Micheal Kabunga, chair of the Kampcon 2028 Worldcon bid for Uganda, reports bid representatives had funding to attend Smofcon 38 in Montreal, however, they were unable to get Canadian visas. They made a virtual presentation instead. Here is Kabunga’s report about the experience.
Statement on Kampcon 2028 bid team presentation at the Smofcon 38 convention 2022
Once again we beat all probabilities to present the Kampcon 2028 bid at a sitting Smofcon convention. On December 3 the Kampcon bid to host the Worldcon in Uganda in 2028 was virtually presented by the bid chair Kabunga Micheal at Smofcon 38 convention taking place in Montreal, Canada.
Earlier on the team had made arrangements to participate and present the bid in person at the Smofcon 38 convention in Le Center Sheraton Montreal Canada. Despite getting enough sponsorship form a local print industry Inline Print Services Uganda Limited and CWCF to facilitate the travels to Canada, our efforts were deterred by the bureaucracy of acquiring visas to other continents by African residents. After submitting full applications to the relevant authorities efforts to hear from the Canada Embassy before the Smofcon 38 convention date were futile. Thanks to the Smofcon 38 team that made virtual capabilities possible.
Travel barriers continue to exclude African residents from international activities held on other continents, hence leaving a lot of talent untapped in this part of the world. This is the core of the Kampcon bid inviting the Worldcon to the African continent.
Uganda is the pearl of Africa and hosted the first international gathering of writers and critics of African literature in Africa, “the first Africa Writers Conference” held at Makerere University in 1962. Although this was at a time as many Africa nations were breaking free from colonialism, non-Africans like Langston Hughes were welcomed, this explains how courteousness and hospitality is inherent in the Ugandan population.
We hope to host an all inclusive Worldcon at the Speke resort and Commonwealth resort Munyonyo southeast of Kampala at the shores of one of the world’s fresh water lakes with average temperatures of 27c, a five star eco resort 12kms from the city center and 37kms from Entebbe airport. No doubt this landscape will offer rich poetic inspirations.
As the bid team we have great aspirations for next year, we intend to continue to embed the home team into in person Worldcon and international convention running activities to be able to gain experience while recruiting experienced colleagues to join the Kampcon team thus plan and host one of the best Worldcons ever.
We expect to participate fully in Pemmi-con in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, Worldcon 2023 in Chengdu, China, Smofcon 40, and in number of sci-fi, fantasy and comic cons in Africa. Please visit our website Kampcon.org to get involved. A downloadable PDF brochure will be available on our website. Connect to Sci-fi, fantasy & comicFans, Talents & Stories in Africa.
Micheal Kabunga, Coordinator of the Kampcon bid to hold the Worldcon in 2028 in Kampala, Uganda had this statement presented at Chicon 8 today.
Statement of intentions to bid and host the 86th Worldcon in 2028 in Kampala Uganda (KAMPCON)
It is with regrets that the KAMPCON bid team is not present in Chicago to announce its intentions to bid host the Worldcon in 2028. This is due to visa challenges to enable the team to travel to the United States of America. Yet not that this came as denial of visas, but absence of interview appointment dates at the USA Embassy in Kampala. This is not an isolated case for people traveling from Africa to many countries on different continents. This saddens the fandom community but we have to respect the rights of any sovereign state wholesomely. This affirms to our intentions to bid and host the Worldcon a global convention in a country with less travel restrictions. Thanks to the World Science Fiction Society site selection committee that has allowed us to have this statement of intentions put forward.
Hence here in on the second day of September 2022, KAMPCON a nonprofit of science fiction, comics Artists and fans in Uganda announce that we are bidding to host the 86th Worldcon in Kampala the capital city of Uganda, East of Africa in August of 2028 at the Speke Resort and Commonwealth resorts Munyonyo.
Speke Resort and Commonwealth resort Munyonyo, lie on the shores of the World’s largest fresh water lake Victoria, spread across 90 acres with 472 accommodation rooms, 6 multi cuisine restaurants, 3 grand ballrooms, 19 state of the art indoor conference rooms and three outdoor spaces which can hold up to 8000 guests within a bespoke Marquee. Overflow accommodations are available within Entebbe and Kampala.
We intend to build a robust global diverse team of volunteers and staff that is committed and confident of not only bidding and hosting not only a fabulous Worldcon in Africa but also a more inclusive global convention averting discriminations of all forms that are not a prerequisite to being a Science Fiction fandom fan. Such a Worldcon can only be hosted in Kampala Uganda the pearl of Africa, the country that hosted the first African writers conference in 1962.
We understand that bidding and hosting a Worldcon is a huge undertaking that requires a lot of capitals not only limited to finances and human resource. We call upon the Worldcon community, science fiction and fantasy fans from around the world to support the Kampcon Bid concept in a verity of forms. We will be glad to hear from you through contacts on our website: kampcon.org. Join the Kampcon team at all levels. Learn more about the bid from our website and media handles.
Lets connect to Fans, Talents & Stories in Africa.
Micheal Kabunga, Coordinator of the bid, provided File 770 with this summary of information about their project in a Smofcon-style Q&A format.
Name of Convention:
Kampcon: The 86th World Science Fiction Convention
What dates will your convention run?
August 23-27, 2028
What is your proposed convention host city? Is your convention site in a city center location or a suburb? If a suburb, what are the transport options into the city centre? How far is the site from the city centre?
Kampala Uganda. Our site is in an area on the northern shores of Lake Victoria and part of the metropolitan area of Kampala. It located only 12 km from the centre of Kampala connected by the express highway to Entebbe Airport
What are your main facilities? How far are your hotels from your main venue?
Speke Resort Munyonyo and Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort, is a 5-star luxury resort located 12km away from the capital city Kampala. Spread across 90-acres, the lavish estate lies on the shores of Lake Victoria and stands as the definitive pinnacle to opulent living, state of the art conference centre, multi leisure eco-tourism and a popular convention destination with a multi-cuisine restaurant and an array of leisure activities. Comprising of 472 luxury Deluxe, Superior, Executive, Presidential Suites and Presidential Cottages, Speke Resort Munyonyo is surrounded by sweeping and idyllic views over well-manicured landscaped gardens. The conference centre comprises of 19 state-of-the-art indoor conference rooms, three grand ballrooms, three large outdoor spaces which can hold up to 8000 guests within our bespoke marquee. The conference centre is installed with modern conferencing equipment, air con and state of art AV equipment.
Who is your bid chair? Who is on your committee? What experience do they have in general? In running Worldcons?
[In Micheal Kabunga’s email to File 770 he added: “A previous version of this news article erroneously identified a prominent Worldcon Bid veteran as someone involved with Kampcon as a committee / board member. We have since been informed this is incorrect, and while they were initially happy to offer advice they have since ceased to be involved with Kampcon in any capacity.”]
If known, who will be the chair of the convention? What experience do they have?
This will be announced when we file the bid.
Have you agreed to participate in Pass-Along Funds? Would you be willing to increase the percentage from 50% to 70% of surplus?
Yes we will participate in Pass-Along Funds. The Board of Directors will consider the increase.
What is the typical current airfare to your closest airport from world cities such as London, Boston, Dublin, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Brisbane etc.?
Based on Expedia searches done in November 2021 for August, 2022:
Amsterdam: from $1005
Boston: from $1230
Tokyo: from $1700
Chicago: from $1100
Dallas: from $1475
Dublin: from $1350
London: from $800
Los Angeles: from $1153
Paris: from $640
New York: from $1150
Tokyo: from $870
Frankfurt: from $950
Do international flights, as well as domestic, fly into your local airport? Which airlines? If not, where is the closest international airport? Are direct flights from the cities above flown into your local airport?
The main entry point for flights into Uganda is Entebbe International Airport (EBB)
Delta Air Lines.
Turkish Airlines.
KLM.
United Airlines.
Brussels Airlines.
Emirates.
Ethiopian Airlines.
Lufthansa.
What hotel(s) are being used for the convention? How many rooms, what type, do they accommodate accessibility needs, etc.?
Speke Resort Munyonyo and Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort located 12km away from the capital city Kampala , and 37km from Entebbe airport, Comprising of 472 luxury Deluxe, Superior, Executive, Presidential Suites and Presidential Cottages, 19 state-of-the-art indoor conference rooms, three grand ballrooms, three large outdoor spaces which can hold up to 8000 guests within our bespoke marquee. The conference centre is installed with modern conferencing equipment, air con and state of art AV equipment.
We intend to arrange over flow accommodation in Entebbe and Kampala both cities connected to the main venue by the express highways.
What are your hotel room rates? Do these rates include breakfast? Do they include internet access in the room? How firm are these rates? What additional taxes and fees are there?
[No information under this question.]
What does parking cost at your main hotels?
Parking is free at the main venue. Extra parking can be arranged at $3 a day
What is the distance from the nearest door of your main hotel(s) to the closest entrance of the convention site? What are the transportation options for those who prefer not to walk or who have mobility difficulties?
The hotel and convention center are one site.
Where will your large events (i.e. Hugo Ceremony and Masquerade) be held?
They will be held Speke resort Munyonyo, three large outdoor spaces which can hold up to 8000 guests within our bespoke marquee, installed with modern conferencing equipment, air con and state of art AV equipment. We also intend to arrange overflow seating to watch livestream in two of the other large ballrooms.
Please describe the restaurant scene near your site.
Within the resort lie six multi-cuisine restaurants and bars – Nyanja Terrace & Grill, Stables, Lakeside, The Viking bar, & Olympic swimming – each with its own unique setup and style and serve continental, Indian and local dishes – not withstanding an infinity swimming pool, boat cruises and parties, equestrian centre, ultra-modern gym and wellness centre.
What arrangements will be made for evening socialising and party space? Do you have a corkage waiver?
Fun places are easy to reach, some are even within walking distance. Also Parties and the fan bars will be arranged in the resort ball rooms . We do not have any agreements for corkage and forkage waiver with the hotel yet but we are continuing to negotiate with the hotel on this.
Please describe the policies / laws regarding smoking in your hotel(s), convention centre, and city.
The Country’s policy prohibit smoking in public facilities. There are designated smoking areas outside of the hotel.
Given the current pandemic, have you considered any arrangements have been made for social distancing and the health and safety of members? If you have, can you describe what your current plans are?
We have not yet made decisions on public health related policies (including, but not limited to, COVID vaccination, masking, and social distancing) because the situation is still evolving. We will have a policy discussion by 2026 guided by WHO
What type of weather can we expect during your convention? What is the average temperature during that time of year?
Average temperatures are generally between 23-27C (73.4- 86F) Precipitation: 10%, Humidity: 52%,
Wind: 18 km/h
What are some of the main tourist attractions of your city?
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda with over a population of 1.2 million (Census 2002). Kampala was founded on seven hills; Kasubi Hill which is where the Kasubi Tombs are found, Mengo Hill where the present Lubiri (Kabaka’s Palace) is and the Headquarters of the Buganda Court of Justice and of the Lukiiko, Bugand’s Parliament(Bulange), Kibuli Hill, which is home to the Kibuli Mosque, Namirembe Hill, home to the Namirembe Anglican Cathedral, Lubaga Hill, where the Rubaga Catholic Cathedral is, and was the headquarters of the White Fathers, Nsambya Hill, was the headquarters of the Mill Hill Mission. It now houses Nsambya Hospital and Kampala Hill, (also known as Old Kampala), meaning “the hill of the impala” and whence Kampala got its name, is where the ruins of Lugard’s Fort were. The city spread to other hills like Nakasero Hill, Mbuya hill making this a beautiful city
The National Museum is 3km along Kira road from the heart of Kampala city. It is the oldest in East Africa. The museum was established in 1908 with assortments of item/objects from the different traditional chiefs. The Museum holds items on Uganda’s history, natural historical samples, musical instruments and archeological artifacts.
These tombs are found on Kasubi Hill and are 5 km on Kampala Hoima Road. This place is the burial ground for kings from the Buganda Kingdom. There are four previous kings buried in this place and these are: Mutesa I ruled from1856 to 1884, Chwa Daudi ruled from 1899 to 1939, Mutesa II ruled from 1939 to 1966 and Mwanga who ruled from 1884 to 1897. The place has a main burial tomb which is the biggest in Africa. The other smaller adjacent tombs are used as resident places for the care takers and houses for some of the kingdom’s royal regalia.
The Bahai Temple is situated on Kikaya Hill just 7 km from the heart of the city on Kampala Gayaza road. This is the only temple of the Bahai faith in the whole of Africa.
The Uganda Martyrs Shrine Namugongo located along Kampala-Jinja highway and is one of the most distinguished shrines in Uganda and an important site among Christians in Africa. It is believed that, at Namugongo, 32 young Christian converts (Including Anglican & Catholics) were martyred on refusal to denounce Christianity, which was spreading like wildfire in Uganda right from 1870. This angered King (Kabaka) Mwanga II, prompting his to order the execution of the 32 men on Thursday 3rd June 1886.
Rubaga Cathedral is located on Rubaga hill, about 5 Kilometers north-west of the City center. The Cathedral is the seat of the Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church in Uganda. Rubaga hill was formerly a palace of Mutesa I but was donated to Bishop Hirth by his successor Mwanga in 1889. The Cathedral was opened on 31st October 1925.
Kibuli Mosque is one of the biggest mosques of Uganda with a beautiful view over Kampala; It’s located on Kubuli hill and regarded as the home for Muslims. A Buganda royal and colonial collaborator Prince Badru Kakungulu owned most of the hill. He donated the land atop the 3,973 feet hill where the Kibuli mosque stands today.
Gaddafi National Mosque also known as Kampala Mosque or National Mosque is a mosque situated at Kampala Hill in the Old Kampala area of Kampala, Uganda. Completed in 2006, it seats up to 5,000 worshipers and can hold another 1,100 in the gallery, while the terrace will cater for another 3,500. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya built the mosque as a gift to Uganda. But mostly to the Muslim’s in Uganda
Independence Monument is Located along Speke road in Kampala, just opposite Standard Chartered bank, the construction of the Independence Monument was funded by the British Colonial government in the days leading up to Uganda’s first independence cerebrations on October 9, 1962. Depicting a man unwrapping his child and raising it to touch the sky, the towering sculpture signifies a new born country let free from the bondages of colonization. This monument was made from cement, sand, iron bars and wire mesh. It is the work of Gregory Maloba, a Luhya sculptor from Kenya who studied and taught art at Makerere University from 1939- 1965.
Lubiri Palace or Mengo Palace is the royal compound of the Kabaka or king of Buganda, located in Mengo, a monarchy that dates back almost 800 years. Mengo has been the main palace since it was first constructed in 1885 by Danieri Mwanga II Mukasa, the 31st Kabaka of Buganda. Measuring 4 square miles (10 km2) in size, the palace is ringed by a six-foot brick fence and has a small airstrip within its walls. They are the official residence of the Buganda
The Kabaka’s lake is the biggest manmade lake in the country. It is found in township of Ndeeba close to 5 km from the city center in the west, on Kampala Masaka Road. It was under the orders of the previous king Mwanga of Buganda Kingdom that the lake was dug. The 52 distinct Buganda clans consider it sacred and the clan leaders mobilize their people to have it cleaned. Around the lake have been constructed several cottages to offer accommodation. Activities on the lake are: boat racing, catering services and pleasure trips. https://ugandatourismcenter.com/ [Note: Domain expired on August 2, 2022.]
Are you planning to have any membership discounts for certain demographic groups, such as young adults, military, or seniors?
We shall have specific rates for children, teenagers, and young adults and people living in Africa. We will also have a First Attending Worldcon rate, which is for anyone who has not attended a Worldcon in person.
What is your vision for your Worldcon? How do you plan to make it happen?
From the Chair, in no particular order:
I want staff and attendees to look forward to more worldcons in Africa.
We want to make Worldcon a global convention in nature and practice rotating around all continents,
We intend to connect friction fans, talents and stories in African to the rest of the world to foster more collaborations between Africa and rest of the world.
To showcase African friction fantasy and comic products, talents and stories on a global platform
What is a notable aspect of your local fan culture and how do you plan to incorporate it into your Worldcon?
Africa has a rich storytelling heritage and a wealth of folktales that have been passed down for generations. The African continent is home to a tradition of creation myths that on closer inspection bear a striking resemblance to speculative science fiction. The Dogon people of Mali believe they are the descendants of an extra-terrestrial race from the Sirius B star system, and the Zulu in South Africa trace their name and origin story to somewhere just beyond the heavens. In Uganda the Buganda kingdom that has continuity since the 14th century traces its origins from a supernatural being “Kintu” who came from another world. Some of such stories have informed great fiction works that have won major honors in the science fiction genre. Writers who connect with African culture in their works have had no limits to fresh new stories, like Nnedi Okorafor and Tade Thompson have, between them, won the field’s highest honors, including the Hugo.
However many speculative fiction works, talents, and stories by Africans living in Africa still struggle to find a place on global platforms for fans and consumers to admire because of a number of barriers including but not limited to proximity and technological differences which leaves a lot of untapped talent and virgin stories on the continent that would be of great value to the science fiction and fantasy industry. This will also encourage diversity and inclusion in the media space.
Africa is not only hub for talent and stories that can inform production of great works of science fiction and fantasy, but also commands a strong fan base for the genre. This has been proved by the recent explosion of the global media industries and streamers inking collaboration deals with African sci-fi producers in a bid to grow their markets and have succeeded.
Kampala hosted the first international gathering of writers and critics of African literature in Africa “the First African Writers Conference” held at Makerere University in 1962 attracting participants such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and Langston Hughes.
Although held right as many African nations were breaking free from colonialism, non-Africans like Hughes were welcomed as “observers” This conference cemented the concept of an “African” writer. It is also where the young Ngũgĩ slipped the manuscript of what would become his first published novel, Weep Not, Child, to Achebe who, duly impressed, passed it along to his editors at Heinemann in London. All of this pioneering activity in Kampala laid fertile ground for the emergence of the already powerful African writerly tradition. No doubt the Kampala landscape offers rich poetic inspirations.
Do you have a code of conduct? If so, is it available online and if so, where?
Efforts are underway to develop a code of conduct that will guide our activities during the bidding and hosting of the convention. It will be available on our website as soon as it’s finalised. www.kampcon.org
What do diversity and inclusion mean to you?
Diversity is all about appreciating, respecting involving and welcoming people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations, age, disability, education, and religion. Inclusion is a practice of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups.
How are you working towards your goals in these areas? What would concrete achievements look like in these areas?
We are working on our Anti racism policy which will be published on our website: www.kampcon.org
What changes or challenges do you expect the current pandemic to present?
Depending on the situation by 2028, we will remain flexible in our planning to make sure that we protect the health and safety of our members as required by the state of the world we are faced with then.
Have you planned for a virtual component to your convention?
There will be a Virtual component at Kampcon. We are still working out the details of what this will include, and determine the costs for members to attend virtually.
Your members vote for Hugo Finalists who are then excited and wish to play a full part in the convention programme. How do you plan to facilitate the Finalists input as recognised by your community?
We will develop an experienced team which will develop processes to ensure that we do not unintentionally leave finalists off of the program and make reasonable efforts to accommodate them.
File 770 has asked the committee what event-running experience they have, and hopes to receive an answer soon.
…If successful, it will be the first time in the convention has ever been to the continent of Africa. The bid chair is Kabunga Micheal, an author, industrial artist and science-fiction fan. Other members of the bid committee includes the film director Anita Nannozi Sseruwagi.
The aim of the bid is to empower local artists and increase international awareness of Uganda’s contribution to world science fiction. The bid has not announced an exact location as yet, as it is very early days. Kampala has a plethora of possible sites….
(2) DRAGON AWARDS 2022 BALLOT. The 2022 Dragon Awards Ballot was posted today. The public is invited to vote on the winners. You may register to receive a ballot until 11:59 (EDT) on the Friday of Dragon Con (September 2). Here’s the link — Dragon Con 2022 – Fan Awards Signup Form.
(3) DOWNTIME. Daily Science Fiction! told followers today they are going on hiatus. However, the site is scheduled to present stories into December.
Hi. Many of you have noted that we’ve been closed for story submissions for a bit. Many more of you (our most loyal supporters–Thank you!) noticed that today we just canceled automatic renewals for the DSF membership. This is because we have decided that, as we pass our 12th anniversary, we will go on a hiatus, either temporary or somewhat longer. The good news is that we have stories accepted and scheduled to present to you through the middle of December.
Thank you for reading and for your support through more than a dozen years of fun and stories.
(4) AWARD JUDGES. The Aurealis Awards 2022 Judging Panels have been announced – see the names at the link.
We are very pleased to welcome our 2022 Aurealis Awards judging panels. We had a massive response to our call out this year, and are delighted to welcome both returning and new panelists to the team. All our judges are volunteers and we are extremely grateful for their hard work and professionalism throughout the process. The Awards would not exist without them!
…After a lifetime writing whimsical stories and struggling to cover his bills, Beagle lost control of his intellectual property to his manager, Connor Freff Cochran, who also controlled his finances, and later claimed to friends and family that Beagle had dementia.
Now, after a lengthy court battle in which he accused Cochran of financial elder abuse, Beagle has the rights to his work back, and is making the most of it: A new edition of “The Last Unicorn” came out in July, a sequel called “The Way Home” is scheduled for publication next year, and he has another novel out on submission to his publisher.
“A line I wrote in ‘The Last Unicorn’ when I was in my early twenties,” Beagle said, turned out to be as prescient, for better and worse, as anything he’s written since. “‘Mortals, as you may have noticed, take what they can get.’”
Beagle, 83, has a mischievous sense of humor, and when he speaks, it sounds like he’s reading a play on a 1940s radio program, his full, rumbling voice spooling his stories and delivering the punchline just so.
“I know I’m a good story teller,” he said, “which makes my life sound more interesting than it actually is.”…
Residents of a small town in western Michigan helped raise almost $100,000 for their local library after it was defunded over the inclusion of LGBTQ books.
Primary voters in Jamestown Township, a community 20 miles east of Lake Michigan, rejected a proposal last week to renew tax funds to support the Patmos Library in nearby Hudsonville that serves Jamestown and the surrounding area. The rejection, which passed with nearly two-thirds voter approval, eliminates 84% of the public library’s annual budget, or $245,000….
Two days after the vote, Jesse Dillman, a Jamestown resident and father of two, launched an online fundraiser to help raise the $245,000 to keep the library open.
“I am very passionate about this, and I have people that are behind me to do this,” he said in an interview. “I think I have to do it now, because the iron is hot. If this is going to happen, it’s going to happen now.”
As of Thursday morning, approximately 1,800 people had contributed more than $90,000. While many of those donors are local, people from as far away as Australia have contributed, Dillman said.
Last week marked the season 3 finale of The Orville, and what a run it has been. After two seasons on FX, the show made the jump to Hulu for its third season, where it flourished. Subtitled The Orville: New Horizons, season 3 of the comedic science fiction drama was not only better than its previous seasons by leagues, but also one of the most polished shows on TV.
But as of this writing, the fate of The Orville is still up in the air. Creator, executive producer, and star Seth MacFarlane (Captain Ed Mercer) spoke at length with Syfy Wire and gave a bit more insight into the state of the show and his approach to crafting its third season finale, which was intentionally designed to be satisfying for fans in case The Orville wasn’t renewed for season 4. The title — “Future Unknown” — is a nod to this. “You do want to continue to expand the world and, in a perfect scenario, tease what’s to come. But we just don’t know what’s to come. We just haven’t gotten a firm answer,” MacFarlane said.
(8) MEDIA BIRTHDAY.
1989 – [By Cat Eldridge.] Yes, I’m a big fan of Bradbury with my favorite works being The Illustrated Man and Something This Way Wicked Comes (now that’s horror done properly), but I really do like much of his short fiction as well. (Yes, I know The Illustrated Man is really short stories.) And that is how we come to Ray Bradbury Theatre’s “A Sound of Thunder” which aired for the first time thirty-three years ago on this evening.
It was adapted, of course, from “A Sound of Thunder” which was first published in Collier’s in the June 28, 1952, issue and published again in The Golden Apples of the Sun collection by Doubleday a year later. The Golden Apples of the Sun collection is available from the usual suspects. Interestingly Hard Case has Killer, Come Back to Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury which they released just two years ago. Ymmmm!
SPOILER ALERT (JUST IN CASE SOMEONE HAS READ OR SEEN IT)
Two time travelers paid a hefty fee to Time Safari Inc. to go hunting dinosaurs who would’ve died in a few minutes. This means they don’t alter history at all. But they make a horrible, time stream altering mistake that they were told never, ever to make: don’t get off the marked path. One does and kills a a butterfly and changes the stream forever.
Is Bradbury the origin of the oft told meteorological story about a butterfly flapping it’s wings in China altering weather conditions around the world?
END SPOILER ALERT (WHO OF YOU COULD NOT HAVE SEEN IT?)
Unlike the latter film with Ben Kingsley which of course was padded out and critics like Roger Ebert saying that it was really bad and yes it gets a eighteen percent rating among audience reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes, I thought it did a more than just credible job of presenting Bradbury’s story. Given the low budget nature of the series, it carried off the SFX rather well. But then I thought the entire series was quite excellent.
The major streaming services carrying it are Amazon and Peacock.
(9) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS.
[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]
Born August 11, 1902 — Jack Binder. Thrilling Wonder Stories in their October 1938 issue published his article, “If Science Reached the Earth’s Core”, where the first known use of the phrase “zero gravity” is known to happen. In the early Forties, he was an artist for Fawcett, Lev Gleason, and Timely Comics. During these years, he created the Golden Age character Daredevil which is not the Marvel Daredevil though he did work with Stan Lee where they co-created The Destroyer at Timely Comics. (Died 1986.)
Born August 11, 1932 — Chester Anderson. New Wave novelist and poet. He wrote The Butterfly Kid, the first part of the Greenwich Village trilogy. It was nominated for a Hugo Award at BayCon. He wrote one other genre novel, Ten Years to Doomsday, with Michael Kurland. Not even genre adjacent, but he edited a few issues Crawdaddy! in the late Sixties. (Died 1991.)
Born August 11, 1944 — Ian McDiarmid, 78. Star Wars film franchise including an uncredited appearance in The Empire Strikes Back, other genre appearances in Dragonslayer, The Awakening (a mummies horror film with Charlton Heston), The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series and reprising his SW role in the animated Star Wars Rebels series.
Born August 11, 1959 — Alan Rodgers. Author of Bone Music, a truly great take on the Robert Johnson myth. His “The Boy Who Came Back From the Dead” novelette won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction, and was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, and he was editor of Night Cry in the mid Eighties. Bone Music is his only work available from the usual suspects. (Died 2014.)
Born August 11, 1961 — Susan M. Garrett. She was a well-known and much liked writer, editor and publisher in many fandoms, but especially the Forever Knight community. (She also was active in Doctor Who and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne fandoms. And no, I had no idea that the latter had a fandom given its short longevity.) She is perhaps best known for being invited to write a Forever Knight tie-in novel, Intimations of Mortality. (Died 2010.)
Born August 11, 1962 — Brian Azzarello, 60. Comic book writer. First known crime series 100 Bullets, published by Vertigo. Writer of DC’s relaunched Wonder Woman series several years back. One of the writers in the Before Watchmen limited series. Co-writer with Frank Miller of the sequel to The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight III: The Master Race.
Born August 11, 1964 — Jim Lee, 58. Korean American comic-book artist, writer, editor, and publisher. Co-founder of Images Comics, now senior management at DC though he started at Marvel. Known for work on Uncanny X-Men, Punisher, Batman, Superman and WildC.A.T.s.
Born August 11, 1965 — Viola Davis, 57. Amanda ‘The Wall’ Waller in the first Suicide Squad film, and back again in The Suicide Squad; also appeared in The Andromeda Strain miniseries (2008), Threshold and Century City series, and the Solaris film.
Born August 11, 1976 — Will Friedle, 46. Largely known as an actor with extensive genre voice work: Terry McGinnis aka the new Batman in Batman Beyond which Warner Animation now calls Batman of the Future, Peter Quill in The Guardians Of The Galaxy, and Kid Flash in Teen Titans Go! to name but a few of his roles.
(10) COMICS SECTION.
The Far Side shows where prelates go when they’re not looking at the Sistine Ceiling.
Puerto Rican Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez grew up in the Bronx, New York. By the time he was 18 years old he’d lived in 22 different places, but one constant in his life was his love of comic books. Edgardo was a natural artist and storyteller and even at primary school he would write stories for the other children. He is now a highly successful graphic novelist and has created a series based on a female Puerto Rican superhero called La Borinqueña. Her mission? To fight for social justice and save the world from climate change.
…Starting in 1967, publisher Ballantine Books produced a second version of the text for consumption by high schoolers, omitting supposedly offensive curse words and a reference to a drunk. This version became known as the “Bal-Hi” edition, for Ballantine High School, and for several years it was available concurrently with the original text. In 1973, Ballantine began publishing only the Bal-Hi version, and it continued doing so until Bradbury, who had not consented to the publication change, complained in 1979….
(13) ESCAPE THE PODIUM. Ted Gioia shares “My 10 Rules for Public Speaking” and most of them make a lot of sense. This one is not quite as intuitive to me as the others, so I’m repeating it here to help keep it in mind:
(4) Remember That the Audience Always Wants You to Succeed:
I’ve never met anyone who went to an event hoping to be bored and disappointed. The audience really, really wants you to succeed, and if you give them even the slightest chance at having a good time, they will cheer you on.
Just understanding this takes away much of the fear of public speaking. Even better, this desire for success is contagious—and in both directions: When you radiate enjoyment, the audience feels it too. When the audience is having a good time, you do as well.
That’s a virtuous circle, and you want you get into it as soon as possible. You should try to find a way of signalling within your first minute in front of an audience that everyone will have a good time today. Often you will even see the relief on the faces of people in the crowd in that moment when they realize that your talk won’t be a kind of punishment or chastisement. They will be grateful—and you will be too.
(14) S. KOREAN MOON PROBE.[Item by SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie.] Reported in this week’s Nature journal, by this time next week, South Korea’s first lunar probe will be on its way to the Moon. The probe, Danuri, which means ‘enjoy the Moon’, should arrive at its destination by mid-December and orbit for a year… Scientists in South Korea say the mission will pave the way for the country’s more ambitious plans to land on the Moon by 2030. Success for Danuri will secure future planetary exploration. “South Korea set for first Moon mission”.
Scientists are usually rather measured in their proclamations even if they do think outside of the box. However, when it comes to climate change, the scientific community has not considered the ultra-extreme situation, a possible extinction level threat.
Now, https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2108146119 research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) calls for the need to explore catastrophic climate scenarios. The proposed agenda covers four main questions: 1) What is the potential for climate change to drive mass extinction events? 2) What are the mechanisms that could result in human mass mortality and morbidity? 3)What are human societies’ vulnerabilities to climate-triggered risk cascades, such as from conflict, political instability, and systemic financial risk? 4) How can these multiple strands of evidence—together with other global dangers—be usefully synthesized into an“integrated catastrophe assessment”? It is time for the scientific community to grapple with the challenge of better understanding catastrophic climate change…
[Thanks to Chris Barkley, Michael Toman, Cat Eldridge, Bill, Andrew (not Werdna), SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Mike Kennedy, Martin Morse Wooster, JJ, John King Tarpinian, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day John A Arkansawyer.]
