vol. 17 no. 5 - September 2001
The U.S.S. Alaric is a North Carolina chapter of STARFLEET, the International Star Trek Fan Association. Starfleet and the Alaric recognize Paramount's sole ownership of all Star Trek copyrights. Annual individual member dues to the international club are $15.00 per year.
U.S.S. AlaricHow To Join: U.S.S. Alaric
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Carolina Communicator
Carolina Communicator (c) 2001 by USS Alaric. Promotional materials copyrighted by Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, and other companies, and selected submissions copyrighted by individual contributors. NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Ian "Krell" Johnsson Next Issue Deadline: Submission Guidelines: Please follow these guidelines:
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The views expressed in the Carolina Communicator do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or all of the members of the Alaric. |
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Alaric
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ELECTED OFFICERS:
President (Captain) - Richard Heim |
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FCapt. Richard Heim |
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Welcome to the 0109 issue of the Carolina Communicator! I'd like to thank our editor, Ian Johnsson, for another great job putting together the CC! Congratulations to our XO, Dale Anderson, on completing the Starfleet Academy course, Starship Operations I! He moves up in rank to Lieutenant Commander. While on the subject of Starfleet Academy, there are a number of wonderful and exciting courses to take! I recommend starting out with Officer Training School, or OTS. That course opens the door to so many opportunities in the club. It's fun! It's easy! Give it a try! How many of you saw the article the Hendersonville Times-News did on the Alaric in July? They called and conducted an interview in response to a press release announcing our July meeting that I sent them. It was a nice article, several column inches, describing the Alaric, our meetings, and Starfleet. It's mid-August as I write this. But by the time you read this, two things will have happened. Shirley and I will be back from a trip to Pennsylvania and New England, and the Alaric biennial officer elections will have been held. We have three candidates this year: I'm running for re-election as CO, Dale is running for re-election as XO, and Sheila Thomas-Hand is running for SO. I hope you took the time to vote. I'd like to remind everyone of the special club activities. These include collecting Campbells product labels in support of Eliada Children's Home, and aluminum can recycling as a club fund raiser. Our XO is heading up our participation in the Vessel Readiness Certification Program. I call upon the Alaric crew to please support these acitivities.
Home page and backup: Online newsletters web page and backup:
http://home.sprynet.com/~ian/alaric/cc/ccYYMM.htm, where YY is the year and MM is the month of the issue.
At the 0107.14 meeting, after the regular officer and department chief reports, we spent a lot of time discussing the new Star Trek series, Enterprise. I don't know about you, but I'm really excited and looking forward to it! Details have been coming out, both in print (we discussed the TV Guide article this month and the Star Trek Communicator article in August) and online (http://www.upn.com/previewFrameset.html) (http://Trektoday.com/) (http://www.vidiot.com/st-ent/frameMain.html) (http://www.enterpriselog.com/) (http://www.geocities.com/joleneblalock/). We also discussed holding a special 20th Anniversary celebration next year (the USS Alaric was commissioned in October 1982) and going to a movie the following Saturday (we went to Jurassic Park III July 21 with visitor David Klingman from the Hawkeye). Our fun activity this month was playing "Uno" and watching the "Making of Jurassic Park" video. Our August meeting was held the first Saturday of the month instead of our regular second Saturday because the Library needed the room for a book sale on our regular day. At the 0108.04 meeting, officers and department chiefs gave their reports and we discussed Enterprise and next year's 20th Anniversary Celebration. We decided to meet with Chad (who works at a local hotel) and investigate the possibility of having a much bigger anniversary than the old open houses, this time meeting at Chad's hotel. After three of us met with Chad on the 9th, I sent out a survey to gauge member interest in next year's celebration. The survey is reprinted below. Doorprize winners won a Starfleet notepad (Joe) and ST card/button (Dale). Our fun activity this month was playing the "Star Trek Trivia Game." I'll end this report (before the survey section below) with another plug for Pastimes. If you're looking for music, comics, or gaming material, check them out! Pastimes, 175 Weaverville Highway, Asheville, NC 28804, phone (828) 658-0588 (email pastimesnc@earthlink.net). These great folks have been distributing our newsletters and flyers for years! Tell 'em "Richard of the Alaric sent me"! That's all for this report. Live Long, and Prosper!
FCapt. Richard Heim
1. Do you like the idea of holding our 20th Anniversary celebration in a hotel?
2. Do you like the idea of holding it at the Holiday Inn Express (where Chad works)?
3. Do you like the idea of:
4. Do you like the idea of charging $5 admission?
5. Do you like the idea of having:
b. video room? ___ YES ___ NO c. dealers room? ___ YES ___ NO d. panel discussions? ___ YES ___ NO e. computer gaming room? ___ YES ___ NO f. board games? ___ YES ___ NO g. doorprize drawings? ___ YES ___ NO h. trivia games? ___ YES ___ NO 6. Do you like the idea of having it in March 2002?
7. Which sounds best to you: a 1-day (Saturday), 2-day (Saturday-Sunday), or 3-day (Friday-Sunday) AlariCon?
___ 2-day ___ 3-day 8. If we held AlariCon in March at the Holiday Inn Express, would you help run it?
Send your responses to Richard Heim at AlaricRH@sprynet.com or P.O. Box 2072, Asheville, NC 28802.
Click Here to Return to Table of Contents
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Lt.Cmdr. Dale Anderson |
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There has been accomplishments made in the Alaric's VRCP project. We have three departments certified by STARFLEET. They are Command, Science/Medical, and Operations. We still have several departments to go. As you might know, departments are certified by crewmembers taking STARFLEET Academy courses. To encourage the Alaric crew to take SFA courses, I am implementing some initiatives in the Alaric's VRCP project. I will be offering SFA vouchers for those crewmembers who desire to take SFA courses. They must be courses that will lead to a diploma/certificate in an area that will lead to a department's certification. Courses that will lead to departments that have already been certified are ineligible. Of course, I encourage all of our crew to pursue any Alaric member to take any course he/she desires. Yet, I'm hoping to advance the STARFLEET VRCP goals for the Alaric. I have already received online voucher codes. I have requested some of the traditional red SFA vouchers, but I haven't received them yet. I've been involved in moving (to another location here in Asheville), so I've been a bit busy. I haven't compiled a list of schools and courses to be offered in conjunction with this initiative yet. But, have full report and description of the initiative completed over the next few weeks. Click Here to Return to Table of Contents
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Alaric Department Reports |
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DEPARTMENT HEADS:
Chief Science Officer - Richard Heim |
| Chief Science Officer | FCapt. Richard Heim |
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There has been a lot of cool science news posted to the Science Lab listserver lately. Here is just a sampling:
Source: Reuters http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/07/07132001/reu_sudden_44307.asp ASTRONOMERS FIND JUPITER-SIZED PLANET ORBITING STAR IN BIG DIPPER
The planet is the second found orbiting the star 47 Ursae Majoris in the Big Dipper, also known as Ursa Major or the Big Bear. The new planet is at least three-fourths the mass of Jupiter and orbits the star at a distance that, in our Solar System, would place it beyond Mars but within the orbit of Jupiter. "For the first time we have detected two planets in nearly circular orbits around the same star," said team member Debra Fischer of the University of California at Berkeley. "Most of the 70 planets people we have found to date are in bizarre solar systems, with short periods and eccentric orbits close to the star. As our sensitivity improves we are finally seeing planets with longer orbital periods, planetary systems that look more like our Solar System." A list of extrasolar planets is available on the Internet at: Images are available at: WEATHER FACTS IN HISTORY FOR SEPTEMBER:
This issue's science facility discussion focuses on the Colburn Mineral Museum, which is located in downtown Asheville, NC. According to their web page (http://www.main.nc.us/colburn/index.html), you can "explore Asheville's hidden treasure where you will be dazzled by exhibits of mineral crystals and gemstones from North Carolina and around the world." The Museum's primary collection includes some 4,500 mineral specimens and the gem collection includes over 1,000 cut gemstones. The Hall of Minerals features the best specimens such as an amethyst crystal cluster from Due West, South Carolina; a green fluorite from the Hamme Mine, Townsville, North Carolina; and ruby in zoisite from Tanzania. A push of a button activates a light and sound show of fluorescent minerals. Ordinary under normal light, these minerals glow bright colors when exposed to ultra violet light. Conveniently located in the museum, the Collector's Corner Shop features items of interest to collectors of all ages. Prices start at 25 cents. Proceeds benefit the museum and its ongoing educational activities. Stop by for a visit! They are located at: Mail: PO Box 1617, Asheville, NC 28802 Phone: (828)254-7162 Fax: (828)251-5652 Check out the Alaric's science department web page:
FCapt. Richard Heim RDC REGION ONE SCIENCES NEWS Region One Sciences currently does not have an Assistant RDC or a newsletter editor. The second position is especially important, as an editor is desperately needed to get the Region One Sciences newsletter webzine back online. The latest issue of the Region One Sciences newsletter that has been published is the June/Sept 2000 issue (http://alaricrh.home.sprynet.com/science/nl/r1sci00060009.htm). I'm currently seeking applicants for both positions, so if you're interested, contact me by October 31: Richard Heim, P.O. Box 2072, Asheville, NC 28802, or by email at AlaricRH@sprynet.com Check out the Region One Sciences web page: http://alaricrh.home.sprynet.com/science/R1Science.htm
FCapt. Richard Heim
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| Chief, Computer Operations | Ensign Robert Saucier |
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It's late, it's late, it's late... (with apologies to Queen) Y'see, I had my calendar all set up to notify me when I had to start my column so that Krell wouldn't have to burn the midnight dilithium to shoe-horn it into the CC. Then I upgraded my home system...but that's a different story! Last time around, I wrote about favorite utilities. I found I left a few out, namely ZoneAlarm, AdSubtract and AdAware. Each has a free version and each protects you while cruising the Internet. I REALLY recommend that you seriously think about getting these! ZoneAlarm ZoneAlarm not only lets you specify what can come in but also what can get out. It's "noisy" at first, asking you whether a program can have access to the Internet or whether an outside source can have access to your computer. Each time you answer, the answer for that program, like Outlook Express or Internet Explorer, is remembered. If you accidentally give a program permission, you can revoke it. Another nifty feature is that it will automatically rename certain e-mail file attachments to protect you from accidentally running harmful programs or scripts. Together with a hardware firewall, ZoneAlarm will go a LONG way to keeping you safe! AdSubtract
You can configure what sites are affected by which blocking behaviors. For
example, if you use Yahoo! mail, you can allow pop-ups to use the address book. Examples of SpyWare are Comet Cursors, Gator, Alexa, WebHancer and many others. Yes, some of them are useful (Gator) but what are you willing to trade for the usefulness? While these programs have freeware versions, I urge you to buy the "professional" versions if you find them useful. Shareware and freeware are great but companies like this need support so they don't have to resort to "ad-ware" like Opera did. On the subject of SpyWare, do you have a :CueCat? Are you using it? Guess
what -- it's also a form of SpyWare. When you registered the software, you've
tagged the serial number of the Cat with your name, address and other personal
information. Do you find the virus alerts that I've been sending useful? Do you know other folks who might appreciate them? Do you never want to receive one again? Do you have questions or comments about this month's column? Do you have a subject you'd like more information about? Let me know! Send an e-mail to me at compops@ussalaric.org. That's it! Thanks for reading! |
| Chief, Social Sciences | Lt.Cmdr. Dale Anderson |
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It is said that Columbus discovered America in 1492. However, over the years, as I have been introduced to non-Western and Native American cultures, I have discovered that this is such a small, narrow-minded, ethnocentric pillar of the Euro-American paradigm. The was, in fact, a thriving, flourishing culture here in the Western hemisphere. There were no cities with spectacular cathedrals, coliseums, and universities; or long, elaborate recorded histories and lineage, but a culture of rich traditions and well defined stratified social structures. At the time of Columbus, not only was there a city of 30,000+ people on the Missouri River Plain, but a recent excavation in an article in American Archaeology, a couple of years ago, suggests that a semi-permanent, organized village life have been in the Americas for thousands of years prior to that. Archaeologists working to receiver information in advance of a bridge replacement project on Highway 64 in central Missouri have discovered a 5,000- 6,000-year-old village with at least six house basins. Situated at the base of the Missouri River bluffs, this site is one of the most substantial Middle Archaic settlements found in that region. Known as the Callaway Farms Site, clues of the settlement's existence were first found in 1985 by the Missouri Department of Transportation. Test excavations revealed the presence of stone flakes, charcoal, burnt clay, and numerous Helton spear points, hallmarks of the later Middle Archaic period that dates from about 4,000 to 3,000 BC Since then, researchers with the Archaeological Research Center of St. Louis, the firm contracted to conduct excavations at the site, have uncovered at least fifty more spear points, woodworking tools, hide scrapers, storage pits, earth ovens, nut processing pits, and the remains of six substantial houses. The basins on which the houses were built measure 15 to 20 feet across and were dug one to three feet deep. Between two and six center posts with cross beams were used to support the roofs. Additional poles extending from the cross beams to the outer edges of the basins formed the walls. Workers have found daub, suggesting that branches were woven between the poles and then covered with clay. Between 14 and 24 storage pits have also been found around the inside edge of the basins, suggesting the long-term use of the buildings. The excavated portion of the village indicates that it may have housed nearly 100 people, but additional buildings probably exist outside of the project area. While 1,000-year old village sites with house structures are not uncommon in the area, this is the first Archaic site with semi-permanent structures that's been found. |
| Chief, Tactical | 1st Lt. Chad Trantham |
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In this report, we will be looking at the Type I, II, and III phasers that are common in STTNG series. The Type I and II phasers have some features in common. Energy is stored within a replenishable sarium krellide cell. Sarium krellide holds a maximum of 1.3 x 10 (to the 6th power) megajoules per cubic centimeter, at a maximum leak rate of no more than 1.05 kilojoules per hour. Be assured that all the energy can not be discharged accidentally. Which is good considering that the total stored energy of even the Type I phaser, if released all at once, is enough to vaporize three cubic meters of tritanium. The Type I cell measures 2.4 x 3.0 cm and holds 7.2 x 10 (to the 6th power) MJ; the Type II cell measures 10.2 x 3.0 cm and holds 4.5 x 10 (to the 7th power) MJ. The Type I phaser has power settings of levels 1 to 8. The Type II and III phasers are similar as they both have power settings of levels 1 to 16, but the Type III has a power reserve of 50% greater. Settings start at level 1, which is light stun, and increase to level 16, which is explosive/disruption effects. Any phaser can be set to overload though I would not suggest this. The timing can not be predicted. I'm going to include a question/answer section starting in my next report about weapons and tactics. If you wish to ask a question, please e-mail me and I'll include the answer in my reports.
1st Lt. Chad Trantham |
| OIC Marines | 1st Lt. Chad Trantham |
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It looks like we will have AlariCon next March. I'm sure by now we've selected a weekend for the con and have started organizing activities for it. I'll need volunteers for security that weekend. Also we'll need to organize Con meetings to start planning. These can be during our regular monthly meetings or a seperate meeting time. If anyone has any ideas for the con, just let Richard know.
1st Lt. Chad Trantham |
| Chief Medical Officer | RADM Susan Bolick |
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Nutritionists recommend that adults get 8 to 12 glasses of water a day. Before you run screaming from the room, or laugh,
shake your head, and reject the idea entirely, you should know that they're talking about little bitty eight-ounce glasses.
Now I don't know about you, but I doubt that I even HAVE eight-ounce glasses in my house. Well, maybe a one-cup measuring
cup or two...
The fluid of choice for hydration is WATER. Any other liquid will not hydrate as well since it has sugar or other ingredients
in it that will limit its effectiveness in satisfying your thirst. Caffine (in terms of hydrating the body, anyway) is a lost
cause. Caffeine is a diuretic, so it actually causes you to LOSE water, thereby making progress backwards. Surprisingly,
it isn't just colas that contain caffeine. Mountain Dew, Mello Yellow, many root beers, and even some orange sodas contain
caffeine.
Adequate amounts of water are essential when working or playing outdoors to avoid heat exhaustion or its progression to heat
stroke. Take this from someone who knows...not only did I get heat exhaustion last year working at a child safety seat checkup
event, I durn near did the same thing this summer. You get pretty hot and dehydrated crawling around in the back seats of vehicles
parked in the sun, showing new parents how to install safety seats tightly...even when you THINK you've had enough fluids.
If you don't like the taste of water, think about chilling it, or putting a squirt of lemon or lime in it for flavor, or try
bottled water if you don't like the taste of the tap water where you live.
I'm including the following information passed on to me by a co-worker. I hope you'll find it interesting. There were some
things here that I didn't know...such as the fact that dehydration is often the cause of feeling wiped out after a busy day
at work!
Take care, everybody, and take along a big bottle of water to work with you!
CMO Susan Bolick
Water or Coke?
Water:
Are you drinking the amount of water you should every day?
Coke:
For Your Information:
Now the question is, would you like a glass of water or coke? [Editor's Note: All inquiries from the Legal Department of the Coca-Cola Company should be directed to Commodore Susan Bolick, c/o Starfleet Medical Corps.] |
| Cadet Report | Cadet Sarah Bolick |
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I recently got my Adult and Infant and Child CPR. For Infant and Child guess who taught me the course? Nope! Mom
taught the course! So now I am certified in both along with my Babysitting certification! Cadet Sarah Bolick P.S. If you know any one who needs a babysitter please let me know! |
Submitted by Cadet Sam Bolick
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