Doggy Con: a pop culture convention for furry fanatics

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Doggy Con: a pop culture convention for furry fanatics

2019-08-18 06:11 Last Updated At：06:20

Atlanta's scorching August heat didn't stop Megan Nelson from slipping on a long faux fur coat and dressing up like Cruella de Vil for her first Doggy Con convention, a pet event for costumed canines inspired by the upcoming Dragon Con convention.

Doggy Con drew hundreds of dog owners and spectators Saturday to an Atlanta park for their own small cosplay convention, dressing up like fictional characters from video games, movies and other corners of the pop culture universe. For Nelson, that meant strutting and posing for photos alongside her dog Darla, a young chocolate Labrador Retriever mix sporting a Dalmatian costume.

"It's everybody coming together for just pure cuteness and joy," said Ansley Whipple, Woodruff Park project manager.

The Doggy Con event in Atlanta's downtown Woodruff Park signals the approach of the internationally known Dragon Con pop culture convention. For more than 30 years, Dragon Con has attracted thousands of cosplay devotees and others to Atlanta for its annual costumed fandom events.

Paige Sullivan, marketing manager for Atlanta Downtown, said the Doggy Con celebration is a small-scale convention organized with the locals in mind.

"Doggy Con kind of kicks off Dragon Con season downtown," Sullivan said. "I think that's very unique to our city."

The highlight of Saturday's convention was a pet parade and costume contest in which prizes were doled out for dressed-up dogs and human companions. Dragon Con donated prizes including two day passes to its convention Aug. 29-Sept. 2, Sullivan said.

Nelson and Darla won the judges' award for best dog and owner combination costume. The highest-scoring dog wore gold-rimmed sunglasses, and another dressed like Yoda from "Star Wars" won for best cosplay costume. A fan-favorite pair of Dachshunds were costumed like Starbucks coffee cups, complementing their owner who dressed as a Starbucks barista.

Although Nelson had never before attended Doggy Con, she was no stranger to fandom festivities. She has attended Dragon Con since she moved to the Atlanta area five years ago and owns about 60 costumes, she said.

"I love dressing up, obviously, so what better excuse?" Nelson said.

Organizers sold out of vendor spots and welcomed pet retailers, animal welfare nonprofits and food trucks to the park, Whipple said.

Blinken, in Shanghai, begins expected contentious talks with Chinese officials

2024-04-25 11:27 Last Updated At：11:30

SHANGHAI (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened his first full day of meetings in China on Thursday by talking with local government officials in Shanghai.

Blinken discussed local and regional issues with Chen Jining, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai. He also planned to speak to students and business leaders before flying to Beijing for what are expected to be contentious talks with national officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Blinken arrived in Shanghai on Wednesday shortly before President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid package that has several elements likely to anger the Chinese, including $8 billion to counter China’s growing aggressiveness toward Taiwan and in the South China Sea. It also seeks to force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform.

China has railed against U.S. assistance to Taiwan, the self-governing island that it regards as a renegade province, and immediately condemned the move as a dangerous provocation. It also strongly opposes efforts to force TikTok’s sale.

Still, the fact that Blinken made the trip — shortly after a conversation between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, a similar visit to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a call between the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs — is a sign the two sides are at least willing to discuss their differences.

“I think it’s important to underscore the value — in fact, the necessity — of direct engagement, of speaking to each other, laying out our differences, which are real, seeking to work through them,” Blinken told Chen.

“We have an obligation for our people, indeed an obligation to the world, to manage the relationship between our two countries responsibly,” he said. “That is the obligation we have, and one that we take very seriously.”

Chen agreed with that sentiment and said the recent Biden-Xi call had helped the “stable and healthy development of our two countries’ relationship.”

“Whether we choose cooperation or confrontation affects the well-being of both peoples, both countries, and the future of humanity” he said.

Chen added that he hoped Blinken was able to get a “deep impression and understanding” of Shanghai.

Shortly after arriving, Blinken attended a Chinese basketball playoff game between the local Shanghai Sharks and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, with the home team losing in the last seconds in 121-120 nailbiter.