Latest headlines from Region7.com http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal Tue, 21 May 2013 23:19:23 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=105&Itemid=64 My friends,We will have 'official' official news regarding this year's Region 7 Conference very soon. Our very own Chief of Staff Jeff Victor is in final negotiations with the hotel we have chosen and we should have word soon (ie a contract).Thus far, I can say this:1. The dates of this year's conference will be November 8-10. The bulk of programming will be on Saturday and Sunday, as it was last year. Friday evening will be the RC mixer hosted by yours truly.2. The location will be the Embassy Suites in Hunt Valley, right across the street from the Hunt Valley Inn, home to the annual Shore Leave convention.3. Room rates are as follows: $129 per night (sleeps 4) and $149 per night (sleeps 6). We do not have to purchase any minimum number of rooms. The meeting room(s) will be what the region is paying for.4. I am currently working on programming alongside our very own VRC, Mr. Bob Vosseller.5. The restaurant we wish to go to for the Saturday night dinner will be the "Silver Springs Mining Company" (fried pickles!!!).That is what I can tell you thus far. Things are, of course, subject to change, but we wanted to let you know we had not forgotten the conference and that we were not going to spring it upon the region a couple of months before it was to be hosted.I will keep the region up to date on this and I hope to have final word on al this very soon. I thank you for your patience and your anticipated attendance at the 2013 Region 7 Conference!Rear Admiral Wayne L. AugustsonCommanding Officer- U.S.S. Britannic NCC-71818Region 7 CoordinatorRegion 7, STARFLEET Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:44:49 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=64 SUB SPACE CHATTER: The New Year’s EditionThe official R7 Command NewsBulletinBy Vice Regional Coordinator Admiral BobVossellerWelcome to 2013. We’re about onemonth into the new year and plans are unfolding for activities of the next 12months.As you have no doubt read, RCWayne has announced Region 7 Activities at this year's Farpoint convention.They include: Saturday morning at 8 AM: Our traditional breakfast buffet in the hotelrestaurant (Northern Lights).Saturday morning at 9 AM: The Region 7 meeting (Chesapeake Room, I believe).Of course, we will have our recruitment table throughout the weekend.R7 CONFERENCE BIDDING NOW OPENR7 Chief of Staff RAdm. JeffVictor posted the following reminder that the 2014 Region 7 Conference biddingis now open.Bidding guidelines can be found athttp://www.region7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_jdownloads Itemid=70 task=view.download cid=35 (http://www.region7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_jdownloads Itemid=70 task=view.download cid=35)The deadline for bids is May 1. Please reach out to Jeff should you have anyquestions or concerns.HELP WANTED: POSITION OPENJeff also recently announced thatR7 Command is now taking applications for the position of Awards Director.The position will:-Administer the Regional Awards program.-Recruit and Coordinate Judges-Solicit and organize Award Applications-Promote the Annual Awards Program during Awards Season, as well asthe Year Round Regional Commendations program all year long.-Help to continually improve and evolve the awards program.If you're interested in serving in this position, please send Jeff anemail outlining what you could bring to the awards program and theposition. The deadline for applications is Feb. 5.RECRUTING REPORTThis in from R7 Asst.Recruiting Officer Karen Mitchell Carothers.Far point’s is less than a month away, believe it or not, so it's time to putout a request for my various recruiting department projects. Please do bring chapter fliers to Farpoint! Even though we're not puttingthem out on the table, I have a nifty bin that sits underneath with all the chapter fliers organized in folders. That way they are still available to hand out in a targeted manner to prospective members (e.g. all the correy chapter fliers, or all the fliers from NJ, or the one particular flier for the chapter that was talking to this person in the elevator, etc). If your chapter has new fliers since Shore Leave, bring me some of the new fliers. I don't need a TON... 15 or 20 at a time is enough.Please note that I'm not able to finance making copies for you, so I can't just take electronic files. However, if you want to email me a file and send me the money to cover the photocopies, I'd be fine with that. I can take PDFs, Word 2007 and older, MS Publisher 2003 or older, and Open Office. CutePDF is a great little free program that converts all sorts of files into PDFs. I've been using it myself for years.And remember that while we do have all chapters listed on some of the current R7 recruiting materials, your individual chapter materials are your chance to showcase your chapter. I've had a lot of positive feedback on the cards I did for the Richthofen with Vistaprint (and they ALWAYS run sales!). Plus, you're not limited to just leaving chapter materials with the recruiting table. I personally really enjoy bookmarks... I'm STILL using the ones I picked up at IC 2011 that the Academy whipped up!Also, I've got the USB photo frame display. I still have all the photos that folks sent me when I asked prior to Shore Leave. If you've got any cool new pics of chapter events between Shore Leave and now, send them along. The larger the file, the better. I'm only limited to the size of the SD card or thumb drive I shove into the frame, and larger photos have better pixel density. If your chapter has a new logo, or you're a new chapter since Shore Leave, please send me your logo as well! I'm going to redesign that display so the logos and pictures are in one file and are mixedtogether. If your chapter has artwork of your ship, that would be REALLY awesome, too! People love that stuff.Finally... COs, PLEASE go into the SFI DB and double-check that your chapter contact information is correct. Mike utilizes this info to generate a spreadsheet flier that we run off to give to prospective members. You'll want to take special care with website URLs and email addresses. Prospective members aren't going to take a second look at broken URLs, out-of-date websites, or email addresses that bounce. If your chapter doesn't have a website yet, it's easy to get a free one set up on Google Sites, or Webs.com, or even Wordpress or Tumblr. Don't depend on Facebook for your PR.Questions, comments, etc, I'll be in the Staff Coffee Mess, hiding behind the extra-large trough of raktajino and working on SFA stuff. I hear the new subspace wifi gets great signal in there.Karen can be reached at co@ussredbaron.org or (mailto:co%40ussredbaron.orgor) trekkieturtle@gmail.com (mailto:trekkieturtle%40gmail.com)FINALLY … A WORD FROM THE R7 VRCYour friendly neighborhood VRCmay seem a bit quiet as of late although our lists have been rather quiet so itmay not have actually been noticeable but between family issues, work schedule changesand efforts to recover from superstorm Sandy, my Starfleet time (actually anyreal fun time) has been at a minimum as of the last few months but I appreciateall the kind words and the understanding provided by Wayne, Jeff and the restof the R7 staff. I’m trying to keep upon everything and this bulletin while not technically late, was originally plannedfor a few weeks ago. I think it worked out better as it is now chock full ofinfo from my fellow staffers. I’d like to think 2013 will be a better year butalready it has presented some new challenges and a few obstacles and not justfor me. That said though, we’re all in this together and I’ve seen a lot ofpeople helping to support those who need it the most and in many ways that is what Starfleet boilsdown, to supporting each other during bad times and sharing in the fun times.I’ll catch you next month withmore news around the region. Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:40:30 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=103&Itemid=64 Region 7 Meeting04 August 2012Salon A, Hunt Valley InnStart Time 0900 End Time 1000 A moment of silence was held for the passing of Helen, the oldest member of STARFLEET. Wayne welcomed all the Region 7 meeting. It is also the weekend of the IC. Joe Hoolihan promoted Eric Schulman to the rank of Fleet Captain. Wayne thanked those who attended the Regional Breakfast. Jeff Victor talked about the Regional Conference. The conference is October 19-21st. We will have quite a few panels. Registration is still $15 until the end of the month. Hotel reservations are still available. Friday night will be a Mixer in Wayne's room. Dinner Saturday night will be at Red Hot And Blue. The Command Staff will be running the Regional Conference in 2013, since no bids came in for it. If you are interested inrunning the Conference in 2014, the guidelines are on the website. Mike Stein gave the Financial report. I - Revenue     A - Beginning balance of funds as of February 1, 2012, was $1,006 at PNC Bank.     B - Received a total of $135 in Registration Fees during the month of June 2012 for the upcoming Region 7 Conference in October. (This was for nine registrations.)II - Expenses     A - A check for $259 was issued for R7 Plaques, in June 2012.     B - PayPal Fees which resulted from the Registration Fees that were deposited came to $6.III - Financial Status Net Results     A - As of June 30, 2012, Starfleet - Region 7's bank balance is now at $876 at PNC Bank.     B - A box of ink jets will be mailed during the month of August 2012 to Empties4Cash.com.     C - Since May 2005, we've received $425 from Empties4Cash.com for 321 qualified ink jet and laser toner cartridges.   The Floor was opened to the various chapters for announcements from their chapters. Gary Ensey announced that their chapter is having a raffle this weekend for their charity. Karen Carothers has ribbons that she is selling for charity. The Richthofen is hosting a trip to Gettysburg. The Susquehannock is having a party Saturday at the Convention. They are also working on various charities. The Abraham Lincoln had anactivity with a local Baseball team. Wayne gave out some awards that were left over from Farpoint. Beryl Washington presented the Region's Plaques and Certificates. Newsletter, Electronic Peacekeekper USS Niagara NCC-75634Newsletter, Printed Impulse Readings USS Justice NCC-556Enlisted Member/2011 Meghan McAnnally USS Storm NCC-1694Helping Hands/2011 Larry French USS Inferno NCC- 15202Support Ship/2011 USS Avenger NCC-1860Shakedown Chapter/2011 USS Serling NCC-74657Staff Member / 2011 Wayne Auguston USS Britannic NCC-71818 Officer of the Year 2011 George Edwards USS Inferno NCC-15202Flag Officer / 2011 Jeff Victor USS Challenger NCC-1676-DCO of the Year 2011 Karen Carothers USS Richthofen NCC-73286Chapter of the Year 2011 USS Sovereign NCC-75000Wayne presented the Regional Awards. Richard Bonham (USS Hecate): Outstanding Service Award Elizabeth Gorman (USS Richthofen): Meritorious Service Award Carl Dietrich (USS Susquehannock): Meritorious Service Award Bob Vosseller (USS Challenger) 7th Fleet Commendation Jeff Victor (USS Challenger) 7th Fleet Commendation Joe Dorffner (USS Edinburgh) 7th Fleet Commendation Mike Stein (USS Justice) 7th Fleet Commendation Beryl Washington (USS Sovereign) 7th Fleet Commendation Mary Ann Pugliese (USS Adamant) 7th Fleet Commendation Mike Allen (USS Pride of Baltimore) 7th Fleet Commendation Karen Carothers (USS Richthofen) 7th Fleet Commendation We will be reconstructing our Awards program, more details will be given during the Regional Conference in October. Beryl will be stepping down as Awards Director, and will be taking charge of a new position, she will be in charge of Fundraising and Charities for the Region. We have had a few chapters leave. We have had a chapter change their name. We currently have 29 active chapters. Marine Awards for the 7th Brigade were presented. LGEN Joseph Dorffner presented the following awards: Naval Unit CitationUSS ChallengerUSS Pride of BaltimoreUSS Richthofen Naval Achievement CitationKaren CarothersGary EnseyWayne AugustsonBob VossellerJeff Victor Brigade Achievement AwardMike SteinWayne AugustsonLarry FrenchThomas Rutledge Shield of ValorMark Easterly Sword of ValorWayne Augustson On behalf of the Commander, STARFLEETSTARFLEET CrossLaura Victor Joe Hoolihan has been in STARFLEET for 20 years. Bob Vosseller has been in STARFLEET for 30 years. Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:12:14 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=64 By Adm. Bob Vosseller, Vice Regional Coordinator, Region 7Welcome to another edition of Sub Space Chatter, the official news bulletin of the staff of Region 7 Command.Yes, I am behind by a month but it has been a busy month and our recent regionalcommand vote of confidence came in and Wayne Augustson easily won that VOC. He and his staff are happy to have received your support and we will continue todo what we can to make this region better.We are looking at areas that need further attention in this new two year term and we’re coordinating this year’s R7 conference (see details further down). Thanks again for your confidence in us and please let us know what you feel is needed and for those few who opted to vote in the negative, let us know why and what we can do to address your concerns. Wayne and staff coordinate the region through input from the chapters we serve and without that input, we can’t know what you are thinking.MORE NEWS FROM STARBASE 7Looking for R7 Conference information? Well here it is. Our R7 Chief of Staff post some information earlier but it certainly warrants repeating. First of all, as a reminder, the dates are October 19-21, 2012 and it will be held at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill NJ. Rooms are at the rate of $118 per night. To make reservations, please use thefollowing booking link:https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new eventID=9666815 utm_source=55412 utm_medium=email utm_campaign=13456615The best way to support the conference, if you are attending, is to utilize the Crowne Plaza. The more rooms we have booked, the more money can go to the region's coffers to support the Awards Program, support charities and do some other great things we'd like to try over the next year.Registration will be $15 per person for the weekend. To register, you can visit Region7.com and click on the Region 7 Conference Registration link located on the menu bar on the left hand side. Payment is via PayPal. You must be registered for Region7.com to register for the conference.On Friday Night, RC Wayne will be hosting a mixer in his room and you'll be able to pick up your registration packets. We'll run events starting at 9am on Saturday and end at about 3pm on Sunday.On Saturday Night, we will be having a conference dinner for those who would like to attend at a private room at the Red Hot and Blue restaurant located up the street from the hotel at the Holiday Inn. The restaurant selection is tentative at this time. No matter where we go, however, it will be ordering off the menu and individuallypaying on your own.For programming, we're planning on two days of great stuff. Of course, we'll have our opening session and marine muster, as well as our closingsession plus the RC Q A session. We're also planning on panels like "So you want to be a CO?", a Star Trek Online Roundtable, a panel on chapter fictional timelines and other great events. If youhave a panel idea, we'd love to hear your ideas and help you put it on! Programming will run from 9:00am to 4:30pm, with a 1.5 hour break for lunch on Saturday, and from 10:00am to 3:00pm on Sunday. This is your conference, so we want to fill the agenda with panels you want and information you need. Let Jeff, Wayne or I know as we’d love to hear from you.So far we’re looking at a forum for the new Star Trek film, a discussion of whatwe know, rumors and what we’d like to see. Another panel concerns “What are you reading?” Not strictly ST or even Sci- Fi, an open forum on what you are finding enjoyable in print and audio novels count too. Another panel is “FavoriteFlicks” with another possibly being “What is good on TV these days?” Favorite flicks will be what films you enjoyed in the Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy genre. From Snow White and The Huntsman to The Avengers what worked for you on the bigscreen.TV would expand beyond the sci-fi, horror, genre and will include the period ofJan. 2012 up to Oct. 18.Other panels of a more serious nature include “So you want to be a CO” featuring a frank discussion on the SF requirements and the things Starfleet doesn’t tell you about when you decide you want to command a chapter in Starfleet.So what are you waiting for...register today! SEND US YOUR PHOTOSWe love seeing interesting stuff online. Visit our Facebook page and post of a photo or two of your latest chapter event.Commodore Karen Mitchell Carothers is a member of our R7 recruiting staff and she is looking for photos from you to help in a recruitment project set for Shore Leave in August so e-mail her some of your best chapter event pics showing thefun you are having to her at trekkieturtle@gmail.comSUMMER PICNICS/BBQSThe USS Challenger is among those holding BBQs this year. The Avenger is holding their’s on June 23 and the Challenger will break with tradition and hold its annual anniversary bash on Saturday July 14 rather than the 4th of July weekend. This is the weekend that normally, the region would assemble at Shore Leave but as we know, SL moved to August this year. We decided to hold our BBQ at its usual location of 202 8th Avenue in Ortley Beachon that weekend so as to avoid at least some of the usual holiday traffic to make it easier for our guests. Cost of event this year is $10 to cover food costs. Contact me at 856-495-6476 for your RSVP.TREKOLYMPICSForget the London Olympics next month, the Spring Trek Olympics was a blast according to RC Wayne and he was even on the winning team. The Maryland based event had a lot of participation, good weather and demonstrated a true account of the kind of athletic prowess our members have…(not saying that is great prowess but prowess none theless and whoever said SF members are the most physically fit in the galaxy) Fun was the true name of the game and it worked out well.R7AWARDS PROGRAMThe R7 Awards program concluded and participation was about what it was last year and awards will be presented at Shore Leave in August.SUMMERFLICKS I am planning to see either Prometheus or Snow White The Huntsman later today. Amazing Spider-Man is coming up and the third installment of the Batman trilogy is coming up next month as well. It has been a pretty good year for bigscreen blockbusters. Again, share your thoughts on our R7 listserv and on ourFacebook page.Summer is definitely here and I know many of us are very busy. Have a great summerseason and we look forward to seeing you at a future BBQ, convention or otherevent in the near future.Keepin touch! Wed, 13 Jun 2012 02:54:34 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=64 Farpoint Meeting18 February 2012Crowne Plaza, Timonium, MDWayne welcomed all to the meeting. Beryl performed the role call of chapters of Region 7Wayne read the Financial report from Mike Stein.Joe gave a report about Communications.Mike Allen gave the Recruiting report. Karen Mitchell Carothers has joined the Recruiting Department.Wayne then gave the Chief of Staff report. The Regional Conference was announced, and details were given. It will be October 20th and 21st. Beryl gave the Regional Awards report. Regional awards will be opening Monday, February 20th. Award nominations will end on April 1st. Beryl showed what the Awards page looks like, via a printed copy. She also explained what she is looking for in the Awards nomination page. She will not accept nominations submitted in any way other than the Web page. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Beryl.The Sovereign is doing a raffle during the meeting.Bob was not at the meeting, as he was on the road getting to the Con.Wayne gave his report. We have launched one new chapter, the USS Robert E Lee, the CO is LGEN Larry Neigut. Wayne thanked all for filing the reports this month on time. Bid period for Regional Conference is going on currently.Upcoming events include ICON and Shore Leave. The election for Regional Coordinator will be in May. Joe gave the Marine Report. Beryl and Joe gave the Reporting Certificates to those who had Perfect Reporting.Karen gave out one promotion award for the USS Richthofen. She also discussed the Trek Olympics, which will be May 19th. Keith discussed some of the activities that the USS Abraham Lincoln will be doing in the upcoming months. The USS Susquehannock will be having Sci-Fi day, September 22nd.June 23rd the USS Avenger will be celebrating their 27th anniversary. The winner of the Sovereign Raffle was Judy. The raffle raised $75 for the Region. Tue, 13 Mar 2012 01:49:40 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=64 Sub Space Chatter: The Post Farpoint/Spring is Almost Here EditionBy Adm. Bob Vosseller, VRC Region 7Farpoint has come and gone and a lot of fun was had this year as in years past. This year’s R7 breakfast required extra seats as the turnout was fantastic. The SF meeting was also well attended and much was discussed. From reports I’ve heard, everyone enjoyed themselves and the guests were highly entertaining.IT’S AWARDS TIME AGAINMany of you probably watched at least part of the Oscars last night and that should bring to mind that R7 has its own awards program. R7 Awards Coordinator Adm. Beryl Washington posted the details of submitting your nominations. Last year’s winners included the following:Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. AvengerShakedown Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. StormSupport Ship of the Year: U.S.S. ChallengerFlag Officer of the Year: Glendon Diebold (USS Niagara)Officer of the Year: Eric Schulman (USS Matrix)Edgar Torres Memorial CO of the Year: Debbie French (USS Inferno)Enlisted Member of the Year: Maggie Restivo (USS Richthofen)Staff Member of the Year: Bob Vosseller (USS Challenger)Electronic Newsletter of the Year: “The Peacekeeper”- USS NiagaraPrinted Newsletter of the Year: “Avenger News”- USS AvengerHelping Hands: John Wilson (USS DeBraak) All submissions for this year’s program can be done by going to www.Region7.com (http://www.region7.com/) on the right side of the home page you will find the awards section. Click on it and the award page will come up. Please click on the award you wish to nominate someone in and the page will come up. Fill in the blanks and then write an informative essay on your nominee. While the box looks small it will hold all you write. “I'm urging you to use the award page. I will no longer cut and paste your information as it stills leave to many blanks,’’ Beryl said.”Please nominate and honor those on your crew who have taken their dedication to another level. There are also Regional commendations, use them and nominate those who have gone the distance,’’ she added.All awards must be filed by midnight on April 1.STARFLEET NEWSVice Adm. Laura Victor worked hard on Saturday to restore service to the SF website which had suffered difficulties. Good work Laura though it is a shame that such effort had to be made to correct the issue. Laura also reminded members this weekend that SF has a Press Kit & PR Guide in the SF website Documents Center: http://www.sfi.org/portal/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=475REGION 7 CONFERENCE 2012Yes R7 members there will be a conference this year and it will be at the Cherry Hill NJ Crowne Plaza hotel this fall. Our R7 Chief of Staff made the announcement in recent weeks and we are looking for programming ideas. Please contact me at co@usschallenger.org if you have any ideas.KEEPING UP ON STARFLEET MEMBERSHIP STRENGTHThe Region is in good shape with around 579 members as of Shore Leave 33. We did have a few chapters with lower than the required 10 members. We are working with the USS Top Gun which has its membership number but has had some reporting issues which have now been taken care of and the USS Thor, which has been out of contact for some time. Last month we had a perfect reporting record. Lets keep this trend up!EVENTS COMING UP THAT ARE OPEN TO THE REGIONThe USS Challenger’s annual Intergalactic Food Festival returns this Sunday at 1 pm at the Seaside Heights Community Center in Seaside Height’s NJ. Uniforms/costumes encouraged though not required but what is required is that you bring a food item that will feed 6 people or beverages that accommodate the same. This is an open house event for the chapter and will hopefully introduce fans to Starfleet and we are hoping for some media to be present. If you have any questions visit the USS Challenger website or the USS Challenger Facebook page or e-mail me at co@usschallenger.orgThe USS Storm is noting its one year commissioning anniversary on March 25 and is coordinating walk team for an AIDS walk benefit in Atlantic City in May. See their website and Facebook page for further details.USS Richtofen CO and SF Communications staffer Karen Carothers recently announced that their fourth annual Trek Olympics will be held on Saturday, May 19, at the Hollofield area of Patapsco Valley State Park in Catonsville, MD. Last year, the event had representatives from the Richthofen, Pride of Baltimore, and Matrix.” I'm hoping we can maybe double the number of ships represented this year. Don't worry if you don't have enough available crew to field a team, we can mix and match,’’ Karen said.Karen stressed that “I REALLY NEED folks to RSVP to me if they plan to attend. The shelter I have is for 20 people. I will happily reserve another nearby if we need it, and there are also a few free picnic tables in the area of our shelter that are first-come, first-serve.’’ For more information contact Karen.Well that concludes this bulletin. I look forward to seeing many of you at the events coming up. As always should you have any ideas, compliments, complaints, project proposals or questions for the staff of SF Region 7, reach out to us. Our contact information can be found on the R7 website or simply post us an e-mail to this list. Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:41:38 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=99&Itemid=64 Happy Thanksgiving from the staff of Region 7. Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:00:27 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=64 SUB SPACE CHATTER: The Pre-R7 Command Summit EditionThe "as official as it gets'' Region 7 Command News BulletinBy Adm. Bob Vosseller, Vice Regional Coordinator, Region 7I am typing this on a very rainy Wednesday afternoon. Yup, its pouring out and the weather report says the temps will descend later today. Finally we are going to get a regular dose of autumn temperatures.Weather for the weekend however is expected to be perfect for the second R7 command summit in Mt. Laurel N.J. R7 Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Jeff Victor has provided numerous posts on the details of the free event and its location so I won't include that here as we have a lot of other ground to cover.What I will add though is our excitement over the interest that this event has had. We expect close to 50 people to turn up to discuss regional activities, how we can improve communication, generate some enthusiasm and bring more ST/Sci-Fi fans into the fold.FALL FUNIt has been a pretty active autumn. Chapters have been busy with a range of fall activities ranging from collectible shows, Ren Faires, camping trips, science programs to the recent R7 Halloween Party in Atlantic City. All we can say is FANTASTIC. The fall always generates a lot of seasonal activities that bring us out for some fresh air and even a bit of walking like Whatkins Glen, the Gettysburg Camping Trip and those aforementioend Ren Faires like the one I attended in September in Challenger's turf of Lakewood, Ocean County NJ. There was also the annual Junior Diabetes Walk which the Avenger took part in which had exceptional good weather this year. I enjoyed a brisk walk on the Seaside Heights boardwalk as well. Thankfully, no Snookie sightings.HOLIDAY HAPPENINGSMany chapters are also focusing on the wind up of 2011 and that means holding toy, food and clothing collections for the needy as well as collections for our troops overseas.The holiday season also means festive functions like the 9th Annual Cookie Swap/Holiday Party that will be held on Sun. Dec. 4 at the Seaside Heights Community Center in ...where else, Seaside Heights N.J. We are not only exchanging 3 dozen cookies, eating some pizza, drinking hot and cold beverages but also holding a dollar store present exchange. So find the goofiest item you can valued at 99 cents plus a penny, or buy something at your local dollar store and be prepared to have some holiday fun. Optional but encouraged is a donation of non perishable food and/or a toy both for the needy. This is part of Starfleet wide goal to ... (paraphrase of a well known ST quote), "let us help.'' WE FACED DOOMSDAY IN 2011 AND WE SURVIVEDSome folks (not in Starfleet mind you) predicted the end of the world in 2011, May 21, 2011 to be precise. Obviously, they were wrong. If that happened how would we have enjoyed all those great summer picnics, BBQs, Shore Leave and best of all, Starfleet International Conference 2011 at the Poconos Manor??On a serious note, while we survived the end of the world (and did so again during the predicted Oct. 21, date) many of us have faced quite a bit in our personal lives this year.We've read the e-mail or Facebook posts of illness, death in the family, job reduction, job loss, personal health issues etc.While this isn't the place to preach or give a pep talk I will say that we've weathered the best we can and I've observed a lot of kind words and support to those fellow members and friends of ours who are dealing with things. I think that makes our organization a pretty nice environment and while at times we do disagree and even pass a few cross words, for the most part, we rally around each other in times of stress and crisis.CHANGES IN COMMANDThis year has also marked a number of changes within chapters concerning command level positions. Adamant and Britannic are two chapters that come to mind as having hired new XOs. The USS Avenger is about to select a new commanding officer and I know there have been other new personnel taking on positions of leadership be it CO, XO or section chiefs. This is one of the reasons that is always important to foster interest and leadership skills within our chapters. We wish those in these new spots continued success.NEW SHIPS ON THE BLOCKThe USS Storm and USS Serling are among those newbie chapters that are doing fantastic since they commissioned. The Storm hosted an R7 Halloween Party on Oct. 31 (yes, on Halloween itself) and we saw the paperwork for the USS Serling signed in August at IC2011. Keep up the good work and keep sharing your ideas (and photographs) through our website, articles in the CQ and don't forget our R7 Facebook page.WHAT'S NEXT?Well a lot of things will be discussed on Saturday at R7 Command Summit II. We'll laugh, we'll joke, we'll roll up our sleeves and get some work done on plans and goals for the future. Next year will see the return of a STAR TREK motion picture in theaters and that is just one of several Trek milestones that will be happening. That said, there are special events outside Trek that we'll also enjoy. Shore Leave is moving to August, Farpoint will return in February and maybe we can get more of you out to I*Con in Long Island next spring as it is one of the best fan run cons in our region. Despite the Mayans ending their calendar early, I do not believe this means the end of the planet next year. Lets face it, the Mayans simply ran out of room and calendar sales were not as good as they once were. I mean really, would you buy a calendar a few centuries in advance?ONE LAST WORD ABOUT R7 COMMAND SUMMIT IIReviewing the criteria for the R7 Awards program, recruiting and retention, fostering leadership within our chapters, planning regional activities, inspiring our membership, those are all topics that will be explored during the summit. There will also be some STARFLEET news reported on as well of course. We'll also have lunch and dinner together, no food fights please. Wayne, Jeff and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday. If you can't make it, feel free to send off any questions you have, ideas you want to propose or suggestions to Wayne or I. We always enjoy hearing from you. A wrap up of what transpired at the summit will appear in our a soon to be released Sub Space Chatter bulletin later this month or early in December.Take care and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! By Adm. Bob Vosseller, Vice Regional Coordinator, Region 7I am typing this on a very rainy Wednesday afternoon. Yup, its pouring out and the weather report says the temps will descend later today. Finally we are going to get a regular dose of autumn temperatures.Weather for the weekend however is expected to be perfect for the second R7 command summit in Mt. Laurel N.J. R7 Chief of Staff Rear Adm. Jeff Victor has provided numerous posts on the details of the free event and its location so I won't include that here as we have a lot of other ground to cover.What I will add though is our excitement over the interest that this event has had. We expect close to 50 people to turn up to discuss regional activities, how we can improve communication, generate some enthusiasm and bring more ST/Sci-Fi fans into the fold.FALL FUNIt has been a pretty active autumn. Chapters have been busy with a range of fall activities ranging from collectible shows, Ren Faires, camping trips, science programs to the recent R7 Halloween Party in Atlantic City. All we can say is FANTASTIC. The fall always generates a lot of seasonal activities that bring us out for some fresh air and even a bit of walking like Whatkins Glen, the Gettysburg Camping Trip and those aforementioend Ren Faires like the one I attended in September in Challenger's turf of Lakewood, Ocean County NJ. There was also the annual Junior Diabetes Walk which the Avenger took part in which had exceptional good weather this year. I enjoyed a brisk walk on the Seaside Heights boardwalk as well. Thankfully, no Snookie sightings.HOLIDAY HAPPENINGSMany chapters are also focusing on the wind up of 2011 and that means holding toy, food and clothing collections for the needy as well as collections for our troops overseas.The holiday season also means festive functions like the 9th Annual Cookie Swap/Holiday Party that will be held on Sun. Dec. 4 at the Seaside Heights Community Center in ...where else, Seaside Heights N.J. We are not only exchanging 3 dozen cookies, eating some pizza, drinking hot and cold beverages but also holding a dollar store present exchange. So find the goofiest item you can valued at 99 cents plus a penny, or buy something at your local dollar store and be prepared to have some holiday fun. Optional but encouraged is a donation of non perishable food and/or a toy both for the needy. This is part of Starfleet wide goal to ... (paraphrase of a well known ST quote), "let us help.'' WE FACED DOOMSDAY IN 2011 AND WE SURVIVEDSome folks (not in Starfleet mind you) predicted the end of the world in 2011, May 21, 2011 to be precise. Obviously, they were wrong. If that happened how would we have enjoyed all those great summer picnics, BBQs, Shore Leave and best of all, Starfleet International Conference 2011 at the Poconos Manor??On a serious note, while we survived the end of the world (and did so again during the predicted Oct. 21, date) many of us have faced quite a bit in our personal lives this year.We've read the e-mail or Facebook posts of illness, death in the family, job reduction, job loss, personal health issues etc.While this isn't the place to preach or give a pep talk I will say that we've weathered the best we can and I've observed a lot of kind words and support to those fellow members and friends of ours who are dealing with things. I think that makes our organization a pretty nice environment and while at times we do disagree and even pass a few cross words, for the most part, we rally around each other in times of stress and crisis.CHANGES IN COMMANDThis year has also marked a number of changes within chapters concerning command level positions. Adamant and Britannic are two chapters that come to mind as having hired new XOs. The USS Avenger is about to select a new commanding officer and I know there have been other new personnel taking on positions of leadership be it CO, XO or section chiefs. This is one of the reasons that is always important to foster interest and leadership skills within our chapters. We wish those in these new spots continued success.NEW SHIPS ON THE BLOCKThe USS Storm and USS Serling are among those newbie chapters that are doing fantastic since they commissioned. The Storm hosted an R7 Halloween Party on Oct. 31 (yes, on Halloween itself) and we saw the paperwork for the USS Serling signed in August at IC2011. Keep up the good work and keep sharing your ideas (and photographs) through our website, articles in the CQ and don't forget our R7 Facebook page.WHAT'S NEXT?Well a lot of things will be discussed on Saturday at R7 Command Summit II. We'll laugh, we'll joke, we'll roll up our sleeves and get some work done on plans and goals for the future. Next year will see the return of a STAR TREK motion picture in theaters and that is just one of several Trek milestones that will be happening. That said, there are special events outside Trek that we'll also enjoy. Shore Leave is moving to August, Farpoint will return in February and maybe we can get more of you out to I*Con in Long Island next spring as it is one of the best fan run cons in our region. Despite the Mayans ending their calendar early, I do not believe this means the end of the planet next year. Lets face it, the Mayans simply ran out of room and calendar sales were not as good as they once were. I mean really, would you buy a calendar a few centuries in advance?ONE LAST WORD ABOUT R7 COMMAND SUMMIT IIReviewing the criteria for the R7 Awards program, recruiting and retention, fostering leadership within our chapters, planning regional activities, inspiring our membership, those are all topics that will be explored during the summit. There will also be some STARFLEET news reported on as well of course. We'll also have lunch and dinner together, no food fights please. Wayne, Jeff and I look forward to seeing you on Saturday. If you can't make it, feel free to send off any questions you have, ideas you want to propose or suggestions to Wayne or I. We always enjoy hearing from you. A wrap up of what transpired at the summit will appear in our a soon to be released Sub Space Chatter bulletin later this month or early in December.Take care and a very Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:46:35 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=64 Region 7 MeetingIC2011Pocono Manor, PAStart: 1310End: 1411Wayne welcomed all to the meeting, and appreciated all those who stayed for the meeting. We are going to have another Command Summit, the first Saturday in November. It will be hopefully at the same place. It will run from 9AM to 5PM.Shore Leave has changed their dates for next year. The Command Staff will be at Shore Leave, so we will need to have a representative proxy for the Region next year.We had 0 bids for the Regional Conference for next year, so the Command Staff will be setting up a Regional Conference.There was discussion about the Awards Program for the Region. The Region 7 Awards pages will be made more easily found on the site. There was also discussion on how to submit someone for an award. The current guidelines were read and discussed.There will be a Halloween party this year, hosted by the USS Storm, in Atlantic City.There was a discussion about hosting a Regional Conference. More discussion will held about hosting a Conference at the Command Summit.Bob Vosseller gave his favorite memory of IC2011. Mark Anbinder invited all to join the USS Accord at Watkins Glen weekend this year.Chris Carothers also invited all to join the Richthofen at Gettysburg this year.Joe Dorffner invited all to join the USS Edinburgh next year at Hersheypark Spring in the Park weekend. The USS Avenger will be wanking it the JTRF Walk next year, as they have in the past. They asked about the team using and keeping the name "Starfleet Region 7". The USS Justice is having their annual picnic next week. September they will be having a Star Trek anniversary event.USS Storm will be having Star Trek Day on October 16th.Regional Financial Report:I - Revenue A - Beginning balance of funds as of July 1, 2011, was $197 at PNC Bank. B - Received $35 in Chocolate Sales in MD from SL 2011.  1) $29 was received in Chocolate Sales in NJ shortly after SL 2011. C - A total of $300 was received during the Region 7 meeting at SL 2011  and this was for as follows,  1) $100 from the USS Sovereign for Km of Pennies  2) $200 from various Chapters including $25 from the Auction. D - Received $33 from Empties for Cash for 23 qualified ink jet cartridgesII - Expenses A - A check for $26 was issued for a Recruiting Poster.III - Financial Status & Net Results A - As of July 31, 2011, Starfleet - Region 7's bank balance is now at $568 at PNC Bank. B - Since May 2005, we've received $425 from Empties4Cash.com for 321 qualified ink jet  and laser toner cartridges.  Note, a check for $300 was received from the USS Susquehannock for the sales of R7  calanders, August 1st. Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:45:26 +0100 http://www.starfleetregion7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=64 Sub Space Chatter: The really delayed, in-between Shore Leave 33 and IC2011 EditionBy Adm. Bob Vosseller, VRC Region 7It has been a hot and active summer around the region and I want to start off by apologizing for the delay in the release of this bulletin. Several personal demands on my time have prevented me from being able to sort through all the news we’ve had and finally, getting a day off from work I was able to put this together. Recent technical issues didn’t help either but that said lets move on to the report.BBQ/PICNIC SEASON CONTINUESThe USS Abraham Lincoln held its annual picnic this past (and very hot) July 23 and I’m told they had a great time despite the heat and even netted two more members. Way to go guys.SHORE LEAVE 33The weekend of Shore Leave 33 was fantastic. It was great to see so many old friends and some new faces as well. Everyone was in great spirits and our Starfleet R7 meeting was full of fun. Thanks to the good folks of the USS Susquehannock provided a CQ from 1995 and I read off the R7 roster noting a number of chapters that are still with us. It was fun reading off the current list as well one of my favorite duties at a SL Starfleet meeting.If you didn’t see R7 Comm. Chief Joe Dorfner’s meeting minutes currently posted on the R7 website I’ll touch on the highlights here.As of June 30, 2011, Starfleet - Region 7's bank balance was at $197 at PNC Bank. Since May 2005, we've received $393 from Empties4Cash.com for 298 qualified ink jet and laser toner cartridges. We also received more than $200 in Kilometer of Pennies donations.The USS Susquehannock unveiled the R7 calendar that they produced and which was also a fundraiser for the region. It looks fantastic and I know we’ll see even more participation on this project with more chapter photos submitted next year. Good job Susquehannock crew! R7 Awards were presented by Adm. Beryl Washington They included:Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. AvengerShakedown Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. StormSupport Ship of the Year: U.S.S. ChallengerFlag Officer of the Year: Glendon Diebold (USS Niagara)Officer of the Year: Eric Schulman (USS Matrix)Edgar Torres Memorial CO of the Year: Debbie French (USS Inferno)Enlisted Member of the Year: Maggie Restivo (USS Richthofen)Staff Member of the Year: Bob Vosseller (USS Challenger)Electronic Newsletter of the Year: “The Peacekeeper”- USS NiagaraPrinted Newsletter of the Year: “Avenger News”- USS AvengerHelping Hands: John Wilson (USS DeBraak) Other Regional Awards included R7 Commendations by RC Wayne Augustson Bob Vosseller, Jeff Victor, Joe Dorffner, Mike Stein, Beryl Washington, Mary Ann Pugliese Mike Allen and 7th Fleet Achievement Awards to Joe Hoolihan (for arranging/overseeing the recent softball event in MD) Karen Carothers (for continuing to co-host the Trek Olympics) Gary Ensey (for continuing to co-host the Trek Olympics) and to the crew of the USS Susquehannock (for creating/overseeing the aforementioned regional fundraiser- the R7 Calendar).PromotionUSS Matrix XO Eric Schulman was promoted to Captain, on July 17. Major Gen. Dorffner presented some awards for Fleet members from the Marines. The Naval Achievement Citation was presented to: Wayne Augustson, Bob Vosseller and Jeff VictorSTARFLEET NEWSAlso discussed at the SL Starfleet meeting was a little SF business. Right now the AB is looking at questions about background checks for those seeking positions on the Regional and Fleet levels, and possible membership fees for Mexican chapters. As I am touring Playa Del Carmen in the next few days I will do my best to recruit some new members, form a new chapter and see if I can serve as proxy to Region 18 in time for the upcoming IC. Joe Dorfner held the annual R7 Marine Muster after the Starfleet meeting where Marine awards for the Brigade were presented plans to update the marine website were made and where better usage of the 7th Brigade's Facebook page was discussed.IC 2011 COMING IN JUST A FEW WEEKSCommodore Jeff Victor our chief of staff is the chairman of IC2011 which held it final preparation meeting on July 23 at the Challenger’s headquarters in Seaside Heights N.J Jeff and the IC staff went over program planning, the IC Program Book, various details that needed to be reviewed and it served as a very productive meeting.As program chair I have to say I think those coming will definitely enjoy the movies, panels and activities we have lined up and I want to commend Laura and Jeff Victor for the outstanding detail oriented work they have done in the last two years to make this event happen. Great job guys. If you have not registered please do. Time is growing near and prices will be going up. Check out our FB page and our link ic2011.com that will tell you everything you need to know about IC2011 coming in just TWO WEEKS.On Sunday of the IC there will be a R7 mini-conference at IC 2011/R7 Conference in 2012?? - We will have a mini R7 Conference Sunday at the IC. It should last about an hour. We are looking forward to seeing you there! REGION 7 CONFERENCE 2012The Region did not receive any bids for the Regional Conference for 2012 and therefore, the R7 Command Staff will be hosting the event. Details of date, location, theme, programming to be announced when finalized.KEEPING UP ON STARFLEET MEMBERSHIP STRENGTHThe Region is in good shape with about 579 members as of Shore Leave 33. We did have a few chapters with lower than the required 10 members. In both cases those issues have been settled. In the case of the USS Thor, they are back up to full strength and have a new commanding officer while the USS Blackheart has opted to decommission as a chapter of Starfleet. We wish them well.REPORTING INWe have 30 chapters and over 579 members. For the most part, chapters have been properly submitting their MSRs on-time.COMING THIS FALLLooking ahead to autumn we have Command Summit 2011 - Based on feedback from last year's R7 Command Summit, there will be another Command Summit at the same location Mt. Laurel NJ, in mid to late October or early November. There were 13 chapters represented last year at the Summit.The USS Richthofen will be hosting a Gettysburg Battlefield Tour in September.The USS Accord will once again host Watkins Glen Weekend in September. The USS Storm is throwing a Region 7 Masquerade party on Halloween night. Check out their link http://starfleetmarines.com/USSStorm/aux/hparty.html for all the details.STARFLEET SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMYour assistance is requested to help educate our members. The Scholarship Committee wishes to award 10 $500 Scholarships this year. For that, we need $5,000. At this time, we are short in the Scholarship Fund account by a tiny bit. Please consider making a donation of what you can to the Starfleet Scholarship Program. Be it $1, $5, $15 or more.BIG MOVIE SUMMERI couldn’t conclude this bulletin without noting that this summer has been great for films, actually when you think about it we’ve had a number of cool flicks this year starting with The Green Hornet, Thor, Green Lantern, Super 8, Transformers, Captain American: The First Avenger, the final Harry Potter movie, and this week the release of the much anticipated and very well cast, Cowboys & Aliens based on a graphic novel. FACEBOOK PAGE BEING USEDOur Starfleet Region 7 Facebook page is being used more and more and I noticed yesterday that more photos are being added from different chapters focusing on their future and past events. That is great to see and it’s nice to share scenes from around the region. Keep it up. Share in the conversations and introduce some topics. One thing we know as members of Starfleet and this region is that we have many opinions out there and this is just another way to communicate. It is also a good way to advertise your club events that are open to the rest of the 7th Fleet.THAT'S A WRAPWell that concludes this bulletin. I know I will see many of you at IC2011 and I look forward to that. As always should you have an idea, compliment, complaint, project proposal or question for the staff of SF Region 7, reach out to us. Our contact information can be found on the R7 website or simply post us an e-mail to this list.Enjoy the summer and keep cool. Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:38:33 +0100