{"id":27715,"date":"2023-06-17T13:00:16","date_gmt":"2023-06-17T17:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/?p=27715"},"modified":"2023-06-12T20:17:30","modified_gmt":"2023-06-13T00:17:30","slug":"june-2023-virtual-meeting-post-1-of-7-100pm-introduction-agenda-and-trivia-quiz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/?p=27715","title":{"rendered":"June 2023 Virtual Meeting; Post 1 of 7, 1:00PM: Introduction, Agenda, and Trivia Quiz"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>1) INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Canada is on fire!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Across the width of the country, Canada is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire season, with over 400 forest fires burning, about half of these vast and out of control. Firefighters are overwhelmed in the face of this scorching onslaught. Canadian crews have been augmented by teams and equipment from the U.S., France, Spain, and countries as far away as South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.<\/p>\n

The season started earlier than usual this year, and with a hot, dry summer forecast, in almost every province and territory, fires may well burn for weeks to come, and perhaps longer. Predictions are that this wildfire season could extend through July and August!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Some 3.5 million hectares of Canadian forest has already been reduced to ashes, roughly 13 times more than the typical ten-year average, as communities in the path of monstrous columns of advancing flame were evacuated. Homes have been destroyed, thousands of people displaced, and a pall of acrid smoke and haze descended upon Canadian cities and towns at various times these past couple weeks, drifting south, as well, to blanket the American Northeast. People were advised to avoid strenuous activity outdoors, such was the elevated degree of smoke in the air. About ten days ago, New York City recorded the worst air quality levels in the world! Rain and shifting winds seem to have since mitigated the worst of what was playing out as a truly apocalyptic scenario one might expect only in an over-the-top science fiction\/disaster movie.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This view is not of the John Carter Bridge in Barsoom City! This is the 59th Street Bridge and Roosevelt Island Aerial Tramway in New York City, about ten days ago!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Climate change, the science tells us, is at the heart of the extreme weather and environmental conditions\u2014storms, flooding, heat waves, drought\u2014that we are likely to experience regularly in the years to come. But in a more direct way, we<\/em> are to be held responsible, at least with regard to these forest fires; most were ignited by the carelessness of people\u2014a casually tossed cigarette butt, improperly extinguished campfire, etc.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in another sign of an impending Armageddon, authorities are warning Quebecers to remain on guard for rabid racoons migrating across the border from Vermont! Steer well clear of any unusually aggressive racoons you may encounter on the hiking trail or in your backyards, wildlife experts advise. \"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This afternoon, we welcome a special guest speaker on the topic of \u201cFantasy as Satire,\u201d and recall some of the voyages of the Enterprise<\/em>. We\u2019ve also prepared for you a sci-fi trivia quiz (below).<\/p>\n

All of this and more<\/em> is on the agenda today! And so, let us begin\u2026<\/p>\n

2) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON\u2019S VIDEO-CHAT ON ZOOM!<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

To join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours, simply click here and follow the prompts: This Afternoon\u2019s MonSFFA e-Meeting on ZOOM<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here: Call-In Numbers<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

Also, have this information on hand as you may be asked to enter it:<\/p>\n

Meeting ID: 851 4737 3414<\/strong>
\nPasscode: 246023<\/strong><\/p>\n

3) MEETING AGENDA<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Here is the agenda for this afternoon\u2019s get-together:\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As always, all scheduled programming is subject to change.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

4) TWO-FOUR SCI-FI TRIVIA QUIZ<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Those long, languid days of summer have arrived, and again do we enjoy an afternoon poolside, or better, a day at the beach, where we can dive into a good beach read. We relish farmer\u2019s markets, an outdoor concert on a warm evening, vibrant neighbourhood street festivals, and of course, a cold one quaffed with friends on a downtown terrace. \u201cSummertime<\/em>,\u201d as the song evokes, \u201cand the livin\u2019 is easy\u2026\u201d\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With that vibe in mind, we offer this afternoon a little light entertainment in the form of a trivia challenge. Our Two-Four Sci-Fi Quiz is so named in honour of that penultimate Canadian backyard barbecue refreshment, a case of two-four!<\/p>\n

Your challenge is to correctly answer all 24 of the following SF\/F-related questions? Good luck, and, of course, play fair; no resorting to Google or another search engine for the answers! You can<\/em> ask a friend for help, however, as long as your friend\u2019s name isn\u2019t Siri or Alexa!<\/p>\n

1) <\/strong>Fill in the blank! These SF\/F titles are missing a single word: The ______ Tree<\/em>; Haunted______<\/em>; Dinosaur ______<\/em>; and Without a ______<\/em>. What is that missing word?<\/p>\n

2)<\/strong> First seen in the opening minutes of Star Wars<\/em> (1977), what is the name of this CR90 corvette, employed as an Alderaanian diplomatic cruiser and rebel blockade runner?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

3)<\/strong> Which of these characters does not belong? A) Jaime Reyes, B) Samuel \u201cSam\u201d Guthrie, C) Dan Garrett, D) Theodore \u201cTed\u201d Kord<\/p>\n

4)<\/strong> Most Worldcons have been held in the U.S.; how many have been held outside<\/em> of the United States?<\/p>\n

5) <\/strong>Who played youngster David MacLean in the original Invaders From Mars<\/em> (1953), in which the vanguard of a Martian invasion force lands in the boy\u2019s hometown?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

6)<\/strong> The novels Omnivore<\/em> (1968), Orn<\/em> (1970), and OX<\/em> (1976) constitute which SF trilogy?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

7)<\/strong> What is the title of the fifth Indiana Jones movie, scheduled to premiere later this month, on the 30th?<\/p>\n

8)<\/strong> \u201cThey Were Looking For Chicks\u2026To Go All The Way!\u201d\u2014the marketing campaign of which sci-fi movie employed this tag line? A) Teenagers from Outer Space<\/em> (1959), B) Mars Needs Women<\/em> (1968), C) Earth Girls Are Easy<\/em> (1988), D) Invasion of the Saucer-Men<\/em> (1957)<\/p>\n

9)<\/strong> How many Worldcons has Canada hosted?<\/p>\n

10)<\/strong> The Humanx Commonwealth, an organization similar to Star Trek<\/em>\u2019s Federation of Planets, is featured in the science fiction stories of which writer?<\/p>\n

11)<\/strong> What two sentient species jointly administer the Humanx Commonwealth?<\/p>\n

12)<\/strong> Which of these men develops psychohistory, a fictional algorithmic science that allows general predictions to be made of the future in Isaac Asimov\u2019s Foundation series? A) Harrison Bergeron, B) Harry Harrison, C) Harry Mudd, D) Hari Seldon<\/p>\n

13)<\/strong> Who played Camie Loneozner in the original Star Wars<\/em> (1977), only to see her scenes excised from the final cut?<\/p>\n

14)<\/strong> Match the robots (left column) with the science fiction titles in which they appear (right column).\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

15) <\/strong>Who played astronomer Dr. Stuart Kelston in the original Invaders From Mars<\/em> (1953)?<\/p>\n

16)<\/strong> The protagonists of the science fiction novel Icerigger<\/em> (1974) crash-land on what frozen world?<\/p>\n

17)<\/strong> \u201cDerelict of Space\u201d (1939), \u201cMeteor\u201d (1941), \u201cTyrant and Slave-Girl on Planet Venus\u201d (1951), and \u201cThe Red Stuff\u201d (1951)\u2014who wrote these science fiction short stories?<\/p>\n

18)<\/strong> Which of these science fiction characters does not belong with the others? A) Ethan Frome Fortune, B) Hellespont du Kane, C) Raymus Antilles, D) Skua September<\/p>\n

19)<\/strong> Rudolph Martin, Gary Oldman, Frank Langella, and Nicolas Cage\u2014other than their profession, what do these actors have in common?<\/p>\n

20)<\/strong> With regard to the horror genre, what do the towns of Rockbridge, Midwich, Haddonfield, and Antonio Bay have in common?<\/p>\n

21)<\/strong> Andr\u00e9 Morell, Andrew Keir, Brian Donlevy, and John Mills have all played which acclaimed scientist-hero?<\/p>\n

22) <\/strong>In which Canadian province is set American International Pictures\u2019 1976 B-movie The Food of the Gods<\/em>?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

23)<\/strong> The Lady of the Sorrows<\/em> (2002) and The Battle of Evernight<\/em> (2003) are the second and third books, respectively, of Australian fantasy writer Cecilia Dart-Thornton\u2019s Bitterbynde trilogy. Name the first book in this series.<\/p>\n

24) <\/strong>Who played army commander Colonel Fielding in the original Invaders From Mars<\/em> (1953)?\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1) INTRODUCTION Canada is on fire! Across the width of the country, Canada is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire season, with over 400 forest fires burning, about half of these vast and out of control. Firefighters are overwhelmed in the face of this scorching onslaught. Canadian crews have been augmented by teams and equipment from the … Continue reading June 2023 Virtual Meeting; Post 1 of 7, 1:00PM: Introduction, Agenda, and Trivia Quiz<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":435,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/435"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27715"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27808,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27715\/revisions\/27808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monsffa.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}