Latest headlines from Region7.com http://www.region7.com/portal Mon, 28 May 2012 12:50:16 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.region7.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.region7.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.region7.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.region7.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.region7.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.region7.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 http://www.region7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=95&Itemid=64 Starfleet Region 7 Meeting Minutes09 July 2011Marriott's Hunt Valley Inn0900 hrs to 1000 hrsSalon A1. Call to Order Comm. AugustsonWayne welcomed all to the Regional Meeting.2. Roll Call of Chapters Adm. VossellerThe USS Susquehannock brought a copy of the Communique from 1995. Bob read the list of ships for Region 7 listed in the Communique. Bob then gave the roll call of chapters for Region 7 currently. 3. Roll Call of R7 Staff Comm. VictorJeff read the list of Staff Officers for Region 7.4. Chief of Staff Report Comm. VictorJeff asks for more details when COs submit thier MSRs.5. ‘Condensed’ Staff Reports Attending Staff or Comm. VictorFinance Report     I - Revenue          A - Beginning balance of funds as of February 1, 2011, was $366 at PNC Bank.          B - From February 2011 to June 2011 a total of $60 was received and deposited as a result of R7's Fundraising Raffles.          C - An additional $30 donation was received in June 2011 from the USS Avenger and this was for as follows,               1) $20 for Regional Awards               2) $10 for Kilometers for Pennies     II - Expenses          A - A check for $259 was issued for R7 Plaques, in May 2011.     III - Financial Status & Net Results          A - As of June 30, 2011, Starfleet - Region 7's bank balance is now at $197 at PNC Bank.          B - Since May 2005, we've received $393 from Empties4Cash.com for 298 qualified ink jet and laser toner cartridges. Communications      If you have submissions for the website, please send them to Joe. MSRs are being condensed and being added to the website every 2-3 months. Recruiting     Recruitment is setting up the table currently.Awards     Awards will be given out today.6. VRC Report Adm. Vosseller     Bob thanks those who gave to the Regional Fundraiser. Bob went over the history of the Kilometer of Pennies. Bob went over upcoming activities in the Region. IC2011 will be talked about  later in the meeting. Recruiting could use some help at the table this year.7. RC Report Comm. Augustson     A) Region Status Report - We have 31 chapters and over 579 members. For the most part, chapters have been properly submitting their MSRs on-time and keeping their membership numbers above the minimum requirements.     B) AB Business - Not much AB business to discuss, other than questions about background checks for those seeking positions on the Regional and Fleet levels, and possible membership fees for Mexican chapters.     C) Command Summit 2011 - Based on feedback from last year's Summit, there will be another Command Summit. It will be held at the same location in Southern NJ, most likely October 22nd. There were 13 chapters represented last year at the Summit.     D) R7 mini-conference at IC 2011/R7 Conference in 2012?? - We will have a mini R7 Conference Sunday at the IC. It should last only about an hour. Since we did not receive any bids for the Regional Conference for 2012, the R7 Command Staff will be hosting the event.      E) Reminder about chapter numbers and MSRs - Please remember to keep your membership at 10+ members, and file your MSRs monthly.       The USS Richthofen will be hosting a Gettysburgh Battlefield Tour in September. USS Accord will be hosting Watkins Glen Weekend in September. 8. IC2011 Comm. Victor     Registration prices are still $25, prices are going up shortly. Jeff went over some of the programming going on at the IC. 9. 7th Brigade Report MGen. Dorffner     The Marine Muster will take place after this meeting. Awards for the Brigade will be given out during the meeting. 10. R7 Annual Awards Presentation Adm. Washington The Regional Awards were given out by Beryl. The winners were:     Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. Avenger     Shakedown Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. Storm     Support Ship of the Year: U.S.S. Challenger     Flag 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 Niagara     Printed Newsletter of the Year: “Avenger News”- USS Avenger     Helping Hands: John Wilson (USS DeBraak) 11. Other Regional Awards Comm. Augustson7th Fleet Commendation-     Bob Vosseller     Jeff Victor     Joe Dorffner     Mike Stein     Beryl Washington     Mary Ann Pugliese     Mike Allen7th Fleet Achievement Award-     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)     USS Susquehannock (for singlehandedly creating/overseeing a regional fundraiser- the R7 Calendar)Promotion     Eric Schulman, promoted to Captain, on 6/17/11.At this time, MGEN Dorffner asked to present some awards for Fleet members from the Marines. The Naval Achievement Citation was presented to:     Wayne Augustson     Bob Vosseller     Jeff Victor12. Closing Comments/Adjournment Comm. Augustson - Have a good weekend, and see you at the IC next month!! Sun, 24 Jul 2011 07:01:54 +0100 http://www.region7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=64 SUB SPACE CHATTER : The Almost End of the World EditionHey 7th Fleet, the good news is we're still around, no rapture after all (unless you check out my Face Book account and click on the noted Blondie song that is).NEWS AROUND THE 7th FLEETOk, I thought I'd share a few bits of news around the region.First up, R7 Award winners (and big congrats by the way) have been forwarded on to the SF Award's Director for review on that level to be announced at IC2011 in the Poconos this August.How is IC2011 doing by the way? Glad you asked. The IC is moving ahead and doing well. We're checking all names of those who committed to running panels have registered. For those who have said they will be taking on a panel and have not yet registered, let us know when you will be or if there is a change in plans.We're doing well attendance wise but more people registering can only be a plus and will add to the fun. The IC2011 Committee wants to thank the 7th Fleet membership for its support of this IC which was evident by our registration numbers and for those who volunteered to assist the effort. Big thanks to you and we can't wait for August.Now I must also report that if you are charged a full night's stay on your card when you register THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. I dealt with this issue today when a member of the Abraham Lincoln experienced this situation. I've heard others have also been hit with this. Checking with the staff of the resort, I was assured that THIS IS NOT PART OF THE CONTRACT, so should you experience this situation, please tell them this is not permitted and ask for Crystal who will hopefully be present at the time you register. Also let Jeff and I know if you have experienced this situation. Outside of that the resort has been very helpful and attentive and this is probably a standard operating practice which does not apply to our arrangement but they probably don't check as close as they should. Please keep this in mind.STUFF GOING ON AROUND THE REGIONIts spring/pre-summer and that means a busy time around the region. Ren Faires, picnics, BBQs and Shore Leave. Leading up to Shore Leave is a variety of comic book shows like the Wizard Comic Con which I believe was held this weekend and the Philly Wizard Comic Con on June 17-19.The Avenger, Challenger Justice and Abraham Lincoln are among those hosting picnics and I know further individual posts and reminders will be going out from those ships and other chapters as well. Keep watch of the regional lists and utilize the events calendar on the R7 website and feel free to mention this on the Starfleet Region 7 Face Book page.Speaking of stuff going on activity in the Maryland Sector has been going strong in the last week with the USS Richthofen, the USS Matrix, and Pa. Sector import USS Sovereign who all showed up in Bowie, MD last night for Star Trek night at the Bowie Baysox minor league team. Karen reported that those from each chapter had a blast. The park gave them free tickets, a table for recruiting material,and, a SKYBOX for their exclusive use! They all came in Starfleet uniforms of varying eras.Several chapters in Maryland also participated in this year's Trek Olympics and I know we'll be hearing about that soon. Good show guys!MOVIE BLOCKBUSTERSMany of us will be busy at the movies this summer with crew visits to see flicks like the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie which the Avenger was assembling to see today. Green Lantern is coming up early next month and that will be a good group flick to see and there is Transformers III, Cowboys and Aliens and my own personal favorite which I can't wait for...Captain America: The First Avenger.KEEP THOSE NUMBERS UP AND REPORT ON TIMEOk some more mundane stuff to talk about but important none the less. While our chapter reporting figures have been improving we still have a few ships that need to address their membership strength and who have been either late or have not sent in reports at all. As to those chapters having problems with their crew strength, some are close to the mark with 8 members others have to do some recruiting or reminding their crew to renew. We also have at least one chapter that is in need of an XO. Wayne and I have been working to assist these chapters to meet SF requirements. We hate to see any change in status result from SF Ops based on these problems and the status change doesn't happen over night but we're there to assist and we want to do what we can to see that every chapter is in compliance. Ultimately though it is up to the chapter to address these issues in order to meet what is required by SF Operations.We have one chapter out there that is drifting around the great barrier and that we need to hear from soon. We've tried every avenue of contact and we're still trying. While our Regional SF membership stands good, we do hate to see any chapter decommission.SHORE LEAVE KILOMETER OF PENNIESThe R7 Kilometer of Pennies challenge that was reactivated following our R7 Command Summit of last fall will be counted up and we'll need to know your total PRIOR TO Shore Leave. In fact we'll need to know the Saturday BEFORE Shore Leave. We appreciate your collection of loose change (although said amount should be presented in cash or check form as no one wants to cart home a bunch of copper coins for deposit from Shore Leave). This collection will go to the region's coffers for use of regional expenses which generally means the awards program.SF will be back with a recruitment table and meeting place and as details come in from the great folks of STAT we'll be announcing them.R7 CONFERENCE AND R7 COMMAND SUMMITWayne, Jeff and I were disappointed that we received ZERO R7 Conference 2012 Conference Bids at the appointed deadline date. Our R7 Chief of Staff Jeff Victor requested to Wayne that we extend the deadline for the bids and I've spoken to some of those who said they had been interested in putting in a bid. Bid criteria is available at our R7 website and should you have any questions contact Jeff.Wayne has told me that THERE WILL BE another R7 Command Summit this year probably in October. There will also be a MINI REGION 7 CONFERENCE on the Sunday of this year's IC since this year's IC is taking place within the Region. Yes, yet one more reason to come out to this year's International Conference.I always close by calling for any input you may have. Feel free to reach out and e-mail, call or even show up unannounced at Wayne's front door....okay skip that last part but you know what I mean, contact us and in a reasonable amount of time, we'll get back to you with your ideas, your complaints, questions, compliments or what have you.I'm looking forward to seeing many of you in the weeks and months ahead. Sun, 22 May 2011 03:27:23 +0100 http://www.region7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=93&Itemid=64 During the month of April 2011, the following activities took place aboard the chapters of Region 7:The USS Abraham Lincoln  had their monthly meeting at New City Library. Had presentation from a fund raising company represntative Christina Philbin. Planned annual Picnic for July 23, 2011 at Bear Mountain State park. Watched Star Trek Phase II episode Enemy Starfleet. The USS Accord held a monthly meeting where future events for the summer were planned. The USS Adamant had Cantina & Movie Night as well as holding their monthly meeting.The USS Albany  had 7 members attend bowling. They had an Easter Egg Hunt and monthly meeting. Nine members attended this event at Charleton Historical Society. We had several prizes, lots of candy plus chicken and beef pastries with cheesecake for dessert. Later on in the month, the went bowling again, with 8 members attending.The USS Ascension held their monthly meeting.The USS Avenger had a Philly trip, their April meeting, and went to the New Hope Renaissance Festival. The USS Britannic was at the recent "I-Con 30" convention. They had a recruitment table, which was open for all of Region 7, that had been staffed from Friday through Sunday. The USS Challenger held their monthly meeting, and during the meeting a brutally long Trivial Pursuit session was ended without a winner declared. Members also helped out at "I-Con 30".The USS DeBraak continues collecting Coca Cola caps as well as coupons.The USS Edinburgh participated in Maryland Public TV's fundraiser.The USS Hecate's Marines are still keeping busy with the MURPs, and the USS HECATE is still doing VRCP. The USS Inferno had a Change of Command Ceremony during their monthly meeting.The USS Justice took a bus trip to see Gettysburg, PA, April 16th. Although it rained heavily throughout the day, they still had a good time. The USS Justice held it's monthly meeting in conjuction with the Morris County Star Trek MeetUp Meeting. A few members attended Chiller Theatre at the Parsippany Hilton, in Parsippany, NJ.The USS Matrix is finishing up their Yearbook, as well as working on massive photo collection document.The USS Pride of Baltimore held a joint poker party with the USS Richthofen.The USS Richthofen also held a Mystery Science Theater night.The Sovereign had our monthly meeting. Theymade a donation to Japan Relief, which was presented to the Japan American Society for students of Japan's earthquake. They also made sure the Easter Bunny visited the kids at Project Rainbow by taking them a basket of Easter treats. THey also made Easter arts and crafts for a fun morning with the kids. The USS Susquehannock is working on a Calendar as a Region 7 Fund Raiser.The USS Thor had another successful fund raising event sponsoring Relay for Life during Katsucon's charity held in March. Sat, 21 May 2011 13:51:05 +0100 http://www.region7.com/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=64 SUB SPACE CHATTER: THE SPRING IS HERE AT LAST EDITIONBy Vice Regional Coordinator Adm. Bob VossellerSpring has sprung at long last after a winter that never seemed to want to end. It has been a busy several weeks as chapters are looking ahead to celebrating the 45th anniversary of Star Trek later this year, the USS Britannic and USS Challenger are among those heading off to I*Con based in Long Island this weekend and the USS Storm celebrated its postponed commissioning party late last month.GOOD REPORTINGRC Wayne Augustson has been coordinating issues of a few chapters with under strength or vacant XO positions. Most of those issues are being ressolved and we've noted an improvement in on time reporting of MSRs in recent months. Keep up the good work COs and XOs.FARPOINT FUNAs reported on this list before, Farpoint was fairly well attended and the region's annual brunch was held just prior to the Starfleet meeting. During that meeting Chief of Staff, R7 and USS Challenger XO Commodore Jeff Victor who serves as IC2011 Chairman, discussed the progress of IC2011 at the Poconos Manor in August.GO TO IC2011 IN AUGUSTFor those who have not signed up yet, you will wish to do that soon. For information check out the IC2011 website, the link is present at usschallenger.org and at the R7 website. Jeff can answer any questions you have about the IC. I have been getting a lot of suggestions for panel ideas and I appreciate the input. We have our schedule now filled but we are confirming speakers so there could be changes. We're hoping that will not be the case as we really have a nice array of activities and topics for SF members to enjoy at the IC.SPRING ACTIVITIES A number of spring related plans are in the works including a Star Trek Day baseball game in Maryland which former RC and USS Matrix CO Adm. Joe Hoolihan is coordinating.Many chapters are also looking ahead to events like the Trek Olympics, trips to the USS New Jersey, science exhibits and those Ren Faires held in the spring.Follow the lists and post your event activities to the R7 website.YUP WE READ YOUR MSRSBased on the MSR reports we receive, most chapters are planning for the future and having fun. We've noticed a few that provide very little information outside of basically changing the date of the MSR. Wayne and I are asking that those chapters provide a bit more data and let us know what might be going on. Hey, not every month has a full calendar and we know real life can be a drag sometimes. This is after all a club, but it is okay to provide a notation to just let us know how you are doing and if you are having a slump month or if something is happening to cause the repeat in the vacant activity section of the report. We're here to listen and to communicate but it is a two way street.SUPER HEROES ON THE BIG SCREENOkay, enough on that topic, many chapters are also taking advantage of the myriad of films coming out that have a common interest. Many super hero movies are coming out in the next few months including Marvel's Thor next month, DC's Green Lantern, Marvel's X-Men: First Class and the one I can't wait for coming out in July, Captain America. A new Sherlock Holmes film is also coming out later this year as well as a new Transformers movie sans Megan Fox.These movies are great for crew lunch/dinner and a movie gatherings and many ships are doing just that. The last film I saw was "Battle:LA" which was excellent. I know many of you saw it.It looks like I will probably miss seeing "Red Riding Hood" which is probably heading out of the theaters soon. I am hoping to see either the medieval action spoof "Your Highness'' or the horror flick "Insidious'' later today since I am off today. "Limitless and "Source Code'' also look interesting.TV TALK: WHAT'S GOING, WHAT'S GONE, WHAT MAY GO AND WHAT IS COMINGDuring Challenger's Intergalactic Food Festival in March there was plenty of conversation about recent TV series including the pending conclusion of Smallville on the CW and the ratings of Supernatural and Fringe. ABC's V had its finale (way to soon) and it is uncertain if the visitors will be back next fall. NBC's The Cape has been hung out to dry while The Event is back but its not much of an event to watch each Monday night based on the ratings. NBC is prepping a new pilot for a spanking new magic lasso filled Wonder Woman series with WW sporting a modified costume with pants and the familiar boots. In this version Diana Prince is a corporate executive...(say what? She has had many jobs in the comics versions but she's never been a corporate officer what gives here) You Tube coverage on the new show looks interesting and we'll see if NBC's treatment of this new Wonder Woman is better then its treatment of Bionic Woman a few seasons back. Oh and yeah, the new WW film is still in the works and is a separate project not connected to this.Sy Fy's new show Being Human has been renewed for another season and The Adventures of Merlin had its season finale (which I thought was pretty good) on Friday night. Stargate: Universe is playing out their last episodes for this incredibly depressing whiney show. Oh, did I type that out loud? <G>Returning TV shows on Sy Fy include Sancturary returning this Friday night and in the months to come Haven and my personal favorite Warehouse 13. The reality based shows like Destination Truth (also known in the Vosseller household as Destination Monkey Poop) and Quantum cooking or whatever the frak its called along with Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Hunters Academy and the forthcoming Ghost Hunters: Jersey Shore Edition (okay I just made that last one up) is still out there but I wish it was not. Of all the reality shows I think they only one I can take is Scare Tactics and even that is questionable.Just as the Oscars and multiple other award shows have now ended (with the exception of the always interesting and nostalgic to watch TV Land awards later this month) the Region 7 Awards season has concluded and it will be interesting to note if the amount of nominations for our varied categories has increased from last year. R7 Command hopes so.KEEP COLLECTING YOUR COPPER COINS (and silver and ...paper)Don't forget to keep collecting those pennies at meetings and for you correspondence chapters please discuss donations to the Region 7 Kilometer of Pennies program which will end at Shore Leave this July. Chapters should contact me by the last weekend in June to let me know what they collected and should be prepared to either mail a check made out to Region 7 (I'll make sure you get the exact wording soon) or to present said check during the R7 meeting if you are going to be at SL this year.Obviously this is a voluntary program and the proceeds go toward financing regional expenditures such as the award trophies for the year. This will be a great help to us at R7 Command.The R7 Calendar project is also going on and many of you have seen the posts about it on the COs list for more information post an inquiry to the R7 or COs list.HEY CONTACT US WITH YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEASShould you wish to contact Starbase 7 with a question, project idea, complaint, compliment or what have you, you know how to reach, Wayne, Jeff and I. If you don't check out www.region7.comAlso feel free to post your thoughts on the R7 list which has not seen a lot of activity as of late. Post your thoughts and get a conversation going and don't forget Starfleet Region 7 also has its own spot on Facebook.HAPPY HOLIDAYSFor those who observe Passover or Easter have a great holiday in the weeks to come. Sat, 21 May 2011 13:48:15 +0100