Upcoming Aaron Allston Benefit Auction Event by FACT

As posted on theforce.net:

The Fandom Association of Central Texas (FACT) will be hosting an auction and party for X-Wing and Fate of the Jedi author Aaron Allston. The event will be held next week, Sunday, July 19, from 1-5 p.m. at Arbor A in San Gabriel Park, 445 E. Morrow, Georgetown, TX. According to his official website, Aaron Allston will be in attendance.

Allston was recently hospitalized for heart bypass surgery, and all proceeds will go to the Aaron Allston Donation Fund to pay for related expenses. Central Texas area fans wishing to donate auction items will find contact information on the FACT website here.

Press Release:

Austin, TX -- A fundraiser and auction to benefit the Aaron Allston Donation Fund will be held on Sunday, July 19, from 1-5 p.m. at Arbor A in San Gabriel Park, 445 E. Morrow, Georgetown, TX.

The Aaron Allston Donation Fund is a medical fund established by his friends to help Mr. Allston, an internationally known science fiction writer and author of several Star Wars novels, with large medical expenses recently incurred as a result of emergency bypass surgery. Mr. Allston is a long-time resident of Central Texas.

The event sponsor is the Fandom Association of Central Texas (FACT, http://www.fact.org), a Texas-based 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the promotion of literacy through the appreciation of speculative fiction.

FACT is seeking donations of food and other items from local businesses for the event. We anticipate attendance of approximately 100+ people, and are actively promoting to the media.

To discuss making a contribution, please contact Wendy Snyder, FACT Events Manager, at social@fact.org or phone Elizabeth Burton, FACT board secretary, at 512-402-5298.

Allston's been one of the most consistently entertaining SW authors, known for his humor. He's among the panelists in this video of the Legacy of the Force panel from Celebration III back in 2005.

Chicago Comic-Con Benefit Auction for John Ostrander

Ostrander is one of my favorite comic authors, having authored the highly acclaimed Quinlan Vos arc of Dark Horse's Clone Wars run of the Star Wars: Republic series, as well as creating the radical Star Wars: Legacy series.

He's also known for writing other titles such as Grimjack, Suicide Squad & The Spectre, as well as turning Barbara Gordon from Batgirl into Oracle.

He's also been great with fan interaction, posting frequently on the JC and Dark Horse messageboards, amongst others. So I wanted to return the favor by making note of this news piece.

Even though only a few people I know are even reading this blog at this early stage, and probably even fewer care (and if you don't, don't feel bad- I'm not trying to guilt-trip anyone, just passing on the info to those who might want to know), I figured for those of you who are familiar with (or might have heard of) his work might be inclined to assist.

An auction will be held at the Chicago Comic-Con (nee Wizard World Chicago) the evening of Saturday, August 8, 2009 to raise funds for comics veteran John Ostrander, who is undergoing a series of operations and medical treatments to fight off blindness.

A 27-year veteran of the comics field, Ostrander, has long been suffering from glaucoma. Recently, John underwent a series of operations that might have saved his remaining eyesight. Progress has been made but he faces considerably more treatment in the months ahead.

To help Ostrander cover his costs, a committee has been organized called Comix4Sight. Solicitations for the benefit auction have gone out, and the response from the comics community has been overwhelming.

Original art, signed scripts, comics memorabilia, autographed books and similar items are being donated to the auction. “Within the first 24 hours we’ve received pledges of contributions including original art and signed books by Howard Chaykin, David Lloyd, Dave Sim, Norm Breyfogle, Dick Giordano, Dennis O’Neil, Hilary Barta, Kevin Van Hook, Mark Badger, Michael Davis, Rick Stasi, Paul Gulacy, Joe Landsdale, and, of course, John’s GrimJack collaborator Timothy Truman. We’re getting commitments every day,” committee co-chairperson Adriane Nash stated.

Contributions can be made through PayPal at www.comix4sight.com or by sending a check to:
Mike Gold and Adriane Nash
arrogantMGMS
304 Main Avenue, #194
Norwalk, CT 06851

Full Article

15 Foot Shark Washes Up On Long Island

CNN Video Link

For reference, this thing is 10 feet shy (60% of) the "Bruce" shark in Jaws, though it's not a dangerous species like the Great White.


I'm wondering if the dude setting up the tripod in that footage was just setting up a pic of himself a leg propped up in triumph, to be captioned "Oh, you collect seashells when you go to the shore? How quaint."

(photo & further details via ABC News)