FC2003 Newsletter August 2002

1. Info From the Head MadHatters

Summer is in full swing and we couldn't have had a better turn out at our
annual picnic! Over a hundred attendees! FC hosts an annual picnic in the
San Francisco Bay Area each year to give fans that extra bit of fun and
community. From canoeing to horseback riding, our new location had it
all. In addition we tried something new for us, a Furry Campout.
Revolving around the picnic, one day on each side, campers enjoyed the
local outback as well as we could rough it only 30 minutes from Silicon
Valley. Nearly 40 furs enjoyed stories by the campfire and sleeping under
the stars. It was a hit! Many thanks to those who attended, and those
who couldn't make it ... there is always next year!

FC busted out their wares at AC again. Many thanks to everyone who
stopped by our table. And many thanks to Uncle Kage for putting on a
wonderful show. It was nice to meet all those new faces, both as first
timers as well as old guard. Many furs dont get the chance to cross the
country for a convention, so it's extra special to make their
acquaintance.

Please take a moment to glance over our Newsletter. We plan on many new
things for 2003 and dont want you to be left in the cold.

Hare's to seeing ya at FC2003, Furries in Wonderland.

Chairo (Lee Strom) - Chairman
Aetobatus (Michael Sawyer) - Vice Chairman

2. FC2003 Dealers Room Sold Out!

We have expanded our Dealers Room to 105 tables this year with the new
facilities and here we are sold out right after Anthrocon again. (We made
it two weeks further along this year). Many many thanks to the dealers for
their patronage of FC and to our attendees for their patronage to the
dealers. Once again, we should have an awesome shopping experience for you
at FC2003.

We DO have cancellations as the year goes on so if you wish to be placed
on the waiting list, please contact us via email at
[email protected].

3. Introducing GOH Karen Anderson

Some of you may recall that Poul Anderson was to be a guest of honor at a
prior Further Confusion. Sadly, Poul had a serious downturn in his health
that eventually led to his death just before the convention commenced. We
are very pleased to announce that Karen Anderson, Poul's widow and his
long time collaborator and an accomplished novelist in her own right has
agreed to be a Guest of Honor at Further Confusion 2003. Her books with
Poul that involve anthropomorphics include the Hooka series, Operation
Luna and Operation Chaos, both with a werewolf and his wife, a witch, as
the main characters. Animals were important to Karen and Poul their whole
lives and...and well, come visit the website soon and you can read a short
biography on just that subject that Karen has written especially for us.

4. Hotel Information

Hotel Reservations and Online Registrations are now available and going
fast. Get all the details from our website. Book early and often
especially if you want to ensure a double-bed room or suite. It's our first
year at a new hotel so we want to impress them with our patronage. If you
are interested in a suite, please contact us directly at
[email protected]. We only have three more to use, so if you are
part of a group that will want to host a party, get in touch with us soon.

5. Travel Assistance Program

Each year we have some folks who have difficulty making it out to FC for
financial considerations. This program allows members of the public to
sponsor someone anonymously. Usually the people on our list teach a panel
or do something else that is of benefit to our attendees but it's
certainly NOT required. If you want to be placed on the Travel Assistance
page, please contact us at [email protected] and include your real
name, fan name, physical address, and telephone number.

6. Further Confusion's Behavior Policy

There's only minor tweaks this year but in light of recent events, the
staff felt it important to restate what we have said before especially in
regards to our "Parties, Alcohol and Zero Drug Tolerance" section. We want
everyone who comes to FC to have a safe and wonderful time and to be back
every year. So please pay attention to ALL of these rules.

Further Confusion strives to give as many people as possible a fun time.
Most of the convention is for general audiences (PG-13 or less). We will
mark clearly the few areas and events which may exceed a general audience
rating. At registration, you may choose to sign an age statement, stating
that you are over 18 years of age. If you do not choose to sign this
statement, or are not over 18 years of age, your badge will be marked and
you will only be allowed admittance to those areas or events which are for
a general audience.

-- General Conduct and Behavior --
Further Confusion likes to hold itself out as a professional con. We
also hope that each attendee has the fun that our wide-ranging community
can provide. Please be considerate of how your actions reflect on the
convention and how they may impact or affect others. We take pride in
our appearance and we want you to as well, while still having fun. While
this year we are consuming all of the function space at the hotel, keep
in mind that there are always other guests of the hotel, especially on
the first floor and lobby areas. Offending the mundanes is
inappropriate. Impressing them with how much fun and enthusiasm we have
for our fandom IS. What you consider to be acceptable behavior may not
be so for others. Consideration of others is the hallmark of a mature
individual and a healthy fandom. We encourage that courtesy from all
participants in our community. If FC becomes aware of illegal
activities being taken by our attendees in convention space or in
private hotel rooms, we will be forced to inform the proper authorities.

-- Costumes and Clothing --
Use your common sense in public areas. If you have to ask or think
twice about doing it in public, take it to your room. For example,
kissing and holding hands, regardless of sexual orientation, is fine.
Groping, tongue battles and nudity, regardless of sexual orientation, is
not. While collars and leashes may be worn discreetly, blatant displays
of bondage or BDSM in public may result in FLARE asking you to return
your badge. No costume is no costume. We ask you to always wear at
least a shirt, shorts, and shoes in public areas of the hotel.

Body Painters should always keep a shirt handy at all times in case they
need to pass through the lobby or other areas that the hotel's other
guests might frequent. Additionally, if you are wearing body paint of
any kind, please refrain from sitting on hotel furniture. Similarly,
the lobby and hotel furniture is NOT the proper place for decorating
someone as a tiger. We have a Creator's Lounge that may be used for
impromptu makeup demonstrations. Public exposure of genitalia, buttocks
or (female) breasts is not permitted. As a rule, a minimum of a
non-thong bathing suit must be worn at all times in public areas.
"Anatomically correct" costumes must be likewise clothed.

FLARE may ask you to stop an activity or to move it to a private room.
Repeat offenders may be required to return their badges and to leave the
convention premises.

-- Harassment and Assault --
No means no. Stop means stop. Go away means go away. If someone won't
understand these simple rules, contact a member of security. They have
the right to remove attendees' badges for not following these commands.
Harassment is any behavior that intentionally annoys or alarms another
person. This includes unwanted physical contact, following someone in a
public area without a legitimate reason, or threatening physical
violence. If you are being harassed, immediately go to any member of
security. The offender may lose their badge and the matter may be
referred to the proper law enforcement authorities.

-- Parties, Alcohol and Zero Drug Tolerance --
Further Confusion does not tolerate the serving of alcohol to minors.
Minors' badges are clearly marked. If you have a party at which alcohol
is served, please designate someone to not drink, so that there is a
fully competent person present to deal with any emergencies that may
arise. Further Confusion does NOT tolerate the use of illegal
substances. The violation of the above rules could subject you to the
immediate loss of your badge, convention privileges and referral of the
matter to other authorities. The last thing we want is for someone
attending our convention to end up in the hands of the local law
enforcement authorities, in the hospital, or even worse, dead.

-- Water Pistols, Silly String, and Weapons --
Due to the potential damage to property, water guns, silly string and
the like are prohibited in public areas of the hotel or convention
space. If it looks like a real gun in any way, shape, or form, it
should not be brought to the convention. The State of California has
recently instituted new state laws regarding replica weapons.

There should be no "live steel or whips" being wielded in any area of
the convention. If a bladed weapon or whip is part of your costume,
please have it peace bonded. This can be done out of the Flare Base at
any time. If you kill it you will have to eat it!

-- Photography and Videotaping --
Further Confusion wants you to have great memories from a fantastic
convention. Photographs and videotape footage by attendees are
generally be allowed in all common areas of the convention with the
exception of the Art Show. Specific rules regarding these matters may
exist for selected events. Please consult the program guide at the
convention for information relating to specific events. Flash
photography will be allowed at the Masquerade.

When photographing or videotaping individuals or costumes, please use
common courtesy and ask before photographing them. Please respect their
rights if they do not wish to be photographed or videotaped.

Photography or videography for the purpose of sale or publication to the
press is expressly forbidden unless written permission has been obtained
from AAE, Inc. in accordance with its press policy. Individuals may
take pictures and videotapes for private viewing or sharing with
friends. We ask our attendees to be courteous to those they wish to
take pictures of, especially if you wish to place those pictures or
video clips onto a personal web page or similar Internet archive.
Please ask your subjects for permission to videotape or photograph them.
If someone asks or otherwise indicates (remember many folks in costume
do not speak) that they do not wish to be photographed, DO NOT
PHOTOGRAPH THEM.

Further Confusion staff members will be videotaping certain events for
the purposes of producing the convention highlights video. Videotaping
will also be conducted in public areas of the convention. No
videotaping by convention staff will be conducted in hotel guest rooms
or in any other areas where an attendee has a reasonable expectation of
privacy.

Attendees should be aware that footage gathered in public areas of the
convention, including events and panels, by staff members may be used in
a highlights tape, and that attendees may appear in that tape without
compensation. As mentioned above, please consult the pocket program
guide for specific video, audio, and photography restrictions for
specific events. FC will require a release only for footage that is
obtained in areas that are not fully public (i.e. private functions and
personal interviews).

These rules all apply to attendees (Dealers, Guests, or any level of
regular membership). All members of the press and staff will conform
with Further Confusion's Press Policy and we encourage attendees to
become familiar with those rules as well.

-- 24 Hour Convention Operations --
We were the first furry convention to institute a 24/7 fully manned
convention operations center. USE THEM PLEASE! Those folks are there so
that you can talk to us. We cannot deal with a problem unless you make
us aware of it. They have the capability to reach the various members of
the convention staff at a moment's notice and maintain a message center
for the senior staff for written but less urgent messages. Also, we have
a large staff. We do that so that the Chairman and Vice Chairman are
available to you during the convention. Feel free to speak with them
during the convention. They may look harried at times but that sort of
job is their primary role during the convention.

7. Event/Programming Information

Laserstripes! With permission from the hotel and a lot of hard work from
Lindz and our AV staff, Further Confusion is pleased to announce that this
year we will be presenting a full fledged laser show one evening for your
education and entertainment. Lindz was the laserist for the San Diego
Planetarium for years and will be presenting a hour long show for us. Much
more than the simple lasers you may have seen at dances, this is a full
fledged show set to music with a live laserist enhancing the experience
for all. More details to follow.

If you are interested in running a panel or staging an event at FC2003,
now is the time to strike and drop our events staff a line at
[email protected]. FC has always prided itself on our
programming and as our events director says, "If you have time to sleep at
FC, I didn't do a good enough job!"

For full info and everything you could want to know FC-wise, please check
our website at: http://www.furtherconfusion.org/

--
Further Confusion
[email protected]
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/