Thanks to everyone who came out to a great day of emu wrestling with The COC and The SPEWF (South Pambula Emu Wrestling Federation). Things couldn't have gone better as a festive and brightly dressed crowd gathered at the Pambula Flocking Grounds. Bright sun, cool breeze and the smells of emu and candy floss in the air are just the things to get your heart thumping.

Unfortunately, all of our club members were eliminated in the early rounds. There were some good, close matches but precious little success by any of our team. Our most hopeful player was Mandy, along with her crew - Alberta Champ Emu Dolly and her pet pitbull Fluffy – who made it well into the third round before being knocked out by the Latvian team. And let’s all give a hand to James VB whose submission loss was not as bad as it looks on paper. Dana had quite the posse with her including Patrice, Aiaiaiai, Uhbgsfdgh and GOLGHOAS, plus 13 puppies and Elephant Effie. It was great to see Uhbgsfdgh again – most of us hadn’t seen her since hiking at Wolf 562 c. We were all very grateful to Angela (who joined with CCC to spectate only – chicken) for bringing all those wet wipes!

We were sorry to miss out on carpooling in David M’s awesome new one-ton diesel truck with crew cab. Lucky Veronica and Jorinda were David’s first-ever carpool-ees. Next time, it’s our turn! Everyone was impressed with Randy’s private plane, too. We’ll have to convince him to start using that for carpool – he was kind of snobbish about it this time.

We'd like to thank The SPEWF for being such great hosts. The half-time show was terrific. The audience was completely wowed by the echidna juggler in particular.

We hope we can get another group going to the 49th annual World Championship next year. Everybody practice your head-locks.

Brent and Rhonda

Join us for a night of TED. From Wikipedia: TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate \"ideas worth spreading.\"

Video 1: Barry Schwartz: Our Loss of Wisdom

Video 2: Jared Diamond: Why Societies Collapse

Arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 for introductions and to get settled in. We will begin the first video at 7:00. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. After we watch, we'll discuss for approximately 40 minutes (it'll depend on how much we want to discuss... it could be considerably less, but we'll cap it at no more than 60 minutes) Once we're done with the first video, we'll watch the second video (also approximately 20 minutes long) and discuss (same parameters).

Our home is small and humble... be prepared to get cozy... some of us will probably end up sitting on the floor.

The Edmonton Culture Club's first Music Appreciation Night (aka MAN)! What is a MAN? It is an opportunity to get together with other music enthusiasts and be exposed to music that you might not otherwise know about. In other words, it's awesome.

I first started coordinating MANs with the Calgary Culture Club several years ago, but the true origins of my music appreciation events goes back to high school. My grade 10 drama teacher was a very cool guy, and one thing he would do is spend the first few minutes of every class playing some kind of interesting or unusual music for us and we would lay about on the floor just listening... and then we'd talk about the music... and then we would go on with drama class.

The Culture Club music appreciation events are meant to be a similar experience, although we usually sit rather than laying around, and we often visit and socialize during the music (unlike in grade 10 drama class).

All attendees submit up to 12 minutes of music that they enjoy and would like to share with others. Often the events have a theme, and sometimes they don't. When we have a theme, it might be genre-specific (ie. Blues MAN), it might be instrument-specific (ie. Sax MAN), or it might be more open to interpretation (ie. Perfect MAN, Hoochie Koochie MAN or Mystery MAN). The point is to share music you enjoy with others who you think would appreciate the opportunity to discover it. It's not a test! We'll kick off the ECC's music appreciation with an un-themed one - you can pick whatever you like to share.

On the night of the event, we'll convene at my home to share some snacks and listen to everyone's music submissions. For anyone who can't attend in person, there will be a webinar option.

Arrive at 6:30PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll start the music at 7:00 with a quick round-robin to introduce our songs, then we'll listen to the music selections.

Our home is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness.

Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the event.

Webinar Option (if required):

• I will use AnyMeeting.com to create a Webinar. Using this Webinar, we will be able to online chat (using their chat feature), and I will be able to share a window with you (ie. Wikipedia if we decide we want to look something up).
• You will receive an e-mail with a link to the webinar. All you have to do is click the link, enter your name, location, and e-mail. Note that you do not have to enter real information here if you’re leery about giving your personal information.
• When you first join the webinar, you’ll see a grey window in the middle of the screen, probably saying something like “Your Webinar. Nothing is currently being shared.” The “chat” window is at the very bottom underneath that. Scroll down to find the “chat” window and enter something in the box to let us know that you’re in and you’ve found the chat window. If you don't find the \"chat\" window, phone or e-mail me right away so we can get it sorted out.
• You will NOT hear the music through the webinar. You will be responsible for having the music ready on your own computer (or stereo system), queued up and ready to begin, when we’re ready to start. We’ll start the music at the same time (and pause it together as well, if/when we take a break).
• We will NOT have real-time voice as I’d have to set up a conference call, and frankly, I don’t want to have a telephone stuck to my head – I want to listen to the music comfortably. Sorry.

• eat
• pronounce

You've heard of durians (or maybe you haven't?), and here's your big chance to try one without bringing it into your home (oy the smell!) or paying the frightfully high cost of buying a whole one of your own (they run up to $50/ea at T&T).

Join us in the park to try the stinkiest fruit known to mankind. The unusual flavour and odor of the fruit have prompted many people to express diverse and passionate views ranging from deep appreciation to intense disgust. The odor has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia. Food writer, Richard Sterling says \"its odor is best described as pig-shit, turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock\". More information on Wikipedia.

In summer of 2009, Brent and Rhonda bought and tried a durian, chronicled in this fabulous video: Rhonda & Brent Eat a Durian. In summer of 2010, we bought a couple of them and hoodwinked our friends into coming over and trying it out with us (see photo above). Afterwards, we put what was left into the composter, and our neighbor ended up calling the gas company thinking they had a gas leak. This year, we would like to share the experience with you... if you think you're brave enough! The taste is much better than the smell... in fact, after her second try, Rhonda developed quite a taste for them and now loves them (Brent... not so much).

Bring your own beverage, and a snack to share. Anything mundane and edible welcome, but something more interesting and exotic to make our experience even that much more enjoyable would be great too.

OPTIONAL: If you would like your own \"Durian in the Park\" t-shirt (and who wouldn't?), please e-mail Rhonda to order. Cost is $30 (for t-shirt and printing), and I'll need to know your size. I'll have them made before the event to hand out at the event.

NOTE that our t-shirt order has already been placed for this year but you can STILL get one if you want by going to the Events section of our online store!

Join us for a night of TED. From Wikipedia: TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate \"ideas worth spreading.\"

Video 1: Tim Jackson's economic reality check
As the world faces recession, climate change, inequity and more, Tim Jackson delivers a piercing challenge to established economic principles, explaining how we might stop feeding the crises and start investing in our future.

Video 2: Paul Collier on the \"bottom billion\"
Around the world right now, one billion people are trapped in poor or failing countries. How can we help them? Economist Paul Collier lays out a bold, compassionate plan for closing the gap between rich and poor.

Arrive between 7:00 and 7:15 for introductions and to get settled in. We will begin the first video at 7:30. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. After we watch, we'll discuss for approximately 40 minutes. Once we're done with the first video, we'll watch the second video (also approximately 20 minutes long) and discuss (same parameters).

Dog MAN (Music Appreciation Night). What is a MAN? It is an opportunity to get together with other music enthusiasts and be exposed to music that you might not otherwise know about. In other words, it's awesome.

I first started coordinating MANs with the Calgary Culture Club several years ago, but the true origins of my music appreciation events goes back to high school. My grade 10 drama teacher was a very cool guy, and one thing he would do is spend the first few minutes of every class playing some kind of interesting or unusual music for us and we would lay about on the floor just listening... and then we'd talk about the music... and then we would go on with drama class.

The Culture Club music appreciation events are meant to be a similar experience, although we usually sit rather than laying around, and we often visit and socialize during the music (unlike in grade 10 drama class).

All attendees submit up to 12 minutes of music that they enjoy and would like to share with others. Often the events have a theme, and sometimes they don't. When we have a theme, it might be genre-specific (ie. Blues MAN), it might be instrument-specific (ie. Sax MAN), or it might be more open to interpretation (ie. Perfect MAN, Hoochie Koochie MAN or Mystery MAN). The point is to share music you enjoy with others who you think would appreciate the opportunity to discover it. It's not a test! Choose music that you would like to share. If we have a theme, try to choose music that fits your interpretation of the theme.

On the night of the event, we'll convene at our home to share some snacks and listen to everyone's music submissions. We can accommodate up to 8 local folk, and up to 8 more will be allowed to attend \"virtually\". To attend virtually, you must submit your music by the cut-off the same as everyone else and all music submissions will be shared. Only the songs submitted by the people who attend in person will be played at the event (in the interest of time).

Arrive at 6:30PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll start the music at 7:00 with a quick round-robin to introduce our songs, then we'll listen to the music selections.

Our home is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness.

Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the event.

Join us for a night of TED. From Wikipedia: TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate \"ideas worth spreading.\"

Video 1: VS Ramachandran on your mind
Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples.

Video 2: Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight
Jill Bolte Taylor got a research opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: She had a massive stroke, and watched as her brain functions -- motion, speech, self-awareness -- shut down one by one. An astonishing story.

Arrive between 7:00 and 7:15 for introductions and to get settled in. We will begin the first video at 7:30. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. After we watch, we'll discuss for approximately 40 minutes. Once we're done with the first video, we'll watch the second video (also approximately 20 minutes long) and discuss (same parameters).

Stick MAN (Music Appreciation Night). What is a MAN? It is an opportunity to get together with other music enthusiasts and be exposed to music that you might not otherwise know about. In other words, it's awesome.

I first started coordinating MANs with the Calgary Culture Club several years ago, but the true origins of my music appreciation events goes back to high school. My grade 10 drama teacher was a very cool guy, and one thing he would do is spend the first few minutes of every class playing some kind of interesting or unusual music for us and we would lay about on the floor just listening... and then we'd talk about the music... and then we would go on with drama class. If Steve Carney, who taught drama at LTCHS in Red Deer in 1981/1982 happens to see this, please contact me. I'd love for you to know that your class had this impact on my life!

The Culture Club music appreciation events are meant to be a similar experience, although we usually sit rather than laying around, and we often visit and socialize during the music (unlike in grade 10 drama class).

All attendees submit up to 12 minutes of music that they enjoy and would like to share with others. Often the events have a theme, and sometimes they don't. When we have a theme, it might be genre-specific (ie. Blues MAN), it might be instrument-specific (ie. Sax MAN), or it might be more open to interpretation (ie. Perfect MAN, Hoochie Koochie MAN or Mystery MAN). The point is to share music you enjoy with others who you think would appreciate the opportunity to discover it. It's not a test! Choose music that you would like to share. If we have a theme, try to choose music that fits your interpretation of the theme.

On the night of the event, we'll convene at our home to share some snacks and listen to everyone's music submissions. We can accommodate up to 8 local folk, and up to 8 more will be allowed to attend \"virtually\". To attend virtually, you must submit your music by the cut-off the same as everyone else and all music submissions will be shared. Only the songs submitted by the people who attend in person will be played at the event (in the interest of time).

Arrive at 6:30PM for introductions and to get settled in. We'll start the music at 7:00 with a quick round-robin to introduce our songs, then we'll listen to the music selections.

Our home is small, and the atmosphere casual. We'll be sitting or laying around the living room while we listen. Bring a pillow or cushion if you like for maximum comfiness.

Everyone must contribute 8-12 minutes of music for the event.

Join us for a night of TED. From Wikipedia: TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global set of conferences owned by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, formed to disseminate \"ideas worth spreading.\"

Video 1: Alice Dreger: Is anatomy destiny?
Alice Dreger works with people at the edge of anatomy, such as conjoined twins and intersexed people. In her observation, it's often a fuzzy line between male and female, among other anatomical distinctions. Which brings up a huge question: Why do we let our anatomy determine our fate?

Video 2: Elliot Krane: The mystery of chronic pain
We think of pain as a symptom, but there are cases where the nervous system develops feedback loops and pain becomes a terrifying disease in itself. Starting with the story of a girl whose sprained wrist turned into a nightmare, Elliot Krane talks about the complex mystery of chronic pain, and reviews the facts we're just learning about how it works and how to treat it.

Arrive between 7:00 and 7:15 for introductions and to get settled in. We will begin the first video at 7:30. The video is approximately 20 minutes long. After we watch, we'll discuss for approximately 40 minutes (it'll depend on how much we want to discuss... it could be considerably less, but we'll cap it at no more than 60 minutes) Once we're done with the first video, we'll watch the second video (also approximately 20 minutes long) and discuss (same parameters).

Our home is small and humble... be prepared to get cozy... some of us will probably end up sitting on the floor.