I joined, I attended a little university reunion to celebrate Christmas and a friend of mine (who is not a fur) was talking about how he would like to buy a badger suit and go under the name "Earthstripe" (for what reason I don't know but it is a dream of is anyway).

The Tuesday after this, I joined the Fandom. My original moniker was Packwolf. I had had this since April 2004 but I thought that this was too generic and a quick Google search highlighted that this name was quite common in the Fandom. I wanted something a little more unique.

It had taken me six years to get to this stage of joining the Fandom so waiting on the log in screen for IRC, I wasn't going to surrender all that courage and give up just because I couldn't think of a name for my fursona.

Remembering back to my friend, I decided to take the word "stripe" and as I am a wolf, I decided to stick the word "lupe" in front of it to form Lupestripe. Ten minutes into my first IRC session, I quickly worked out why there were few people with the word "lupe" in their names as it was easily bastardised to "lube", in my case to form Lubestripe. By that point though, I had already made an impression and it stuck.

I am not too sure whether I am 100% happy with my name but it's not too bad so I'll probably just stick with it lols.

Where did your name come from?

Scientific Evidence Suggests "You Are Born Gay"

The latest research coming out of Queen Mary's College, The University of London, makes interesting reading. It was reported by the BBC yesterday.

Scientists have discovered that there is an asymmetry between the two hemispheres of the brain that is common to both heterosexual men and gay women. Equally, there was no asymmetry in the brains of heterosexual women and gay men.

Added to this, there are more nerve connections in the right side of the amygdala in heterosexual men and gay women whilst heterosexual women and gay men had more connections in the left side of the amygdala.

Effectively, structurally at least, the brains of gay men were more like heterosexual women, and gay women more like heterosexual men.

According to Dr Qazi Rahman of the University: "As far as I'm concerned there is no argument any more - if you are gay, you are born gay," he said.

I accept that this is just a scientific theory and therefore open to criticism but if it is true, it's good to see science once again triumph over the religious right.

BBC Article On Sexual Orientation

All that remains to be seen now is whether the furry mentality can be neurologically understood...

Scientific Evidence Suggests "You Are Born Gay"

The latest research coming out of Queen Mary's College, The University of London, makes interesting reading. It was reported by the BBC yesterday.

Scientists have discovered that there is an asymmetry between the two hemispheres of the brain that is common to both heterosexual men and gay women. Equally, there was no asymmetry in the brains of heterosexual women and gay men.

Added to this, there are more nerve connections in the right side of the amygdala in heterosexual men and gay women whilst heterosexual women and gay men had more connections in the left side of the amygdala.

Effectively, structurally at least, the brains of gay men were more like heterosexual women, and gay women more like heterosexual men.

According to Dr Qazi Rahman of the University: "As far as I'm concerned there is no argument any more - if you are gay, you are born gay," he said.

I accept that this is just a scientific theory and therefore open to criticism but if it is true, it's good to see science once again triumph over the religious right.

BBC Article On Sexual Orientation

All that remains to be seen now is whether the furry mentality can be neurologically understood...

Civil Liberties

This morning I was reading a copy of the Daily Mirror (it was left on my kitchen table, it's not my rag of choice) and they are reporting that the Scottish Government are talking about making it illegal for under 21s to buy alcohol in shops. Unsurprisingly, Labour MSPs are said to be "supportive" of the move. Furthermore, it says that there is increasing pressure on Gordon Brown to implement this policy in England and Wales.

If this happens then not only is it another attack on civil liberties by this useless government but it will also mean that you can vote, drive, have sex and buy a gun before you can consume alcohol in this country.

I don't see why this is necessary - strong alcohol laws are clearly not working and if you look at other European countries who have a more mature attitude to booze, you have to wonder what they are doing right and where we are going wrong. Is it a British mentality, is it a lack of education or is it simply down to little parental responsibility when broaching this subject?

After the whole 42 day detention issue last week and the new punitive laws governing the Internet, this is yet another attack on our freedoms. House prices are already too high for me to afford a mortgage (I am 25 and on an average UK salary) and the cost of living (particularly food and petrol**) has increased substantially in recent weeks.

What is happening to this country and how much more of this are we going to take?

What's going to happen next? Perhaps the next attack on liberty will be doing like they did in the seventeenth century when Justices of the Peace came round to people's houses to check if young boys were masturbating in fear that the spilt seed could be used by the Devil to form a legion of demons?

*Addendum - this is also being reported on the BBC website here: Alcohol clampdown plans unveiled

** However, it is worth noting that the cost in road travel in real terms actually fell 10% between 1997 and 2006 and between January 2005 and April 2008, motoring costs fell 4%. The price of public transport, meanwhile, has increased by as much as 25% in some areas and on average 13% between 1997 and 2006. Source: Private Eye

Civil Liberties

This morning I was reading a copy of the Daily Mirror (it was left on my kitchen table, it's not my rag of choice) and they are reporting that the Scottish Government are talking about making it illegal for under 21s to buy alcohol in shops. Unsurprisingly, Labour MSPs are said to be "supportive" of the move. Furthermore, it says that there is increasing pressure on Gordon Brown to implement this policy in England and Wales.

If this happens then not only is it another attack on civil liberties by this useless government but it will also mean that you can vote, drive, have sex and buy a gun before you can consume alcohol in this country.

I don't see why this is necessary - strong alcohol laws are clearly not working and if you look at other European countries who have a more mature attitude to booze, you have to wonder what they are doing right and where we are going wrong. Is it a British mentality, is it a lack of education or is it simply down to little parental responsibility when broaching this subject?

After the whole 42 day detention issue last week and the new punitive laws governing the Internet, this is yet another attack on our freedoms. House prices are already too high for me to afford a mortgage (I am 25 and on an average UK salary) and the cost of living (particularly food and petrol**) has increased substantially in recent weeks.

What is happening to this country and how much more of this are we going to take?

What's going to happen next? Perhaps the next attack on liberty will be doing like they did in the seventeenth century when Justices of the Peace came round to people's houses to check if young boys were masturbating in fear that the spilt seed could be used by the Devil to form a legion of demons?

*Addendum - this is also being reported on the BBC website here: Alcohol clampdown plans unveiled

** However, it is worth noting that the cost in road travel in real terms actually fell 10% between 1997 and 2006 and between January 2005 and April 2008, motoring costs fell 4%. The price of public transport, meanwhile, has increased by as much as 25% in some areas and on average 13% between 1997 and 2006. Source: Private Eye