Thursday, June 12, 2008

Buffalo, New York —At least two homes have been evacuated, and 14 or more are on standby to evacuate in Buffalo, New York after a very large three-story building partially collapsed on the city’s West Side.

According to the Buffalo Fire Department, the number four side of an old horse stable at 428 Jersey Street off of Richmond Avenue collapsed from the roof line half way down the side. Material from the building fell into the yards of at least three neighbouring houses. Some of the bricks landed inside the building, while some fell into the yards of some houses behind homes on Richmond Avenue, leaving a ‘V’ shape.

“[The building] is well worth the designation” as a historical landmark, states Tim Tielman of the Buffalo Preservation Board. Tielman states that he will likely bring the incident before the Board as early as Thursday, June 12 to discuss the issue.

“We don’t want to demolish it until it is talked about and we consider options,” added Tielman.

So far there are no reports of injuries. Firefighters plan on getting an aerial shot to determine if the building is in danger of totally collapsing. A detail will remain on scene until at least Thursday afternoon.

The building was first owned by a company called White Bros. and was used as a stable for a farm which once covered the land around the building for several blocks. Servants and workers of the farm were housed inside resident quarters situated at the rear of the building.

The building, the current owner of which is not known, covers nearly a half block. Much of the building’s sides are home to vines, and a variety of gardens are planted along the perimeter of the building. Residents state that they will be “very disappointed” to see the building be demolished.

Repairs on the building were ongoing. The building is believed to have been built in the mid-1800’s.

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Visual art, fabric art, photography, performance, dance, virtual reality, and music were all the subject of sessions at Furnal Equinox 2018, a conference held from March 16 to 18 at Toronto’s Westin Harbour Castle. Canada’s largest furry convention by attendance, the annual event offers dozens of subculture-specific programs.

The convention’s communications and public relations coordinator for the event, Ronnie, describes furries as “people that enjoy arts and culture centred around animals and animal-themed topics, essentially. Furnal Equinox in particular, we like to celebrate in a very visual and very […] artistic nature, where we have lots of arts and performances and crafts that go on, and people celebrate with lots of socialisation involved.”

Of the attendees, Ronnie told Wikinews “they come from all walks of life. They are people of all ages, sizes, all sorts of backgrounds, and they come together under one mutual interest, which is their love for animal culture.”

“Programming at Furnal Equinox involves[…] a lot of informational panels, so you can find out about topics from art and how to draw, or how to visually incorporate different elements into your artworks. You can also find panels that teach you how to write better, be a better fiction author for example,” explained the event representative.

At one panel Wikinews attended, members of its all-volunteer organising committee spoke of the year-long process of planning the event, and their reasons for committing such a significant amount of their time. Said one panelist, “if you’re happy, we’re happy.”

• Image: Nicholas Moreau.

• Image: Nicholas Moreau.

• Image: Nicholas Moreau.

The largest hub of activity at the convention was a dealer’s room; nicknamed the “Dealer’s Den”, giving it an anthropomorphic twist. Vendors were selling original visual art, wearables like faux fur tails or ears, or things like jewellery or soap with motifs that would interest attendees.

The back area of the room was dedicated to a charity auction, with proceeds benefiting Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary. According to the convention website, the charity is “dedicated to rescuing abused, neglected, and abandoned farmed animals. Their goal is to provide a safe, life-long home for all of their residents, and to educate the public about the true nature of farmed animals through tours, volunteer programs, and community outreach.”

Split into groups, some attendees played “Fursuit Games” in front of an audience, like trying to toss a ball into a garbage can. The activity made harder, of course, by the limited dexterity and vision the most of the costumes entail.

• Image: Nicholas Moreau.

• Image: Nicholas Moreau.

• Berrie Image: Nicholas Moreau.

• Image: Nicholas Moreau.

• Attendees try to catch their own prizes, like t-shirts, after the Games. Image: Nicholas Moreau.