The toast is “The Professor”
Tolkien Birthday Toast!
At 9pm (local times) on January 3rd fans around the world are invited to raise a glass and toast J.R.R. Tolkien’s Birthday
The Tolkien Society has a webpage where fans across the globe can let other fans know where they’ll be celebrating if they’re hosting a party, or just what particular tipple they’ll be raising. Fans will be able to check the webpage and see who is celebrating where and if they wish to get in touch and join in.
The Birthday Toast event should be understood to consist of the saying of the toast and a drink (not necessarily alcoholic) of an individual partaker’s choice. The information posted by anybody on the Birthday Toast web pages will not be sold or passed on to any third party (outside of the context of the web pages and the ‘Birthday Toast’ event). Further details can be found at the website above.
The organisers do not condone drinking alcohol if it endangers the health or safety of the drinker or others, or contravenes the law.
The Tolkien Society wishes you all a Merry Christmas!
LOTR: ONE RING CELEBRATION: THE OFFICIAL CONVENTION FOR LORD OF THE RINGS FANS UPDATE: PHOTO OPS ALMOST SOLD OUT!*
Happy Holidays to all, and plans are going great for the upcoming *ONE RING CELEBRATION* coming to PASADENA, CALIFORNIA on *Fri., Sat. & Sun. January 20-22. 2006.*
We wanted to let fans know that some of our PHOTO OPs are almost sold out! The sample PHOTO OPS pictured here were taken at our ELF Convention, held in Orlando Florida this past summer. We think they came out awesomely and fans really loved the friendly atmosphere provided during the shoot by professional photographer Christopher Schmelke. We’re flying Christopher out to ORC to take all the PHOTO OPS there and wanted to give you this info as well as show you the samples of his fine work. Really, this is the souvenir that is to be treasured forever!
At the upcoming ONE RING CELEBRATION we’re offering a great opportunity for fans: you can have a gorgeous full color 8 by 10 photo of yourself with the celebrity of your choice! We should be able to supply you your photo back at the convention if you are attending all three days. So, if you want a photo with:
IN OTHER GOOD NEWS, GAMES WORKSHOP AND ELECTRONIC ARTS ARE SPONSORING THE ONE RING CELEBRATION: THE LORD OF THE RINGS FAN CONVENTION
Games Workshop will be on hand running Mines of Moria demo games and painting lessons. Visitors to the Games Workshop area will be encouraged to play the Mine of Moria Strategy Battle Game as well as paint a model
to take home as a complimentary souvenir. Three participation games (all models supplied) will be ongoing throughout the weekend:
“The Battle of Pelenor Fields” – Gondor and Rohan vs. Mordor
“Ambush of the Rohirrim” – Rohan vs. Wargs and
“At the Gates of Moria” – Dwarves vs. Goblins
The latest Games Workshop Lord of the Rings releases will also be available at the convention.
FROM: ELECTRONIC ARTS: Be the first to play LORD OF THE RINGS: THE BATTLE FOR MIDDLE-EARTH II on multiple high-end PCs supplied by NVIDIA.
The challenge of Hall of Fire this weekend is to reveal the Seven Heavenly Virtues as they can be found in Lord of the Rings. Obviously there is much evil in Middle Earth, we ran out of time when we considered the Seven Deadly Sins only two weeks ago. But can we discover virtue? Here are the virtues along with the definitions that we will discuss.
FAITH — Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance. Sam definitely has little faith in Gollum!
HOPE — The desire and search for a future good. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment. Was there hope of Sauron’s defeat?
CHARITY — Benevolence or generosity toward others or toward humanity. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others. Love directed toward oneself and one’s neighbours. Would you say that Hobbits are charitable?
FORTITUDE — Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage. Frodo might fit right here, do you think?
JUSTICE — The quality of being fair. The principle of moral rightness; equity. Conformity to moral rightness in action or attitude; righteousness. The upholding of what is just, especially fair treatment and due reward in accordance with honor, standards, or law. What brave warrior comes to mind when we talk about justice?
PRUDENCE — Also discretion, foresight, forethought. To be Wise in handling practical matters; exercising good judgment or common sense. Careful in regard to one’s own interests. Careful about one’s conduct. Gandalf is one who cautions all to have prudence.
TEMPERENCE — Moderation and self-restraint, as in behavior or expression. This is definitely not a trait found in Orcs!
So there they are. Consider them well. They are pillars of good character. Join us this weekend in Hall of Fire as we discuss all that is good in Lord of the Rings. Times are listed below.
Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help.
America:
5.30pm EST (New York)
4.30pm CST (Chicago)
3.30pm MST (Salt Lake City)
2.30pm PST (Los Angeles)
Our chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Upcoming topics:
Sat Dec 10 – The Seven Heavenly Virtues in LoTR
Sun Dec 17 – Live Ringers Q&A
NB: Hall of Fire will take a break for Christmas and the New Year and will resume in early January.
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
Did you know that Hall of Fire has a mailing list? Join today and get topic announcements and news delivered regularly to your inbox!
BENBELLA BOOKS UNLEASHES THE ULTIMATE KING KONG ANTHOLOGY THIS NOVEMBER
King of Skull Island is Back on the Big Screen…and Ripping up the Pages of a New Anthology
Extra, Extra! After 30 Years, King Kong is Still One Angry Ape!
KING KONG IS BACK! AN UNAUTHORIZED LOOK AT ONE HUMONGOUS APE!
BEFORE YOU SEE THE MOVIE, EXPLORE THE PAGES OF NEWEST ANTHOLOGY FOR CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF KONG’S ENDURING LEGEND
King Kong—love story, horror film, exotic adventure tale—is back on the big screen after an almost thirty-year absence, just in time for the King of Skull Island to influence another generation. From the 1933 black-and-white Cooper/Schoedsack classic to the badly received 1976 De Laurentiis remake, to the new vision brought to life by Peter Jackson, the essayists in KING KONG IS BACK! explore the great ape’s unprecedented appeal and the film’s impact on our cultural imagination. Edited by bestselling author David Brin, KING KONG IS BACK! is sure to provoke provocative and oftentimes hilarious new insights on the legend of Kong, the evolution of film and the impact of one big ape on our society.
CONTRIBUTORS & TOPICS INCLUDE:
· Pop culture guru Natasha Giardina, in an essay entitled “Queer Eye for the Ape Guy?,” discusses King Kong’s dating issues, his uncanny similarities to Homer Simpson and why, in these metrosexual times, we need Kong more than ever
· Fantasy author John Wright on how King Kong tells us every thing we need to know about our civilization…although we may not like what we learn
· Primatologist Dario Maestripieri describes the first monkey studies of human behavior, gorilla genitalia and how King Kong is really a chimp
· Science fiction author Adam-Troy Castro speculates on what would have happened if they never went back for Ann Darrow
· Artist Bob Eggleton revels how the magic was created, and hypothesizes on the fate of the upcoming Peter Jackson film
PUBLICATION DETAILS KING KONG IS BACK! AN UNAUTHORIZED LOOK AT ONE HUMONGOUS APE!
Editor: David Brin
ISBN: 1-932100-64-4
Pub. Month: November 2005
Retail: $17.95 (US)/$24.95 (CAN)
Publisher: BenBella Books
Cover: Trade Paperback
ABOUT THE EDITOR:
David Brin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Postman and the Kiln People. He resides in San Diego, CA.
EDITORIAL NOTES:
December 14, 2005 is the international theatrical film release of Universal Pictures’ King Kong, directed by Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson and starring Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black and Andy Serkis.
Garfeimao writes: Here is a Quick ORC update for all you Ringers attending, or thinking of attending.
1) There WILL be a Costume Contest, but I’m still polishing up the details, expect rules and registration info to be posted very soon on that.
2)We’ve just announced that the cast of “Fellowship” will be joining us on Saturday night during the Awards show. Many of you have seen this Musical Parody of The Fellowship of the Ring, and many others have only heard about it. Now, you’ll get to see select excerpts from this brilliantly funny show.
3) And finally, I’d like to remind you aspiring artists out there about our Iron Artist Compentition. This will be a fun event with the added bonus of allowing you to really test your skills at pure creativity in action. Please read on to see how to enter.
“Longest of all the realms of the Eldalië shall Gondolin stand against Melkor. But love not too well the work of thy hands and the devices of thy heart; and remember that the true hope of the Noldor lieth in the West and cometh from the Sea.” Thus Ulmo warned Turgon at the founding of Gondolin.
This weekend, Hall of Fire resumes regular Silmarillion chats with Chapter 15 — Of the Noldor in Beleriand.
Hidden from all spying eyes, Turgon builds Gondolin as a replica of Tirion — the city lost to the Noldor in exile. Is it yearning for home? Is it hubris or defiance of the Valar or Morgoth?
And to whom does Ulmo’s warning refer? Is it the coming of Tuor from Nevrast (in the west) or a foresight of the Valar and the War of Wrath?
However, Gondolin is not protected by the enchantments of Ulmo alone. The eagles of Manwe also keep the spies of Morgoth at bay. Is this an indication that the Valar are working together in subtle ways to assist the Noldor? And how does this alter our views of the activity or inactivity of the Valar in opposing Morgoth?
We’ll also discuss events in Doriath where — slowly but inexorably — the shameful truth of the flight of the Noldor from Aman is revealed to Thingol and Melian. What impact does this have on the leaguer against Morgoth?
Is Galadriel reluctant to speak of those events out of fear or out of loyalty? Does she become complicit in events by concealing the truth? And what does it mean that Melian cannot pierce the shadows that hides Valinor?
Moreover, why does Galadriel stay in Doriath rather than with her brother Finrod? And what of Melian’s discussions with Thingol, his ditrust of the Valar and her portents about the importance of the Silmarils and warnings about the Sons of Feanor?
These are just a few of the things we’ll discuss this weekend on Sunday December 4 at 2.00pm EST in The Hall of Fire.
Time zone conversions
Not sure what time the chat will be where you are? Check this little conversion table out for some help.
America:
2.00pm EST (New York)
1.00pm CST (Chicago)
12.00 midday MST (Salt Lake City)
11.00am PST (Los Angeles)
Our chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Upcoming topics:
Sun December 4 – Silmarillion Ch 15: Of the Noldor in Beleriand
Sat Dec 10 – The Seven Heavenly Virtues in LoTR
Sun Dec 17 – Live Ringers Q&A
Sun Jan 8th – The Seven Heavenly Virtues in LoTR
Sat Jan 14th – Silmarillion Chapter 16: Of Maeglin
NB: Hall of Fire will take a break for Christmas and the New Year and will resume in early January.
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
Did you know that Hall of Fire has a mailing list? Join today and get topic announcements and news delivered regularly to your inbox!
