Can't Stop the Serenity - Charity Movie Screening for Equality Now

The following was sent to NWSFS and we figured our members might be interested in attending.

Can't Stop the Serenity - Charity Movie Screening for Equality Now
When: Saturday, July 18th
Where: Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)
Museum of History and Industry

2700 24th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98112
206 -324-1126

What's the plan: Doors open at 4:30 p.m. - the film, Serenity, starts at 5:00 p.m. - with a special event that includes a raffle, catered reception, Firefly Fashion Show and a Dr. Horrible Sing-a-long Blog presentation after the movie screening. Created by fans of the movie Serenity, Can't Stop the Serenity (CSTS) has become a worldwide benefit movement in support of Equality Now - an international organization that works for the protection and promotion of human rights for women and girls around the world.
www.equalitynow.org.

**NOTE: Please be aware, RSVP's will NOT guarantee you a ticket. You MUST buy tickets through the website** www.cstsseattle.org
Tickets, t-shirts and raffle tickets are available for purchase on-line at CSTS Seattle (www.cstsseattle.org)
Tickets: $15 advance/$17 day of show (movie and raffle only) Available for purchase on-line until July 16th and at the door on the day of the event.
Event Tickets: $30 advance- includes Serenity screening, raffle, buffet reception and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog presentation.
Available on-line until July 6th. These tickets will NOT be sold at the door
T-shirts - $20 each - Sizes available: S-5X (black) in unisex and women's style. T-shirts are only available for purchase online and must be picked up at the event. T-shirt orders will close on midnight, July 1, 2009.

More information is available at
http://www.meetup.com/Seattle-Browncoats or at www.cstsseattle.org

NWSFS Tweets!

Earlier today NWSFS joined the ever growing ranks of Twitter!

The NWSFS Twitter account is actually comprised of RSS feeds from all seven NWSFS News Blogs, the NWSFS LiveJournal Blog, the NWSFS Google Group, and the Norwescon LiveJournal Blog.

Right now the account and the RSS feeds are at Beta, meaning we are still testing and flushing out some configuration issues with the feed service (TwitterFeeds), and as a matter of fact ths post is part announcement and part test post to check on a few tweeks of our twitter :)

Feel free to join us, but be patient as we work out a few bugs. Here's the URL: https://twitter.com/nwsfs

Cheers ~ Jim Cox

Boxcar Astronaut for 06/28/09

Boxcar Astronaut - Boxcar Astronaut #120: Things are getting a little squirrelly.
Greetings, Fellow Astronauts! If you've been reading Boxcar Astronaut for a little while, you know that a quiet, happy moment in the backyard can only be followed by utter chaos. This week's adventure continues to prove this, as poor, unaware Ben is happily playing with his yo-yo only to have his serenity shattered by terrified squirrel seeking refuge from a relentlessly pursuing Diogee. Check out this week's spine-tingling installment of Boxcar Astronaut to find out what all the screaming is about!

Locus Awards honor science fiction family

There was a lot of love for fen and the science fiction community June 26 in Seattle at the Locus Awards and Science Fiction Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies. Author Connie Willis, artists Michael Whelan and Frank R. Paul, and editor and publisher Edward L. Ferman are new Science Fiction Hall of Famers.

As voted by readers of Locus Magazine, for the science fiction and fantasy field, the awards went to:

Anathem, Neal Stephenson (Atlantic UK, Morrow) — science fiction novel
Lavinia, Ursula K. Le Guin (Harcourt) — fantasy novel
Singularity's Ring, Paul Melko (Tor) — first novel
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins, Bloomsbury) — young adult novel
"Pretty Monsters", Kelly Link (Pretty Monsters) — novella
"Pump Six", Paolo Bacigalupi (Pump Six and Other Stories) — novelette
"Exhalation", Ted Chiang (Eclipse Two) — short story
F&SF — magazine
Tor — publisher
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fifth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin's) — anthology
Pump Six and Other Stories, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books) — collection
Editor Ellen Datlow
Artist Michael Whelan
P. Craig Russell, Coraline: The Graphic Novel, Neil Gaiman, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell (HarperCollins) — non-fiction/art book

And here's the complete list of Locus Award finalists.

SF Seattle: Science Fiction Awards Saturday

Following a day of science fiction panel discussions, an autograph session and the Locus Awards Banquet and Ceremony author Connie Willis, artists Michael Whelan and Frank R. Paul, and editor and publisher Edward L. Ferman will be inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on Sat., June 27 in Seattle. The Locus Awards ceremony, from the magazine of the science fiction and fantasy field, is a sold out event this year.

Luminaries at the event will include: Paolo Bacigalupi, Elizabeth Bear, Greg Bear, Brenda Cooper, Ellen Datlow, Gardner Dozois, Karen Joy Fowler, Eileen Gunn, John Kessel, Stephen D. Korshak (editor of From the Pen of Paul: Fantastic Images of Frank R. Paul) Nancy Kress, Todd Lockwood, Christopher Moore, Matt Ruff, Ken Scholes, Gordon Van Gelder, Michael Whelan, and Connie Willis.

The Science Fiction Museum will unveil the new hall of famers' laser-etched images on the translucent, glowing hall of fame display at 6:15 p.m. on the second level of the science fiction galleries. Photo op for museum guests!

Last chance to place bets and weigh in on the Locus Awards. Which science fiction novel moved you?

* Matter, Iain M. Banks (Orbit UK)
* City at the End of Time, Greg Bear (Gollancz, Del Rey)
* Marsbound, Joe Haldeman (Ace)
* Anathem, Neal Stephenson (Atlantic UK, Morrow)
* Saturn's Children, Charles Stross (Orbit, Ace)

Favorites in the other categories (fantasy novel, short story, magazine, anthology, etc.)?

Looking to the future: Picnics in space

On a sunny Saturday, The Northwest Science Fiction Society picnic delivered some entertaining discussions — not surprisingly, but happily — about both science and fiction. NWSFS outgoing chair Michael Ormes described one of the major challenges of making the space elevator (a 62,000 mile carbon nanotube composite ribbon anchored from a sea platform near the equator to a small man-made counterweight in space) — beanstalking. More familiarly known as power beaming "climbers," added Bill Boyde, NWSFS treasurer.

Laser power beaming, the wireless transmission of energy from one location to another using laser light, aims to power vehicles traveling up the space elevator. Ultimately, it's what will send people, satellites and solar power systems into space — so say the hopeful.

Ormes and Boyde both had more insider space elevator knowledge and Boyde firsthand intel. He's a new member of LaserMotive, Seattle's team participating in the Power Beaming competition at the 4th Space Elevator Games, organized by The Spaceward Foundation and funded by NASA. The games will take place, end of July/early August, at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in the Mojave Desert, Calif. Follow the games @segames.

Teams entering the Power Beaming Challenge must power a vehicle more than 1-kilometer (nearly 3,300 feet) straight up a ribbon using only energy beamed to the vehicle from the ground. A test, in preparation for the games, took place in June.

LaserMotive is one of only six teams in the United States and Canada in the competition. The stakes in these games are higher than most with a $2,000,000 prize on the line plus the glory of helping to engineer the future of inexpensive space travel.

Of course, at the NWSFS picnic, surrounded by earthly delights (park, BBQ and low stakes games), it was tough to get too deeply into the space talk. For more news, follow @spaceelevator and @LaserMotive and read Ted Semon's Space Elevator blog and the LaserMotive blog.

Fortunately, there will be more chances to talk sci-fi and space exploration at upcoming NWSFS events in July (see all the earlier posts) as well as at the mad scientist theme party Ormes hosts in October. Who knows, inventive NWSFS members just might solve the beanstalking issue there!

NWSFS July Pirate Social

Please join NWSFS for Pirate Social on Saturday July 25th, 2009 at the home of Becky and Michael Citrak’s home near Olympia, WA. 7701 Bobcat Dr SE, Olympia, WA, 98503 - 360.456.7441. The social will begin around 5 PM and continue until around 10 PM, or whenever we get tired.

Why a pirate themed party? Why not? I mean, I keep getting Pirate stuff and thus we have to have a party. If you want to wear pirate garb, great, if not, that’s fine to. Just please do not bring cows, even as garb.

We'll have some burgers and hot dogs, and a new grill, which is the real reason for the social (ha, ha), and we suggest you bring anything else that you may want to grill. As usual, this is a potluck, so bring your contribution of a main dish (occasionally have enough), side dish (rarely have enough), munchies (usually have enough), or dessert (often have enough, if there is such a thing as enough dessert).

Extra credit will be awarded for pirate themed foods. Some ideas: skull and cross bones snicker doodles; meatball canon balls (small size only) but don’t shoot them across the room; pirate potato boats. Hey, you can Google “pirate theme party foods” just as easy as we did.

Bring your own beverages if you want something particular, although some basic beverages will be available.

Pirate costumes are encouraged, but not required. Prize for best costume. Judges can be bribed.

We show Pirate themed movies in the rec room. Oh, and you think we’ll show Pirates of the Caribbean….well, there’s more to pirate movies than just them…..I just have to find them.

NWSFS members are encouraged to attend, and non-members in the SF/Fannish community are welcome, as always.

In keeping with the theme, maybe you’ll want to visit “Shipwreck” Beads just before the social as you take exit 111 to get to it as well. Shipwreck Beads is HUGE and is at 8560 Commerce Place Dr NE Lacey, WA 98516 (800)950-4232; Store Hours: 9am-6pm. Maybe you’ll find some beads to make some of the beaded dangle things that Jack Sparrow has. See Shipwreck Beads’ web page for directions, watch out for the roundabouts. http://www.shipwreckbeads.com/support/docs/Location You’ll pass near the Thurston County Landfill. They have lots of buried treasures there, just the wrong kind of treasures.

Logistics
House is one level; one step to the courtyard and half a step at the
front door. Two step out back to the patio. We have cats, (they will
be locked up). No smoking inside. Parking on street. No busses come
close to the house.


Directions to the Citrak's home:
Note: these are different directions to avoid the congestion on 3rd Ave.

From I-5
If Southbound Take Exit 111
• Turn left at light on to Marvin Road.
• Travel (half a mile) past Hawk's Prairie Mall, McDonalds, Costco,
Safeway to Martin Way
• Turn right on Martin Way. (76 Gas on right)
• Travel (9/10 of a mile) on Martin Way past two lights and at the
third light turn left on to Ranger (don’t turn right on the Hensley;
we’ll never see you again.)
• Continue at Ranger below:

If Northbound Take Exit 111
• Ramp makes a “Y”, take the right "Y"s
• At the roundabout turn Right on to Galaxy Road.
• Travel (4/10 of a mile) past mall shops and Goodwill to Martin Way.
• Turn right on Martin Way. KFC is on right.
• Travel (7/10 of a mile) on Martin Way past one light and at the
second light turn left on to Ranger (don’t turn right on the Hensley,
we’ll never see you again.)

Once on Ranger
• Drive straight into Tanglewilde Residential area,
• At “T” intersection, turn left, you’re still on Ranger,
• Follow Ranger to right and at stop sign turn left onto Husky.
• Travel about four short blocks (3/10 of a mile) to Bobcat St.
• Turn Right on to Bobcat. House is on the right on corner of Husky and Bobcat.

House is pink with purple trim; some brickwork in front and a
basketball pole on the side of driveway.


Directions from Shipwreck Beads To Citrak’s home
• Left out of their parking lot on to Commerce Pl Dr N
• Right on Willamette Dr NE
• Left on Marvin Road (around the roundabout)
• Travel straight through next roundabout and over I-5.
• Travel past Hawk's Prairie Mall, McDonalds, Costco, Safeway to
Martin Way (Old Highway 99).
• Turn right on Martin Way. (76 Gas on right)
• Travel on Martin Way past two lights and at the third light turn
left on to Ranger (don’t turn right on the Hensley; we’ll never see
you again.)
• Continue at Ranger above:

Boxcar Astronaut for 06/21/09

Boxcar Astronaut - Boxcar Astronaut #119: Worst. Toy. Ever.
Greetings, Fellow Astronauts! It's a game of physical coordination and mental concentration. It's the age old that combines the athletic skills of ping pong with the social skills of solitaire. It's paddle ball! Unfortunately for Ben, it's also a game best played far away from Diogee. Check out this week's All New Boxcar Astronaut and watch the simple brand of slapstick action that only that lovable little mutt can deliver!

2009 SFN / NWSFS Election Results

The counting of the ballots for the 2009 SFN / NWSFS Election took place today at a SFN / NWSFS Business Meeting at the Overlake Round Table Pizza in Bellevue WA.

41 ballots were received either via mail, or handed in at the June NWSFS Picnic or today's meeting. Of those ballots, 7 were invalid due to not having any identification, either member number and/or name on them. Below are the election results based on the remaining 34 valid ballots, with the vote tallies listed below the winner for each position:

2009 SFN / NWSFS Chair - Michael Citrak:

Michael Citrak - 32 votes received
Doug Booze - 1 write in vote received
Eric Pawtowski - 1 write in vote received


2009 SFN / NWSFS Vice Chair - Shawn Marier:

Shawn Marier - 24 votes received
Michael Ormes - 9 write in votes received
Daniel Pawtowski - 1 write in vote received


2009 SFN / NWSFS Treasurer - Bill Boyde:

Bill Boyde - 33 votes received
Yvonne Pawtowski - 1 write in vote received


Cherie Playter received a write in vote for Vice Chair, and Doug Booze also received a write in vote for Treasurer, but unfortunately those ballots were not valid due to the lack of a member number and/or name on the ballot envelope as required.

It was also interesting to note that long time write in favorite "My Left Foot" did not receive any votes this year, but Frankenstein received a write in vote for Chair and Thumbalina received a write in vote for Vice Chair. Unfortunately (or fortunately) neither person or creature is a member of NWSFS, and the ballot was invalid due to a lack of ID.

Congratulations to Michael Citrak, Shawn Marier, and Bill Boyde, and many thanks to all who participated in this years elections.

Cheers,

Jim Cox
2009 SFN / NWSFS Elections.

July MFR - Buca di Beppo

July NWSFS’s My Favorite Restaurant

Please join NWSFS on Wednesday July 8th at 7:30 PM for one of the Pawtowski’s favorite Restaurants, Buca di Beppo in Lynnwood.

Buca di Beppo is an authentic Italian restaurant that offers flavorful Italian dining. Dine with family and friends while enjoying the Italian traditions of food, friendship and hospitality.

NOTE: In the spirit of Italian culture, their dishes are served family style and are meant to be shared. At past MFRs held there theyhave not allowed separate checks, so we have divided the bill up among the number of people and each paid a share. This has come out to be
about $30 per person (including tax and tip). If this is a problem please let us know in advance so we can talk to the restaurant and see what other options are available.

The Restaurant is at 4301 Alderwood Mall Blvd, Lynnwood WA 98036.

The phone number is 425-744-7272. You can also get details on their website at:

http://www.bucadibeppo.com/

NOTE: This is always one of our most attended MFRs, so please RSVP to info@nwsfs.org or the hotline at 360-438-0871. If you do not RSVP wecan not guarantee that you will be able to sit with the group. We'd prefer to get your RSVP by early evening of July 6th, but any attempt
to RSVP will help us plan for you.