The Austin Cortex

What's New at Austin Browncoats

2010-02-13T09:11:24Z

What's New at Austin Browncoats
February 13, 2009

Austin Browncoats Forums

We would love for you to join us online in our discussion forums. There you can keep up-to-date on all Austin Browncoats events as well as take part in the planning of big Shindigs! Or just drop in for good discussions about many other topics in the 'Verse and beyond with other Austin Browncoats! Registration is free, so join today!

Call for Knitters

Are you handy with knitting needles? Do your friends refer to you as "Ma Cobb" more than your real name? If so, then Austin Browncoats could use your help! We are in need of knitting volunteers to help us produce cunning Jayne Hats, adorable Kaylee Beanies and elegant Inara Snoods which we sell to support our charities. What better way to pass a relaxing evening than knitting for charity!

Visit our website for more information.

Austin Browncoats Convention Schedule

2010 is looking to be a very busy for Austin Browncoats. Below is where you will find us (so far) around the convention circuit!

Dates	Convention	Location
February 27-28	Sherwood Forest Faire	Paige, TX

March 6-7	Sherwood Forest Faire	Paige, TX
March 13-14	Sherwood Forest Faire	Paige, TX
March 13-14	All-Con	Addision, TX
March 20-21	Sherwood Forest Faire	Paige, TX
March 27-28	Sherwood Forest Faire	Paige, TX

April 3-4	Sherwood Forest Faire	Paige, TX
April 16-18	C2E2	Chicago, IL

June 4-6	A Kon	Dallas, TX

July 9-10	San Japan	San Antonio, TX
July 16-17	Mecha Con	New Orleans, LA
July 21-25	San Diego Comic Con Fan outreach only; no booth.	San Diego, CA

August 12-16	Star Wars Celebration	Orlando, FL

September 3-6	Dragon*Con	Atlanta, GA
September 17-19	FenCon	Addison, TX

November 6-7	Creation Entertainment Firefly, Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse	Los Angeles, CA

For information on how you can volunteer to help out at one of these events, visit our Volunteer page.

CSTS Time Again

Yes, indeed, it's that time again! Time to start planning for Can't Stop the Serenity 2010! In 2009, Austin's screenings raised over $19,000 for Equality Now and Kids Need to Read! The Austin Browncoat planned San Antonio screenings raised $6,000! We want to make this year equally successful, and for that we need your help. We are accepting donations, both monetary and items, which will go towards this year's CSTS events. For more information about how you can help or get involved with our events this year, please write to info@austinbrowncoats.com. You can also visit www.cantstoptheserenity.com/austin and www.cantstoptheserenity.com/sananton io for information on each event as they develop.

What is Can't Stop The Serenity? CSTS is a global series of screenings of the film Serenity, held to raise money and awareness for Equality Now, www.equalitynow.org, an international women�s rights advocacy group. Can't Stop The Serenity events are held on (or around) June 23, which is writer/director Joss Whedons birthday, through the Serenity Release Anniversary, September 30.

More information about the global effort can be found at www.cantstoptheserenity.com.

Austin Browncoats is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/tax ID number: 26-0492985).
P.O. Box 203604 Austin, Texas 78720-3604 512-484-9641
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Sherwood Forest Faire Call for Volunteers!

2010-02-03T10:48:20Z



Sherwood Forest Faire Booth Construction Help Needed! Austin Browncoats are in need of help with construction at Sherwood Forest Faire. We finally have a storefront, even if for only 6 weekends out of the year (February 27th through April 4th, 2010). We are participating in the new and highly anticipated Sherwood Forest Faire in Paige, TX (not terribly far from Austin). We have a 15�20 booth, #201, near the main stage and next to a large beverage booth. There is a lot of work ahead of us, though, and that�s where you guys come in! We need all kinds of volunteers for this event, considering its magnitude. Most importantly, any help from volunteers with an architectural or carpentry background would be greatly appreciated. The Faire opens on February 27th, so help is needed asap! To volunteer, please write to volunteer@austinbrowncoats.com. For information about other ways in which you can help at this event and others, see our Current Volunteer Opportunities page of our website.
Austin Browncoats is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/tax ID number: 26-0492985). P.O. Box 203604 Austin, Texas 78720-3604 512-484-9641 Click here to unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletters.

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Whedon Wares - Holiday Gifts!

2009-12-14T09:53:09Z



Whedon Wares - Holiday Gifts! The holiday season is upon us and what better gift for a Browncoat or Browncoat-to-Be than a little gift that supports charity! Head over to Whedon Wares: The Browncoat Store and stock up on gifts and stocking stuffers for the Browncoats in your life. We have Sereniteas to titillate the taste buds and a variety of popular Serenity and other fandom t-shirts for the geek savvy. Friends and family will look quite cunning in Jayne hats knitted by our very own Ma Cobb. You can even grab one for yourself while you're visiting! So visit www.whedonwares.com for these shiny goodies and much more. Make Whedon Wares: The Browncoat Store the one stop shop for all your Browncoat holiday shopping needs. Proceeds from every sale will support our championed charities.
Austin Browncoats is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/tax ID number: 26-0492985). P.O. Box 203604 Austin, Texas 78720-3604 512-484-9641 Click here to unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletters.

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The Austin Cortex -

2009-12-02T11:38:06Z



Lone Star Shindig is almost here! In just two short days on December 4th, the time for Lone Star Shindig 2009 will be upon us! We still have a few slots left for this gathering, so head over to www.lonestarshindig.com and get your tickets now!
Austin Browncoats is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/tax ID number: 26-0492985). P.O. Box 203604 Austin, Texas 78720-3604 512-484-9641 Click here to unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletters.

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The Austin Cortex - November 2009 Issue

2009-11-19T13:04:01Z



Contents Lone Star Shindig 2009 Jayne Hat Knit-a-Thon Raffle The Big Damn Convention in November Whedon Wares News The Austin Cortex November 2009 Issue Lone Star Shindig 2009 A Weekend at Southdown Abbey December 4-6, 2009 Come visit Austin, Texas as we transform our town into Southdown Abbey from the Firefly and Serenity 'Verse. Join us as we celebrate Shepherd Book's journey before becoming a crew member on Serenity. We'll start on Friday, December 4th with an Abbey Fashion Show showcasing Asian-inspired designs, while offering Sereniteas blended teas as well as homemade hors d'oeuvres. We'll have a costume picnic on Saturday, December 5th on the Abbey grounds, and then we�ll dance in the Fellowship Hall with music by The Bedlam Bards and enjoy food made primarily from produce grown at the Abbey! On Sunday, December 6th, we'll end this shiny shindig with Serenity on the Big Screen at our local Alamo Drafthouse Lake Creek. The best part - all proceeds from this event will go to support The Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center of which Ron Glass, our Shepherd Book, is a Board Member. We are looking for volunteers to help plan and run the Lone Star Shindig.� We need assistance in the following areas: cooking and picnic prep, decorations to turn Grace Methodist Church into Shepherd Book's Southdown Abbey on Persephone, clean up crew after the events on Saturday night, street and e-street team to spread the word about the event, and publications help to provide printed materials.� For more details about these positions, visit http://www.lonestarshindig.com/volunteer.php.� If you want to volunteer but don't see the perfect position available, please contact us at volunteer@austinbrowncoats.com so we can find a place that best suites your skills.��Help us save the world, one shindig at a time. Want to spend a weekend at Southdown Abbey? Get your tickets now. Space is extremely limited for this event, so don't miss out! Tickets are available at our website, www.lonestarshindig.com.� Tickets are $25/person if paid via check or money order.� You can also buy your tickets online via Paypal for $26/person.� Tickets for the Friday night fashion show only are $5. As a subscriber to The Austin Cortex, you can enjoy a special discounted ticket price of $20 ($21 via Paypal). Just mention in the ticket purchase form (Notes / Comments) that you heard about the event via The Austin Cortex. back to top Jayne Hat Knit-a-Thon Raffle In September, our treasurer Claudia Drinovsky held her 2nd Annual Knit-A-Thon at DragonCon, which was another great success. The Austin Browncoats raised $2148.00 for Kids Need to Read Foundation. This year there�s a new perk for our Donors � a raffle with items donated to us by several Browncoat friendly organizations. Kids Need to Read donated to us a Terrifying Space Monkey and a signed book 3 from the Softwire series. Quantum Mechanix gave us a Jayne Maquette and a Money Pack. Dark Horse Comics provided us with a PVC set and two graphic novels. We appreciate the generosity of these sponsors in providing such a fabulous array of prizes for our Donor Raffle. We will be drawing for these prices at the end of this month. We will contact the winners via email and publish their names in our next newsletter. back to top The Big Damn Convention in November! In other exciting news this November, Creation Entertainment�s Salute to Serenity* and Firefly is just around the corner! The convention will be running November 21-22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Anticipated guests this year include Nathan Fillion, Morena Baccarin, Adam Baldwin, Alan Tudyk and more. Excitement is building as the date draws near! The Austin Browncoats will have a booth again this year, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone again that we met last year. We had tremendous support for the charity last year and are excited to see what this year�s salute has in store. Make sure you stop by to see all the shiny goods! QMx will have a booth again this year and will also be sponsoring the event. They will even be holding their own panel to discuss some of their products. Make sure you stop by their booth to see their unique product line and what is up and coming with the company. The special events this year include the 2009 Serenity/Firefly music video competition, which is always a blast to watch whether you enter or not. There are sure to be some serious and emotional videos as well as some comedic ones. Other events will include a costume parade with the winner receiving $250 and a dessert party centerpiece contest. This year promises to be an exhilarating convention with plenty to do over two short days. Don�t miss your chance to come see the stars, get autographs and pictures, and of course support your Browncoats the way only you can. We look forward to seeing you there! For more information on this event and for tickets you can visit: http://www.creationent.com/cal/serenity.htm#events. back to top Whedon Wares News Want to know what�s on the horizon for Whedon Wares?� We�re preparing the goods for our new store front.� That�s right � you heard correctly. Austin Browncoats will have a store front. For six weekends a year, we�ll have a booth at the new renaissance festival near Austin, TX � Sherwood Forest Faire.� We�ve been busy getting ready for the faire, so you�ll be able to see the new items like leather bracelets, soaps and new Ma Cobb goodies that we�ve added to the mix. If you have any suggestions for items you�d like us to carry, shoot us an email at whedonwares@austinbrowncoats.com. back to top
Austin Browncoats is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/tax ID number: 26-0492985). P.O. Box 203604 Austin, Texas 78720-3604 512-484-9641 Click here to unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletters.

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The Austin Cortex - Event Updates

2009-05-05T14:26:22Z



In this Update: Time's Almost Up to Name the Crappy Town Where You're a Hero Geekstravaganza 2009 Geekstravaganza - Air Combat Tournament Call for Participants Geekstravaganza - All-Geek Talent Show - Have you got talent? Time's Almost Up to Name the Crappy Town Where You're a Hero Yes, my friends. Less than 2 days left to get your bid in to Name the Crappy Town Where You're a Hero! What are you waiting for? Head on over to http://www.austinbrowncoats.com/crappytown.php and check out the available planets and towns. Click on the planets to follow the links to each eBay auction. Get your bids in and let's raise some money for Equality Now! Quantum Mechanix (QMx) is sponsoring the �Name the Crappy Town Where You�re a Hero� charity auction. 50 town names are being auctioned via eBay with all proceeds going to Equality Now. If you win an auction, your name will be submitted, and pending studio approval, will be used in the upcoming official Atlas of the 'Verse, Volume One: The Trader's Guild Guide to the New Canaan Run made by our favorite mild-manner graphic designer, Ben Mund. The auctions are being hosted by Austin Browncoats. Questions can be sent to info@austinbrowncoats.com with the subject "Crappy Town Question". Geekstravaganza 2009 Tickets on Sale! Tickets are on sale at our website: http://geekstravaganza.com/tickets.php. Even if you can't make it, think about donating the value of a ticket to SafePlace. You can do so by purchasing a ticket to our event as a one-time donation. Hope to see you there! What is Geekstravaganza? Geekstravaganza is a charity geekfest the Austin Browncoats host to raise money for a worthy cause while uniting Geeks, Nerds and Browncoats alike. This year, we're supporting SafePlace, in their goal to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change. Each Geekstravaganza, we invite a new musical act to regale us in song (as we do our best Carlton dance). This year, we're honored to have Marian Call, a geek goddess, visiting our section of the 'verse. She'll perform two sets, while spinning plates in both hands and jumping on one foot. Seriously. She's that good! (Don't hold us to this, though. Marian might not have told us, per se, that she can do this, per se, but, maybe?) "But what else can we look forward to, huh?" How about an All-Geek Talent Show, All-Nerd Costume Contest and all Sci-Fi Trivia Bee. Winners get to bring home fabulous prizes and proudly let their geek banners fly! Last year, our talent show winner was Austin's own Ernie Cline, writer of geek favorite, Fanboys. Think you have what it takes to win the big prizes? Get your geeky talents ready, because we hope 2009 is at least the 12th root of 2 times better than Geekstravaganza 2007. "Is that it? Really?" Nope, that's not it. There is more! We'll even have some awesomely geeky (verging on a little too cool) demonstrations and an Air Combat tournament judged by Austin's favorite ninjas, Cry Havoc. What's Air Combat? Wouldn't you like to know! Real geeks know Air Combat, but if you're just borderline geek, keep your eyes on this website for an update on our Air Combat tournament! When: May 17th, 2009, starting at 5PM Where: Buffalo Billiards, Austin, TX Why: Geeks like to do good works! www.geekstravaganza.com Air Combat Tournament Call for Participants Looking for something fun to do on May 17th? Tired of playing Tekken and Soul Calibur at home with your friends? Always wanted to compete in Austin's Air Guitar tournaments, but realized your guitar skills are lacking? Or maybe you're just a huge fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme and want to show Chong Li a thing or two about saying "matte". Sounds like you need to compete in our Air Combat match! Never heard of Air Combat, huh? We're not surprised. We just made it up! Here are the rules and all the information you need to be a part of it. There will be no physical contact during this tournament. All fighting will be done against a live opponent, but contact will only be made with the air. Or their invisible appendages. If there is any contact, the person responsible is automatically disqualified. You can use any form of combat during this competition, i.e. kung fu, taekwondo, shootfighting, heavyweight boxing, but please keep it clean. No air-eye gouging, no air-crouch shots and no air-biting. Maximum number of competitors: Six We will allow you to fight for up to 2 minutes. There will be three first round matches, with contestants chosen at random. The three winners will be placed from first place to third place. Second and third place contestants will air fight, and the winner of this match will fight the first place contestant from the first round. Whoever wins the final match wins the prize! You will need to sign up for air combat ahead of time, as well as sign a liability waiver. Please email ryan@austinbrowncoats.com to sign up for Air Combat, as well as set up your event bio. Live strong. Fight hard. Air combat! Join us at Buffalo Billiards on May 17th starting at 5:00PM to celebrate Geekstravaganza 2009, a charity geekfest the Austin Browncoats host to raise money for a worthy cause while uniting Geeks, Nerds and Browncoats alike. This year, we're supporting SafePlace, in their goal to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change. For more information, visit: Air Combat Tournament. To sign up, email Ryan at: ryan@austinbrowncoats.com See you at Geekstravaganza and don't forget to put up your "Dux". All-Geek Talent Show - Have you got talent? In 2007, we had some of the best talent in Austin compete for the top award in Geekiness, first place in the Geekstravaganza Talent Show. The winner, Ernie Cline created the geek favorite, Fanboys. Second place went to the extremely talented Cry Havoc, a martial arts performance group. Would you like to be part of this extraordinary group of talented individuals? Sign up for Geekstravaganza 2009's Talent Show. Here are the rule: You must sign up for the Talent Show prior to the event. Sign up's will end either before May 13th or when we reach our maximum capacity for acts. All acts must be under 7 minutes. We will have about 7 to 8 acts within 75 minutes, so shorter is better. Space is limited, so the maximum number of act participants is 6 adults. If you require an allowance for more people, you'll need to get that approved ahead of time. In all cases, decisions of the judges are final and will not be open to debate, unless we determine a Lincoln-Douglas is required. All acts must be somehow geek-related. All acts must be appropriate for this event. We are supporting the charity, SafePlace. Please review the Austin Browncoats mission statement and our support charities for more information. Join us at Buffalo Billiards on May 17th starting at 5:00PM to celebrate Geekstravaganza 2009, a charity geekfest the Austin Browncoats host to raise money for a worthy cause while uniting Geeks, Nerds and Browncoats alike. This year, we're supporting SafePlace , in their goal to end sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change. For more information, visit: All-Geek Talent Show. To sign up for the Talent Show, please email Claudia at claudia@austinbrowncoats.com with your Name(s), Act Name, Phone Number, Best Form of Contact (email, phone number, etc.) and a 150 word or less description of your act, including a genre title, i.e. poetry, martial arts, singing, dancing, etc. See you at the show. Bring your best material, because you're going to need it!
Austin Browncoats is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization (EIN/tax ID number: 26-0492985). P.O. Box 203604 Austin, Texas 78720-3604 512-484-9641 Click here to unsubscribe if you no longer wish to receive our newsletters.

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The Austin Cortex - Name the Crappy Town Where You're a Hero

2009-04-26T21:52:45Z

The skinny:

Now's your chance to put your stamp on the 'Verse by naming a town on your favorite planet. Your name will be submitted, and pending studio approval, will be used in the upcoming official Atlas to the 'Verse, Volume One: The Trader's Guild Guide to the New Canaan Run.

If the name isn't accepted or needs to be changed for legal reasons, we'll contact you for a backup choice.

All money raised by this auction, minus all required fees, will be donated to Equality Now. Want to be a part of �Verse history? Naming a town is one way for you to do good works! There are only 50 towns available, so make sure to bid today!

Naming Guidelines:

- Town name should be 15 characters or less, not including punctuation or spaces.

- No curse words, please.

- Try to avoid obviously jokey or pop-reference names, such as "Bobsville" or "Frakkintown".

Available planets and towns:

Ariel (5 towns available)
Beaumonde (5 towns available)
Hera (5 towns available
Higgin's Moon (5 towns availble)
Londinium (10 towns available)
Osiris (5 towns available)
Persephone (10 towns available)
Sihnon (5 towns available)

The who, what, where, when and why:

This auction is sponsored by Quantum Mechanix, producer of Atlas to the 'Verse, Volume One: The Trader's Guild Guide to the New Canaan Run, as well as Ben Mund, the artist responsible for the Atlas, and is being organized by Austin Browncoats.

Why are we raising money for Equality Now?

For the fourth year, screenings of the science fiction film "Serenity" will be held around the world in late June to raise money and awareness for an international women's rights advocacy group. The unprecedented effort marks the culmination of a year's work by fans to bring a writer's vision of equality to a mass audience.

Can't Stop The Serenity was conceived as a tribute to writer-director Joss Whedon on his birthday, June 23, by holding screenings of his 2005 film 'Serenity' wherever supporters were able to organize events. Proceeds from the events are donated to Equality Now, a charitable organization that Whedon's mother, Lee Stearns, helped launch. In 2008, we raised over $100,000 for Equality Now, meaning that we've raised over $250,000 for Equality Now since 2006.

A full list of cities holding screening events can be found at CantStopTheSerenity.com. Not sure if your city has confirmed a CSTS screening? Check out our forums at http://community.cantstoptheserenity.com.

http://cantstoptheserenity.com

Equality Now was founded in 1992 to work for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women around the world. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop these human rights abuses.

http://www.equalitynow.org

Quantum Mechanix Inc. (QMx) specializes in the creation of licensed high-quality replicas and "recovered artifacts" from popular television and motion pictures. Licensed franchises include Serenity, Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, Classics of Sci Fi, Battlestar Galactica, Universal Monsters and War of the Worlds. Our product lines are divided into several major areas:

QMx � Screen-accurate recreations of props and scale models.
QMx Press � Paper props and high-quality prints inspired by beloved science fiction TV and films. This category includes blueprints, "expanded universe" reference packs, and character and vehicle posters.
QMx Artisan - Hand-built models of props and vehicles. These items are produced by a specially selected group of professional prop-makers. Edition sizes are generally very limited.

The company's headquarters are located in suburban Philadelphia, PA.

http://quantummechanix.com

Ben Mund is a mild-mannered graphic designer and marketer in corporate America by day and rabid sci-fi fan by night. Ben's been expressing his passion for Joss Whedon's 'Verse through Quantum Mechanix on projects including the Ship's Papers, the map of Serenity Valley, and others.

Austin Browncoats, founded in 2007, is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt non-profit located in Austin, TX. Austin Browncoats work to end violence and discrimination in all sectors of society. We place special focus on working alongside young women and children because, given the opportunity and proper education, young women and children can help create a better world for all beings. Much like our passion for the amazing works of Joss Whedon, such as "Firefly", we are passionate about our causes and raising funds for our charities, including Equality Now, SafePlace, Heart House and Emancipet.

http://www.austinbrowncoats.org

For more information, email: info@austinbrowncoats.com with the subject �Crappy Town Question�. You can also check out: http://www.austinbrowncoats.com/crappytown.php

The Austin Cortex

What's New at Austin Browncoats

Austin Browncoats Forums

Call for Knitters

Austin Browncoats Convention Schedule

CSTS Time Again

Sherwood Forest Faire Call for Volunteers!

Sherwood Forest Faire Booth Construction Help Needed!

Whedon Wares - Holiday Gifts!

Whedon Wares - Holiday Gifts!

The Austin Cortex -

Lone Star Shindig is almost here!

The Austin Cortex - November 2009 Issue

The Austin Cortex November 2009 Issue

Lone Star Shindig 2009

Jayne Hat Knit-a-Thon Raffle

The Big Damn Convention in November!

Whedon Wares News

The Austin Cortex - Event Updates

Time's Almost Up to Name the Crappy Town Where You're a Hero

Geekstravaganza 2009

Tickets on Sale!

What is Geekstravaganza?

Air Combat Tournament Call for Participants

All-Geek Talent Show - Have you got talent?

The Austin Cortex - Name the Crappy Town Where You're a Hero

The Austin Cortex
November 2009 Issue