Collecting, Fandom

Rare Star Wars Jawa figure found in loft sells for £19,500

That’s a little over 33 000$ Canadian. Start looking through your basements and attics!

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-68118326

Excalibur Auctions Jawa figure
Excalibur Auctions The Jawa character, wearing a vinyl cape on Palitoy packaging, is considered one of the rarest 70s Star Wars figures

An “exceptionally rare” Star Wars figure found in a loft has outstripped its estimate after attracting worldwide interest at auction.

The Jawa character, complete with vinyl cape, is considered the “holy grail” of 1970s Star Wars figures, according to auctioneer Jonathan Torode.

It was snapped up by a UK collector for £19,500 during the Hertfordshire sale.

“I feel honoured to have handled another rare part of Star Wars toy history,” Mr Torode said.

“The Jawa figure is still the absolute ultimate for Star Wars collectors.”

It was the second time in six months that Excalibur Auctions, of Kings Langley, was able to show off such a sought-after collectible.

In July, it sold an identical Jawa figure for £26,670, including commission charges, after it was found by the same owner among memorabilia packed away in boxes.

Each figure was estimated to attain £10,000 to £15,000.

The figure owner, who worked for Marvel UK between 1974 and 1979, received a range of gifts from the UK toy company Palitoy during the promotion of the Star Wars line in Marvel comics.

Only 10 to 15 examples of this type of figure were documented, Excalibur Auctions said, with the vinyl cape substituted for a cloth cape not long into production.

Awards

Hugo controversy in mainstream press

IN THE GUARDIAN.The Guardian’s report “Science fiction awards held in China under fire for excluding authors” includes quotes from Xiran Jay Zhao and Paul Weimer.

…No reason was given for the exclusions, which were only revealed on 20 January when the Hugo awards published the full nomination statistics for last year’s prize. Certain titles were listed as having been given votes, but were marked with an asterisk and the words “not eligible”, with no further details given….

…Concerns have been raised that the authors were targeted for political reasons, connected to the fact that the ruling Chinese Communist party exerts a tight control on all cultural events that take place inside its borders.

Dave McCarty, the head of the 2023 Hugo awards jury, wrote on Facebook: “Nobody has ordered me to do anything … There was no communication between the Hugo administration team and the Chinese government in any official manner.”

McCarty did not respond to a request from the Guardian for comment, but shared what he said was the official response from the awards administration team on Facebook: “After reviewing the constitution and the rules we must follow, the administration team determined those works/persons were not eligible.” He declined to elaborate on what the rules were.

READ MORE:

https://file770.com/hugo-controversy-hits-mainstream-news-a-chengdu-vice-chair-comments-in-social-media/

Astronomy News

JWST turns up even more heavier-than-expected black holes

These young supermassive black holes weigh more relative to their host galaxies than those today, supporting an idea called heavy seeding. By | Published: January 24, 2024

In this artist's conception, a black hole (center) is contained in a small host galaxy in the distant universe (left). In the nearby universe (right), the same sized black hole would be hosted in a much bigger galaxy. Credit: CfA/Melissa Weiss
In this artist’s conception, a black hole (center) is contained in a small host galaxy in the distant universe (left). In the nearby universe (right), the same sized black hole would be hosted in a much bigger galaxy. Credit: CfA/Melissa Weiss

In the two years since the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched, astronomers are learning one thing: The early universe is a lot weirder than we thought.

JWST, which is the largest space telescope ever launched, is able to see back in time like never before thanks to a combination of its large mirrors and its sensitivity to infrared light. This means that it can see in stunning clarity objects whose light was emitted billions of years ago in the ultraviolet or visible portion of the spectrum, and has now been stretched by the universe’s expansion to longer wavelengths than optical telescopes like Hubble.

Astronomers are using it to peer back to near “cosmic dawn,” a time when the first stars and galaxies were forming. And JWST is showing that these early galaxies are different than astronomers had anticipated, in a plethora of ways: Some are settling into shapes we didn’t think were possible so early after the Big Bang. Others are unexpectedly large.

And recent research shows that even the black holes in the early universe were odd — they’re way bigger than they should be, relative to the mass of the galaxy around them. Unexpectedly, JWST is spotting mammoth black holes anchoring relatively small galaxies.

READ MOREhttps://www.astronomy.com/science/jwst-turns-up-even-more-heavier-than-expected-black-holes/

Awards

Hugo Awards: Nomination Stats questioned

Nomination stats for the Hugos awarded at Chengdu, China, have finally been published, and a can of worms exploded all over social media, lots landing on Dave McCarty, the Hugo administrator.

Some works were declared ineligible, no reason given beyond:

After reviewing the Constitution and the rules we must follow, the administration team determined those works/persons were not eligible.

When asked which rules, the answer was:

After reviewing the Constitution and the rules we must follow, the administration team determined those works/persons were not eligible.

Theories are tending toward the committee not wanting trouble with the government of China. And if that is the case, then we need to be a whole lot more careful about site selection. WSFS does have to comply with the local laws. Kevin Standlee used the example of, “what if we had the World Con in Florida”. Now there’s a scary scenario!

Lots of commentary from fans and pros alike on File770.com.

This particular thread is worth reading: https://file770.com/chengdu-hugo-administrator-dave-mccarty-fields-questions-on-facebook/

 

 

 

Upcoming meeting

MonSFFA meeting programming

Upcoming Club Meetings 2026

NB: Always subject to change, it’s fandom!

January 10 Zoom only

Elections! We vote for our executive: president, treasurer, Veep, and appoint editors for our website and publications.

Presentation: a comparison of artificial intelligence as depicted in SF with the AI models currently in development in the real world.

Art Presentation:  A primer on perspective as a useful guide to producing striking works of sci-fi art.

Discussion: Remembering the classic SF&F toys of our collective childhoods.

January 17 Meeting of the BookWyrms SIG
February 7 Meeting of the BookWyrms SIG
February 21 Zoom only

Don’t Judge a Book by its Movie! Examples are proffered of good SF/F books made into bad SF/F movies, and vice versa! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Joe Aspler

Hidden Gems! We cite examples of SF/F books/films that we serendipitously happened upon and thoroughly enjoyed; happy accidental discoveries, real gems previously hidden, but now revealed, much to our pleasure.  Moderator: Cathy Palmer-Lister

Title: Sci-Fi Balderdash (Game)! Actual titles, fake synopses, lots of fun! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Danny Sichel

March 14

The Alien Franchise: We examine the popular SF/horror franchise centered on one the Genre’s most terrifying space aliens! Presenter(s)/Moderator: Charles El Rahi

Real-World Architectural Landmarks in SF/F Film: An appreciation of landmark real-world architectural exemplars and actual futuristically-styled buildings that have been featured in SF/F film.
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

Telepathy:  Exploring examples in paranormal belief, and as depicted in SF&F, as well as the implications were a telepathic society, or individual, actually to exist among us. Presenter(s)/Moderator: Danny Sichel, Josée Bellemare

April 11

MonSFFA’s Own MST3K! We try our hand at mocking a really bad sci-fi B-movie, and pop culture as a whole, in the MST3K style!
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

The Titanic in Sci-Fi :On this very date in 1912, RMS Titanic set out from Ireland across the North Atlantic on the final leg of her doomed maiden voyage, inspiring many a tale across numerous genres, including SF/F. We’ll look at sci-fi’s take on the legendary ship.
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

May 9

Impactful SF/F Movies/Television Episodes: We share each of our own examples of films and TV episodes that made us think, wonder, shudder, and that stayed with us well after the closing credits rolled!
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Mark Hickey

Sinbad and the Voyages Never Taken: A look at the unproduced projects of one-man special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen.
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

Coming Soon! We look ahead to this summer in Genre books, films, etc.  Presenter(s)/Moderator: Keith Braithwaite

June 13 Away Team

The club embarks upon an excursion to an away-from-meeting-room locale—museum, exhibition, theatre, or such— preferably having at least a tangential association with the sciences, and/or the SF/F universe. Field Trip destination to be determined by the membership in advance of the event.

July 12 SUNDAY Shore Leave

Sunday in the park, 19th  in case of rain: Club members convene in Parc Maisonneuve—adjacent Montreal’s Botanical Gardens—for an outdoor barbecue/picnic and afternoon of relaxation in the park. Each individual supplies their own lunch, plus snacks to share; club supplies grill

July 26 Zoom only

Virtual Picnic: Club members convene online via ZOOM for a casual summertime get-together, essentially, a virtual version of the Barbecue-in-the-Park, for the benefit of those out-of-towners and others who could not attend the Barbecue in person.

August 15 Makers’  Workshop

Fancraft Workshops:  A series of SF/F-themed, hands-on crafting workshops running concurrently throughout the afternoon. These are designed both to showcase a specific craft, demonstrating the “how-to,” and to encourage MonSFFen to try their hand at one or more of the featured “Fancrafts.” Sci-Fi Origami and SF/F Jewellery-Making are planned; one or two other workshops yet to be determined. Presenter(s)/Moderator: Sarah Aspler, Josée Bellemare, Others

September 19

Sci-Fi B-Movie Purgatory! Offering a list of recommendations, we celebrate sci-fi films that are so bad, they’re good (for a laugh)!
Presenter(s)/Moderator: Adam Jed, Keith Braithwaite

Guest Speaker! We welcome via ZOOM Canadian SF author Sean Robins for a discussion of themes explored in his latest novel, about a combat android that gains consciousness, and about Sean’s writing career in general!

The Doctor is In!  A look at the depiction of science fiction’s doctors and scientists—Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Moreau, Sector General, Cherijo Grey Veil, Hari Seldon, Clayton Forrester, “Bones” McCoy, Emmett Brown, and a certain Timelord.  Presenter(s)/Moderator: Danny Sichel

October 3 Meeting of the BookWyrms SIG on Zoon, 13:00h
October 17 BOOK SALE

MonSFFA hosts its annual fund-raising, second-hand sci-fi book sale; open to the public, all revenue raised directed to the club’s operating budget.

November 14

Star People! Concepts of “Ancient Aliens,” and the influence these theories have had on the science fiction genre. Presenter: Josée Bellemare

He is Legend! A primer on author/screenwriter Richard Matheson, an influential titan of the genre largely unsung outside of the category! Presenter: Keith

By the Cover (Game)! Given a SF/F painting or illustration, can you identify the foreign-edition book for which it served as the cover art? (Proposed Presenter: Rene)

December 5 Holiday Feast

Club members and their families, friends, gather at a Montreal restaurant for a festive meal celebrating the season; includes annual fund-raising Christmas Raffle.

December 12 Zoom only

MonSFFen gather online over ZOOM to celebrate the season and exchange season’s greetings; designed as an online version of the Christmas Dinner/Party, for the benefit of out-of-town members, and those who could not attend the party.

MonSFFA Website

Club’s Website Disrupted!

Regrettably, MonSFFA’s Website began experiencing numerous intermittent disruptions on the very day of our January 2024 meeting, Saturday, the 13th!

The site went down for much of that morning, preventing us from posting material related to our meeting, as is our custom. Only one post was put up before the site went down for a good stretch, effectively disrupting the online part of the meeting. Fortunately, we were still able to live-stream proceedings on ZOOM for our online participants.

Note that we have posted, below, some of the links and information on solar eclipses that our two guest speakers had on hand at the meeting, including this map of the Montreal area showing the path of the solar eclipse expected on April 8 of this year—scroll down for more related information.

As for the Website disruptions, we initially speculated that the problem might be connected to local power failures, or the far-reaching winter storm blanketing Ontario, Quebec, and the Eastern U.S. that day. But the disruptions have continued since, and the issue has not yet been resolved.

If you are reading this, obviously the site is up and running, but we caution that it may well go down again at any moment! If it does, try again in 20 minutes.

In the meantime, we have contacted the appropriate technical support services to report the problem so that a remedy may be found and implemented as soon as possible. We eagerly await word, and a return to normal functionality!

Astronomy specialists David Shuman and Paul Simard guested at our January meeting, presenting their documentary short, “Shadowchasers.” If you missed the meeting, find the film here:

https://vimeo.com/340109017

Here are links to other resources that our guests recommended. Astronomy sites will be updating as the April solar eclipse date draws near.

https://rascmontreal.org

https://www.rasc.ca

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse-simulator/2024/1504?elevation=47

Safe, approved solar-eclipse viewing glasses may be purchased at these sites:

EclipseGlasses:

https://www.eclipseglasses.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-stock

Daystar:

https://www.daystarfilters.com/glasses/Glasses.shtml

Rainbow Symphony:

https://www.rainbowsymphony.com/collections/eclipse-glasses-safe-solar-viewers

Here, also, is a NASA link showing how to build a safe pinhole viewer:

https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/safety/

Eclipse glasses may also be found at astronomy stores in our region:

LA MAISON D’ASTRONOMIE (Montréal)

ASTRONOMY PLUS (Longueuil)

DAVID ASTRO (Boucherville)

Montreal Science Fiction and Fantasy Association