Alaric Command Reports

ELECTED OFFICERS: President (Captain) - Richard Heim Vice-President (First Officer) - Dale Anderson Executive Secretary (Second Officer) - Sheila Thomas-Hand

FCapt. Richard Heim

Cmdr. Dale Anderson

[No report filed]

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Alaric Department Reports

Chief Science Officer - Richard Heim
Chief Engineer - Sheila Hand
Chief, Computer Operations - Robert Saucier
Chief, Social Sciences - Dale Anderson
Chief Medical Officer - Susan Bolick
Chief, Tactical - Chad Trantham
OIC, Marines - Chad Trantham
Recruitment Officer - Mark Bolick
Chaplain/Counselor - Shirley Heim

I was able to get up early Sunday morning, November 18 (between 5 and 5:45), and view the Leonids. Even from my back yard, with all of the urban light pollution, I could see anywhere from 2 to 10 meteors per minute. It was beautiful!! For 5 pages of cool pictures, go to http://www.spaceweather.com/meteors/gallery_18nov01.html

The Science Lab listserver is a cool place to find news and web pages on neat developments in science. If you're interested in receiving fascinating science posts, including a list of upcoming science shows on tv each week, go to the yahoo web page and sign up! Here's how:

• Go to the egroups (yahoo groups) web page (http://groups.yahoo.com/)
• Under the "Join a Group" section, type in the name of the group to join and click on "Search".

  The name of the group is:

  Science-Lab

  You'll want to join the first Science-Lab group listed.

This issue's science facility discussion focuses on the Louisville Science Center, which is located in Louisville, KY. According to their brochure, at the Louisville Science Center "It's Science Made Fun!" The Center features:

• The World We Create: 50 challenging action areas to investigate, plus two exciting demonstration areas. During each visit you will make new discovereies that celebrate the curiosity, creativity, and ingenuity of the human spirit. "Learning about science, math, and technology has never been more fun!"
• Kidzone: the Science Center's hands-on exhibit area for children ages 7 and under offers young learners a safe, discovery-filled environment that includes a climbing structure, water play area, role-playing activities, and more!
• Imax Theater
• The Mummy's Tomb: examine a 3,400-year-old mummy and compare ancient Egyptian customs to our own.
• Space Science Gallery: blast off as you track the progress of space exploration through history, including artifacts from the Gemini and Apollo space missions.
• Natural Selections: study more than a century's worth of culture and natural history by exploring rocks, minerals, fossils, and other artifacts.

They also have a gift shop and restaurant. The Louisville Science Center is located at 727 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, phone (502) 561-6100. Check out their web page at: http://www.lsclouienet.org/

This issue I'd like to talk a little bit about snow. It's winter, after all, and time to ski the slopes ... or scoop the driveway! Snow is one type of precipitation and forms when water vapor condenses out of the air to form clouds of ice crystals which grow as they traverse the cloud. At temperatures from the low 20's F to near freezing, the ice crystals usually stick together to form snowflakes.

If the air is below freezing all the way between the formative cloud layer (condensation level) and the ground, the snowflakes will survive and reach the ground as snow. If they pass through a layer of air that is above freezing, they will melt. Now, what happens to this liquid precipitation next depends on the temperature of the air at ground level.

• If the surface air layer is above freezing, you get rain.
• Rain is okay, unless the ground, roads, bridges, trees, and power lines are below freezing ... then you get freezing rain, and we all know how hazardous that can be!
• If the surface air layer is below freezing, the rain will freeze as it falls and reach the ground as sleet, which can be equally dangerous.

Snow is an important climate change indicator. The air has to be below freezing for it to form, and a layer of snow cover needs below-freezing ground and cold air in order to survive. Analysis of patterns of continental snow cover extent, as observed by satellite, over the last 30+ years reveals a decreasing trend in spring snow cover extent over both North America and Eurasia. This correlates well with the observed global warming trend in spring (March-May).

Check out the Alaric's science department web page:

FCapt. Richard Heim
Chief Science Officer
USS Alaric
AlaricRH@sprynet.com

Region One Sciences is looking for an Assistant RDC and a newsletter editor. If you're interested, contact me at: Richard Heim, P.O. Box 2072, Asheville, NC 28802, or by email at AlaricRH@sprynet.com

In science news across the region, the USS Hawkeye's Chief Science Officer, Fleet Captain David Klingman, has been busy! Dave:

• has started a Lord of the Rings discussion list,
• maintains the Xenoarchaeological Sciences web page (http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/sardis/xenoarchaeology.html) and newsletter (check out his fantastic hundred years of scientific discoveries [20th Century] web page at http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/sardis/hundred_years.html)
• writes a bi-monthly column, On The Humanoid Condition, for the Starfleet Communique

Reports have also been received from the CSO's of the USS Jurassic (Lt.jg Joe Lamantia), USS Hornet (Cmdr. James "Jamie" Delantonas), USS Tycho (Chief Petty Officer Adam Gorrell), and USS Carolina (2nd Lt. Jonathan Hunter). Jamie highly recommends the web site, Space.com, which features space shuttle reports and other science news. Jonathan reported on the fictional evolution of his character's species (which, since his species originates from terran wolves, is in fact about canine [dog] evolution). Adam educated his crew on a new breed of octopus.

Check out the Region One Sciences web page: http://alaricrh.home.sprynet.com/science/R1Science.htm

FCapt. Richard Heim
Regional Division Chief, Sciences
Starfleet Region One
AlaricRH@sprynet.com

Have you read the latest issue of the Starfleet Communique yet? Issue # 108 (Dec/Jan 2002) has six -- count 'em, six -- articles related to science! Two by me ("The Mystery of Science" and my FDC report), the FDP report by Col. Copple mentioning Science, a Region 2 Science news report, and two reports ("Activate the Quantum Slipstream!" and "On the Humanoid Condition") by FCapt. David Klingman. Really cool!

Starfleet Sciences continues work developing a web page which will include links to a variety of science resources, both in the real-world:

• real-world science web sites and listservers
• science museums and facilities across the country
• science experiments and educational tools

and within STARFLEET:

• STARFLEET science contacts (RDC's & CSO's who wish to be listed)
• science articles written by STARFLEET members
• STARFLEET science-related lists
• STARFLEET's Vulcan Academy of Sciences
• Starfleet Science Handbook

I'd also like to include links to web pages listing Star Trek science-fiction becoming Real Science, so if you know of any such web sites, send their url's to me.

The Starfleet Sciences web page will be unveiled soon. Check this space next issue for the url!

One of the more popular schools in Starfleet Academy is the Vulcan Academy of Science. Here the student can learn about real science and how science is portrayed in the Star Trek shows, and earn valuable promotion points to boot! Check it out!

In an effort to serve as a communications resource for the Science RDC's and RC's throughout STARFLEET, here is the latest science contact information I have:

Science News from Around the Fleet:

• Capt. Yawn reports that Region 2 just had a Science Month where the topic was Caves and Cave Life. Don Daniel, the Chief of Science for the Wernher von Braun NCC-72069, received a Regional Science Commendation for accomplishments aboard his ship. Region 2 Sciences has just published the first issue of their new bi-monthly newsletter. Capt. Yawn will be happy to email a copy of the pdf file to anyone who contacts him (CMOSNUFFY@aol.com), and any Science officer may summit an article to the newsletter.
• Capt. Downs emphasizes two things as the Region 3 RDC Science: breadth and visibility. He is a firm believer in knowing where you've been so you don't repeat the lessons of history, so the past-present-future is a focus in his 'Mundane Science' articles that he writes for R3 FleetChannels, Aurora's Glory, & ASFS Future Times and his 'Classics Corner' book review articles. Education at regional summits and working with the cadet program are important activities for Region 3 Sciences.
• FCapt Rutledge has answered his RC's call as the new volunteer liaison for the science division of Region 5.

FCapt. Richard Heim
Fleet Division Chief, Sciences
STARFLEET
fdp-science@sfi.org

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Let's talk about spam (as opposed to Spam^tm  , the delicious meat product from Hormel).  You know what spam is -- those e-mails that you didn't ask for and that promise riches beyond your wildest dreams or possibly the best looking bodies on the 'net.

First, remember what the old folks said, "There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" or maybe "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."  They're right!

Second, for goodness sakes, don't actually REPLY to these e-mails!  Even if they offer to remove you from their list, a reply confirms that your e-mail address is alive and well and connected to a living, breathing person.  Even if they do remove your name from their list, they're also likely to sell your e-mail address to another company as a guaranteed address.  End result is even more spam delivered to your inbox.

Ways to avoid spam

• If a site has content that you really want to see, use a fake name and e-mail address.  This is not illegal!  If you decide they're somewhat legitimate, change your registration profile to reflect your correct information -- but only if they have a way to refuse e-mail from them and other companies.
• Don't use your e-mail address or real name in chat rooms, message boards, Usenet newsgroups, IRC or on your web pages.

Harvesting programs cruise message boards, newsgroups and IRC chat channels just waiting to grab e-mail addresses.  If you feel that you must use your e-mail address, put a word somewhere in the address.  For example, if your address is joe@microsoft.com, post it as joesomebodyatmicrosoft.com and add "leave out somebody to reply" in a footer to the message.

One clever address I saw once was similar to joeNOSPAM@somewhere.com.   Since many of these harvesting "bots" look for "nospam" and remove it from harvested addresses, in this case, it would break the address since nospam was actually part of the persons address.

Another thing you can do is to check with your ISP about getting a secondary address.  If you have a cable modem or DSL, many of these ISPs offer up to 5 addresses per connection for no extra charge.  You can also sign up for one of the free e-mail hosts.  The idea is that you give the new address to your friends and family to use for "real" messages while you use your old address to catch the spam.

Strange addresses

Sometimes you'll see a message or hyperlink that looks a little bizarre.  Instead of "http://www.somewhere.com", you'll see "http://35122123004" or even "http://3513587746@3484559912/o%62s%63ur%65%2e%68t%6D".

Even more strange, they work!  What's up?

Your web browser is able to decipher these addresses easily.  A great write up on this ability can be found at PC-Help on its "How to Obscure Any URL" page.  Check it out!

'til next time...

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Eliada's partnership with Campbell's soup label program continues. Also eligible for collection are other Campbell-owned products, including Mrs. Paul's frozen seafood, Swanson products, V8 Juice, Franco-American products, Sanwa Soups, Vlasic Pickles, Pepperidge Farm products, Prego spaghetti sauce, and Marie's dressings. For most of these products, the front portion or logo area of the labels should be clipped. If packaged in a box, as in the case of Mrs. Paul's frozen foods or Pepperidge Farms products, save the UPC symbol. For products in jars, such as Marie's dressings or Vlasic Pickles, please do not bring the lid to me: rather, bring the label. When in doubt, bring the whole label.

We're now committed to collecting 130,000 labels to obtain a set of World Book Encyclopedia for Horizons Academy, Eliada's on-campus school. Please become a part of this ongoing project!

Also, BI-Lo shoppers remember: BI-LO Boosters program will donate a portion of your purchase to your favorite charity. A BI-LO Bonuscard is necessary for participation. If you're interested, call 1-877-4-BOOSTERS toll-free for a walk through the process.

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Tactical and Marine Reports

These reports have been combine for this report. I'm in the process of starting a new job, moving to Waynesville, hooking up my internet, and spending time with my girlfriend. Oh yeah, and trying to sleep : ) I just received internet on my computer on December 14th. It's a two-way 1Mb cable modem. Now I'm surfing the net at transwarp speeds.

I've got discount hotel room rates for AlariCon. They are $49 a night for Friday and Saturday nights. I still need volunteers for security if anyone is interested.

1st Lt. Chad Trantham
Chief Tactical and Marine C.O.
admtolval@charter.net

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I've been thinking a lot about people who have a hard time during all the December holidays...shorter days and less daylight hours can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This on top of pre-existing depression, or situational depression brought on by missing loved ones or memories of stressful events on previous winter holidays contributes to higher suicide rates and hospital admissions for depression over the winter months. For some folks this may be a very different Christmas from last year...the first Christmas without a loved one who's passed away. The first Christmas in a new town. The first Christmas unemployed and facing financial difficulty. The list goes on...let's all take care of ourselves and each other, and be there to listen.

SCOOTER ALERT

For the body of my CMO report, I'd like to focus as usual on safety issues. My data for this report comes from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, National SAFE KIDS Campaign, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Many children this Hanukkah and Christmas have received a push scooter, or non-motorized scooter. These are one of the hottest new ‘toys'...the high speed ones with low-friction wheels very unlike the ones older adults remember from their childhood days.

According to the Toy Manufacturers of America, scooters topped the list of best-selling toys in September. Sales are expected to reach between 2 and 5 million this year.

How many of us have seen a kid gleefully riding around on one of these? They look like a whole lot of fun. But I can count on the fingers of one hand the ones I've seen wearing helmets. And I've seen more kids than I can count flying down the middle of the road on a scooter. And rarely is there an adult supervising scooter play. This can and does have serious consequences.

Scooter injuries needing ER treatment are on the rise:
January to December 2000: 40,500
January to September 2001: 84,400

That's more than double, in less time! 85% of the injuries were to children under age 15, and most were fractures. For a graph of injuries per month (of course they go up in warm weather when school's out) see the end of the article at: http://www.cpsc.gov/pr/prscoot.html.

I think there's four main factors that lead to a high injury rate. First, the ‘responsible adult' or the one who purchased the scooter for the child believes the scooter to be very similar to the one he or she used as a child. This is not the case. Second, very few children wear protective gear when riding scooters, and the use of helmets and knee/elbow pads will dramatically reduce injury. The third factor is the assumption that scooters, like bicycles and trikes and skates and skateboards, are toys. This is a dangerous assumption that leads to underestimating the effects of the laws of physics. Wheeled vehicles, no matter how small, are not toys. If you ride on it, it's a vehicle and needs to be used with protective equipment. Fourth, injuries are much more likely when adults fail to realize the physical and cognitive limitations of kids at different ages. A child too young to have the physical coordination to deal with the unexpected will be more likely to get injured. A child too young to really think through the cause-and-effect angle is more likely to be injured. Parents and other adults can help to instill a healthy respect for these wonderful sports by bearing these four points in mind. Underestimating how fast you can travel and how hard you can fall can lead to tragedy. Many children have even been injured seriously enough to require a trip to the ER by riding scooters indoors, where their parents felt that the younger ones would be safe.

Scooter deaths in 2001 so far: 16. Ten of these were kids ages 8-13, and one adult, who were struck by cars while riding their scooters. One of them was a 9 year old boy struck by his father's van when he let go or lost his grip on the van's side view mirror. Two ten-year-olds and two adults died when they simply fell off the scooters and struck their heads. These scooters can go so fast that there's a significant impact in a fall.

In an study of 15 children under age 18 with scooter injuries published on the American Academy of Pediatrics website, only two of them were wearing helmets, and none were wearing other protective gear. These injuries were serious and/or cosmetically disfiguring, such as fractures of major bones, lacerations to the face requiring stitches, loss of consciousness and head injury. Some needed CT scans, some needed surgery.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is in the process of drafting an official policy statement regarding the use of helmets and protective gear for scooters, and drafting educational material as well.

A word about helmets for bicycles, scooters, skates and skateboards: (Your CMO gets out her soap box and climbs up on it with apologies if you've heard this part before, but many folks haven't).

A family out for a ride in the neighborhood on bikes and trikes is a fairly common sight. The kids are sometimes wearing helmets but the parents rarely wear any themselves. Helmets are for everyone. Parents and other adults also need to set an example for the kids. Many states are in the process of enacting helmet legislation. North Carolina now requires helmet use for all kids and young people under age 16 biking in public areas. Well, it's a work in progress. You start with a piece of it and work up.

When we advocate helmet use, we frequently hear, “I can't afford a helmet.” To that, I've heard some safety advocates reply that a helmet is much cheaper than a funeral! It's also much cheaper in intangible ways than sitting in ICU wondering if your beloved child (father, husband, aunt, etc.) will ever open their eyes and recognize you again. Helmets are not an accessory, they're a necessity for bikes, scooters, skateboards and skates. Have you given a bike or scooter as a gift this holiday season? Don't forget the helmet!

According to SAFE KIDS, “Safety gear is relatively affordable and can be purchased for as little as $35, less than half the cost of an average scooter.” Also, many local SAFE KIDS coalitions like the one I volunteer for have reduced cost helmet sales and helmet fitting activities at various local events such as safety days and fairs.

GET HELP to make sure the helmet's fitted right. SAFEKIDS.org can lead you to a local coalition where you can find out more. When choosing a helmet, measure the head and make your selection based on the listed measurements on the helmet box, not the age range on the box.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and SAFE KIDS Campaign make the following recommendations for reducing scooter injury and death:

1. Wear a helmet. Wear knee pads and elbow pads. This goes for kids AND ADULTS. Set a good example! Avoid wrist guards...they may make it hard to grip the scooter handles.

2. Children under age 9 should not use scooters without close adult supervision. To me, this means in direct line-of-site at all times, preferably no more than 5 seconds away from grabbing distance.

3. Avoid gravel and uneven pavement which can cause falls.

4. Don't ride scooters in traffic or hitch a ride on a car or other vehicle.

5. Don't ride scooters at night.

6. Wear sturdy shoes.

7. One rider per scooter.

8. Don't rely on the brake for steep hills, but walk the scooter down.

7. Owners of scooters should check applicable local laws.

8. Check the scooter regularly for damage, and know if your it's been recalled. At least 100,000 scooters have been recalled. Is yours one of them? Check the URL for the CPSC article listed above or http://www.safekids.org/recalls.html for recall information. The most recent recalls are the Kent Kickin' Mini-Scooter and the Kash ‘N Gold Racer X20. This recall was issued December 7, 2001.

Have fun and be safe!
RAdm Susan Bolick
CMO, USS Alaric

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