Free Republic

Thousands of people — many dressed as foxes, bears, pandas, and other fuzzy creatures — were evacuated from a suburban Chicago hotel early Sunday morning after a chemical leak that police are investigating as a criminal act. The leak — of a chlorine-containing gas in the Hyatt O'Hare Regency Hotel — sent 19 people to the hospital, including several attendees at the 15th annual "Midwest FurFest," an animal fandom convention. The hospitalized individuals "complained of nausea and dizziness," the Midwest FurFest organizers explained on their website. "The Rosemont Police Department determined this was a criminal act and began investigating it...

Meet Boomer, the dog trapped in a human body: Unemployed IT technician, 47, roams Pittsburgh dressed as a canine and barking at passing cars Like many other dogs, Boomer loves nothing more than roaming his neighborhood, barking at passing cars and fellow canines before returning home for a bowl of biscuits and a nap in his kennel. The only difference is that Boomer was born a human.Gary Matthews, 47, has been living the life of a playful pooch for years - donning a white-and-grey costume made from paper with an over-sized collar proudly displaying his new name.

PITTSBURGH - Downtown Pittsburgh is taking another walk on the wild side with the annual Anthrocon. Furries -- people who are fascinated with anthropomorphics -- have begun arriving for their yearly national convention at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It begins Thursday and continues through the weekend. "Folks who have never seen it before, don't be scared. If you see a 6-foot-tall raccoon walking by your window, no, you're not going crazy, it's just us," Anthrocon CEO Samuel Conway said. SLIDESHOW: Photos of furries around Pittsburgh MORE INFO: Go to WTAE.com's Furries page Many of the thousands who will...

Portland, Ore. – Congressman David Wu, who earlier this year apologized for bizarre behavior during his most recent re-election campaign, was facing calls for his resignation on Saturday over yet another crisis -- a young woman's reported accusation that she had an "unwanted sexual encounter" with the Democrat three weeks after his election victory in November.

U.S. Rep. David Wu spoke briefly to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Saturday after Pelosi's meeting at the White House to discuss the federal debt ceiling. The substance of the conversation was not disclosed, but congressional sources familiar with the thinking and attitude of congressional leadership said it's likely that Pelosi told Wu to resign and to step down soon. Other Democratic leaders are expressing the same desire, according to those familiar with the deliberation. In June, Pelosi released a statement calling on former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., to step down after a similar Saturday conversation. Weiner's offense -- sending...

Today’s video challenge is a video of a crazy Russian wedding where everybody is dressed up as a bear. I have no idea why this is so. It confuses the hell out of me in fact but it is your job to find the political analogy hidden within. As always the winner gets a free Media Research Center bumper sticker! Good luck:

Furries can be found anywhere around the world, or in Meg's case, right here in Knoxville. You just have to know where to look.

On the 12 August 2010 edition of CNN's Rick's List, Victor Choban, a supporter of California's Prop 8, which outlawed same-sex "marriage," was interviewed on-air by CNN. Choban cited his experience of living under the rule of the communist Soviet Union as one part of his critique of the judge's ruling against Prop 8.

What's the most embarrassing thing you could imagine doing with a can of condensed milk? How about having to ask a doctor to remove it from your rectum - because you stuck it there in a misguided stab at self-stimulation? Sounds like fiction, but it happened in real life. CBS News has the X-ray to prove it. And it's not the only shocking X-ray out there. From screwdrivers in the skull to children impaled on car antennas or with pins caught in their throats, doctors come across some pretty amazing images. This batch has been generously provided by Dr. Tim...

I am not usually found at bars during the day, though the state of the Republican Party would justify it. But here I was at a bar talking to this fox — I mean an actual fox, with fluffy tail and whiskers. It turns out that, in the online world of Second Life, many people prefer to take the shape of anthropomorphic animals called "furries," and this one is in a virtual bar talking about her frustrating job at a New York publishing house. But for all I know, she could be a man in outback Montana with a computer,...

KDKA) PITTSBURGH Have you seen anything furry lately? Large, furry animals have converged in downtown pittsburgh. They're here for "Anthrocon 2006". Anthrocon's chairman says, to put it simply, this is a gathering of cartoon-animal-loving fans. Sam Conway says Americans love their animals and "furries" are just people who go to great lengths to show it. Many dress up in full costume and assume the full personality of their "animal." The furries are making history this weekend. “This is the largest anthropomorphis convention in the world,” said Conway. “We have a little more than 2,500 people so far and we still...

MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Inquirer Staff Photographer Sam Conway, chairman of Anthrocon 2002, talks with fox Laura Lyle. Conway, who lives in Malvern, is a chemist. Sam Conway of Malvern insists the convention he's running this weekend at the Adam's Mark Hotel here on humdrum City Avenue is not at all weird.Nearly 1,100 grown men and women dressed head to toe in furry fox and wolf costumes are shopping for comic books and compact discs and he says that's to be expected."We're no different from a convention of model train enthusiasts," Conway insists.You be the judge.Conway is showing us...