CONTENTS |
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Saturday, July 4: Fourth of July BBQ &
Pool Party
NEWS
& ANNOUNCEMENTS
USS Republic:
The New "Star" in STARFLEET!
USS Republic Forums web site now online!
USS Republic
members appear in newspaper
Member Benefits Program news
USS Exeter files activity report for
May
Now accepting
orders for Republic sport shirts
Ship's Store features chapter merchandise
Recent Chapter Event Photos
SIDEBAR
June Birthdays
Welcome Aboard!
June
Membership Renewals
Member Reenlistments
Wish List
About the Republic
For More Information
USS Republic Related Sites
Our Member Benefits
Program Partners
News from STARFLEET International
New
CQ, New STARFLEET logo, New Online Store
Fleet Admiral's
Blog
One Small
Step, One Giant Leap
New
Perks for STARFLEET members!
|
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Fourth
of July BBQ & Pool Party
12:00 noon to late evening
Saturday, July 4, 2009 (Rain Date: Saturday, July 11)
Hosted by ENS2 Hal Doby
4651 Cedar Brook Drive, Conyers GA 30094 |
Ensign
2nd Class Hal Doby is pleased to invite all members
of the Republic, as well as all our friends in the
IKAV Nemesis, KAG Atlanta, Stargate Atlanta, Atlanta
Outworlders and the USS Atlanta, for a full day of
fun, food and water on Saturday, July 4! This year,
the theme is "The Classic American Mid-Twentieth Century Picnic,"
circa 1950-1960. The menu is traditional American picnic
food, such as hamburgers, chicken and hot dogs on the grill.
Ensign Doby and the Republic will provide sodas,
burgers, chicken, hot dogs and the fixin's; attending members
and friends are asked to bring covered dishes and sides such
as fried chicken, potato salad, pies, cakes and other traditional
picnic food. But wait! There's more! Don't
try to sneak in with just any old can of store-brand pork
and beans. Just for fun, we'll hold a "Republic
Iron Chef" contest where people will vote on their favorite
side dish. The contest theme will be "The Classic American
Summer Picnic" and the winner will get an award of some sort
and the title of Republic Iron Chef! Entries
will be judged by popular vote based on originality, presentation
and of course, taste.
Starting around noon, we'll open the pool to anybody that
wants to splash around and have fun. Don't forget to
bring your swim trunks and a towel to dry off with! The
Republic will be providing ice and non-alcoholic beverages
for your enjoyment. The event is BYOB, so should you
choose to bring spirits, please enjoy yourself responsibly. The
event will continue into the afternoon and evening for as
long as everyone wishes to stay, so feel free to arrive as
early or as late as you're able. We'll show some classic
sci-fi movies of the 1950s and 1960s on Ensign Doby's 57"
Big Screen TV later in the day. This invitation is open
to all members and friends of the Republic, all other
metro area science fiction fans, and anyone else that would
enjoy a good time. The command and crew of the USS Republic
look forward to seeing you there!
MAP
AND DIRECTIONS |
NEWS
& ANNOUNCEMENTS
USS
Republic: The New "Star" in STARFLEET! |
STARFLEET
chapters all over the world planned for months to capitalize
on the release of J. J. Abrams' Star Trek movie in
May. STARFLEET printed a huge overrun of the
150th issue of its Communiqué newsletter to
be able to use as a recruitment tool, Region 2 management
created and provided to all Region 2 chapters a special
promotional poster, and there was even a YahooGroups established
for this particular purpose. Nationwide, individual
chapters contacted their local theaters to coordinate recruitment
drives and many of them were featured in their local news
media. Here in Atlanta, the USS Republic
began working with the Regal Cinemas in Chamblee as early
as January to prepare for our three-day presence in their
lobby. After all the dust settled, we knew we
did pretty darned good in our recruitment efforts, having
signed up nine new members on Friday, nine more new members
on Saturday, eight new members on Sunday, and four additional
new members via our web site in the days following the opening
weekend, for a month-end total of thirty new membersan
astonishing 54% increase in our membership, from 56 to 86
members, in just three weeks' time.
We didn't know how good we did, however, until STARFLEET
Chief Communications Officer Commodore Jonathan Lane
published Fleetwide recruitment results on the STARFLEET
International web site on June 3. In an article
titled "Fleet
strength surges!," Commodore Lane quotes STARFLEET
Membership Administrator Fleet Captain Matt Ingles:
At the chapter level, it appears most chapters that gained
members did so in 1's or 2's. However, there were
a few with increases in the double digits: in Region 3,
USS Corsair [Baton Rouge, Louisiana] increased their
membership by 10; in Region 5, the USS Thermopylae
[Federal Way, Washington] also increased by 10; in Region
1, the USS Star League [Waynesboro, South Carolina]
increased membership by 11; and in Region 2, the USS Republic
increased its membership by 30!! The Republic
has more NEW members than any other chapter in R2 has members,
and indeed, there are only a small handful of chapters Fleetwide
with more than 30 members in their chapter. The Republic's
total membership count is now at 86 (the next closest chapter
is the Thermopylae at 53). In fact, the Republic's
86 members makes them the same size or even larger than
eight whole Regions!!
Fleetwide, STARFLEET recruited 326 new members in May, increasing
its international membership by 9.7% from 3,342 to 3,668. Seventy
of those new members were recruited in Region 2, increasing
Regional membership by 14.7% from 476 to 546. The
Republic recruited 42.8% of Region 2's new members
and 9.2% of all of STARFLEET's new members. As
of the end of May, the USS Republic is now three
times larger than the second-largest chapter in Region 2
and represents 15.8% of the Regional membership. Each
of Region 2's 30 chapters represents only 3.3% of the Region.
These spectacular numbers could not have been possible without
the hard work, dedication and loyalty of all those members
and friends who came out to the Regal Cinemas over the premiere
weekend to help work our recruitment table. Commendations
for outstanding service go to Capt Michael Cowart,
Ens Todd Dissinger, Ens John Godwin, Ens Eddie
Hines, Ens Chris Jones, ENS3 Sue Lin Lange,
ENS2 Zannetta Law, ENS2 Mark A. Ozanick, Ens
John Stump, Ens Marilyn Teague, ENS3 Jeff
Trew, ENS3 Joanne Trew, ENS3 Julianne Trew,
Crewman Jenilee Trew and Ens "Wolfie." Also
helping us at our table were Admiral Mike Henigan,
Admiral Kelly Hilliard and ENS3 Marq Collins
of the USS Atlanta; Kevin & Theresa Parker
of the IKAV Nemesis; and Friend of the Republic
Anthony Reed.
|
USS
Republic Forums web site now online! |
Thanks
entirely to the efforts of Ens Drew Schlosser, the
USS Republic's Forums web site is now not only online
and fully functional, but can also be easily found at the
nifty new web address of www.ussrepublic.info!
The Forums site is a new online community where our
membership can log in, create a variety of topics for discussion,
post messages and announcements and, best of all, not
have such messages emailed to every member subscribed to our
members-only YahooGroups message board! The Forums
site has been inaugurated with twelve different topics dealing
mostly with various aspects of Star Trek. Sometime
soon, some additonal topics will be added that are more chapter-specific. All
members are encouraged to visit the site, register and get
the discussions going! And be sure to thank Ens
Drew Schlosser for his excellent work! |
USS Republic members appear in newspaper |
USS
Republic member Ens Eddie Hines was interviewed
by the Marietta Daily Journal in early June for an
article about the new IMAX theater in Kennesaw that appeared
in the Friday, June 5, edition of the paper. Twenty
members and friends of the Republic were invited to
see the new Star Trek movie at this theater on Wednesday,
May 6, by the marketing firm representing IMAX (see Recent
Chapter Event Photos below); the same firm arranged this follow-up
interview with our Cobb County members for the MDJ. Although
the USS Republic was not mentioned by name in the article,
three photos published in the print edition show several members
of the Republic in costume, including a group shot
where our chapter logo is clearly visible. Members
and friends visible in these photos include Ens Chris Jones,
Scott Rennick, Cindy Rennick, D. A. Moore,
ENS2 Zannetta Law, ENS3 Julianne Trew, Sarah
Hughes, CRMN3 Jenilee Trew, Edward DeGruy,
Cmdr Joe Campbell, ENS3 Joanne Trew, Capt Eric
L. Watts, ENS2 Andrea Benton, ENS2 Mark A. Ozanick
and Ens Marilyn Teague. Oddly
enough, although Ens Hines was interviewed in the article,
he wasn't included in any of the photos! Read the
online edition of the article (without photos) here
and the print edition of the article (with photos) here. |
Member
Benefits Program news |
|
Throughout
the months of June and July, our friend Al Head
at the Aspen
Book Shop (one of our valued Member Benefits
Program partners) is offering 75% off all Star Trek
titles. Drop by Aspen Book Shop soon and pick
up some great titles at dirt cheap prices, and tell
Al you're a member of the USS Republic! |
|
Effective
immediately, All Fract Up is no longer associated
with our Member Benefits Program. Many of
our chapter brochures listing All Fract Up as one of
our partners are still in circulation; however, our
association with them has ended. |
|
USS
Exeter files activity report for May |
Commander
John R. Sims, Commanding Officer of the Republic's
shuttle in Jacksonville, Florida, chapter-in-training USS
Exeter NCC-1706, submitted the following report for
May 2009:
I am proud to announce that our
new XO, Janice Neu, Chief Tactical Officer Ryan
McDowell and Yeoman Hyo Soon have been promoted
in rank. They passed their OTS exams and due to their
unwavering service, they were given the ranks Lieutenant and
Lt. JG. Way to go! Now we are awaiting
our new XO to finish her studies to take and pass the OCC. Then,
we will finally be able to send in the required paperwork
to get full ship's status. We are hoping to get
our confirmation at Dragon*Con. Thanks to the BEST CO
a boy could ever have... Eric "Da Man" Watts!
Stardate 2009.05.02The USS Exeter
had a fast and furious first two weeks this month. The
last week of April, the CO was contacted by a photographer
from The Florida Times-Union
newspaper concerning a photo story they were doing about local
Trekkers. John Fletcher had been contacted
by Norm Lidell, the CO of the USS Haven
in Orlando (not a chapter of STARFLEET Ed.). He
and I had met at the extremely dull Vulkon Orlando in October. Mr
Fletcher came to my quarters and did some preliminary interviewing
for background information. He shot a few photos
here at the house and then we beamed over to my place of employment,
Publix. We took more photos by the area that most
of my work is concentrated in. The customers were a bit
surprised to see a Commander from the 23rd century posing
in front of a milk display! We finished and shook
hands. He informed me that the article would be
out in the May 5th edition.
On May 2, we had a very busy day. A week earlier,
I had been contacted by Jay Mooney. He is
the AV director of the main branch library. They were
to have a Star Trek-A-Thon. He
asked if we would like to attend this event and if I would
like to addresss the folks in attendance. Seeing
as I have been an on-and-off again thespian, I jumped at the
chance. Besides, it would give me the opportunity
to let the local fans know of our new ship and the opportunities
to be had! There were about 50-75 persons in the
audience who enjoyed the event. Shown episodes
were "The Cage," "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
and "The City on the Edge of Forever." Jay
had me bring along a DVD of the Star
Trek: New Voyages episode "In Harm's
Way" in case anyone would be interested in seeing what the
fans are making. And boy! Did they ever! I
took the podium and spoke about STARFLEET, the Exeter
and the really great fan-made episodes. I explained
that James Cawley has made us old hats very happy with
his creations. For some strange reason, I
was given a standing ovation! I guess that I can
be a scenery-chewing SOB... just like The Shat! We
handed out flyers and headed over to my quarters for the ship's
meeting. Janice Neu, our new XO, and her two adorable
little boys helped me at the library.
Then there was chaos! My yeoman and I were witness to
the biggest Exeter
meeting ever! In attendance were Ed and
Janice Neu and their sons James and Adam;
Julie and Jordan Cain; Marian LaPlaca and her
daughter; and two new prospective members, Mike & Lori. They
are, again, management members with the Publix grocery chain. Mike
is a lifelong fan and was extremely impressed with my knowledge
of classic Trek
as well as being mesmerized by my NASA collectibles. We
had some fantastic delicacies, again, prepared by my yeoman,
Hyo Soon. Korean BBQ, dumplings, noodles,
etc. Janice, Marian and I worked on the huge USS
Exeter
banners to be displayed at the movie theatre for the upcoming
Star Trek
movie. We discussed our plans for the event, enjoyed
the food and watched a personal favorite episode from the
miniseries, From the Earth to the
Moon, "Is That All There Is?The
Apollo 12 Mission." We all had a great time
and went our separate ways.
I was then contacted by the manager of the Regal Cinemas and
told that there would be a "sneak viewing" of the new
Star Trek
movie on Thursday evening. My yeoman and I attended
it and I must tell you, despite my trepidations, I was completely
floored! This is, in my humble opinion, the rebirth
of our family of characters! My yeoman was drawn
to tears on the opening sequence... and me, too.
The next day was another doozie of a day. After
working a 10-hour day at work, I met XO Janice Neu and her
two sons at the Regal Cinemas and set up shop. The
manager, Frank, was very generous and let us do our thing. We
displayed props, models and costumes. We also had
membership forms, CQs (supplied by Eric) and made
small talk with all individulas who seemed interested. The
really cool part was when Scott Johnson, a reporter
from the local TV station WJXT, came to do an interview with
us. He was fair, but a bit snarky. From
my experience from my days on the Excalibur,
this was to be expected. The interview went well
and aired that evening at 10:00. I have receved
many calls after that and we are hoping to get these possibles
to come to a meeting and see that the Fleet is fun!
In closing, I would like to thank our support ship's CO for
all his help in this endeavor, as well as Jack Eaton,
who sent us a really cool poster that we displayed at our
display. We are hoping to get full ship's status
at Dragon*Con and as soon as our new XO, Janice Neu, completes
the OCC, we WILL send the paperwork post-haste!
As of June 5, the USS Exeter crew included eight STARFLEET
members in good standing. Visit the Exeter's
web site here. |
Now
accepting orders for Republic sport shirts |
|
Members
of the Republic looked great in our embroidered
sport shirts on Georgia Public Broadcasting last December
|
|
Detail
of our embroidered sport shirts
|
With a
huge influx of new members, the Republic is once again
accepting orders for our popular chapter sport shirtsa
high-quality collared shirt with a black yoke, collar and
sleeves with a royal blue torso, reminiscent of the Voyager-style
STARFLEET uniformwith the Republic's red, blue,
yellow and black logo embroidered on the left breast.
These shirts have been very popular at Republic events
and activities where full Star Trek costumes aren't
necessary or desirable. Available in all sizes
from Small to 3XL, these great-looking shirts are available
once again for only $40.00 each. Because they have
to be special-ordered, we must have a minimum order of ten
shirts. We already have a commitment from three
members for a shirt, so at this point we only need seven more
commitments before we can proceed with our next order. If
you would like to order one of these awesome shirts, please
contact
the Captain. Orders may be placed by check,
cash or PayPal, and will be accepted until we reach the minimum
of ten. |
Ship's
Store features chapter merchandise |
The
USS Republic's Ship's
Store has plenty of merchandise still available. Help
stimulate your chapter's economy by purchasing one or more
of these exclusive, custom-made, Republic-branded items
that are the envy of all other Region 2 chapters.
Our
very own, custom-designed chapter comm badges, designed and
created by Capt Michael Cowart, feature the Republic's
"Delta Shield/Capital R" logo rendered in a Deep Space
Nine/Voyager-style comm badge that can be worn
with your Next Generation-era style uniform. Each
badge is individually cast in urethane resin and painted by
hand to closely resemble the silver and bronze colors of comm
badges actually used on the modern Star Trek series.
Available in your choice of traditional butterfly clutch (most
secure) for $10.00 each or magnetic backing (won't harm fabric)
for $12.00 each, these unique chapter comm badges will be
a perfect addition to your uniform for all future chapter
events. Show your pride in the Republic and visit
the Republic's Ship's
Store to order yours now!
HALF-PRICE
Calendars! Printed in full color and on heavyweight
card stock, drilled and comb-bound for easy wall-hanging,
the USS Republic's 2009 calendars feature twelve photos
from the Republic's highest-profile events and activities
from 2008, as well as member birthdays, federal holidays,
major religious and seasonal observances, and most Atlanta-area
science fiction convention dates. THE calendar
for all your fannish needs, this full-sized (10¾"
x 17"), limited edition calendar, regularly priced at
$10.00, can now be yours for only $5.00 postpaid. Visit
the Ship's
Store to order yours now!
GPB
Pledge Drive DVDs: We came, we answered phones, we conquered! Twenty-one
members and friends of the USS Republic answered phones
for two hours during Georgia Public Broadcasting's live semi-annual
Pledge Drive on Saturday, December 6... and we've got it on
DVD! See Capt Eric L. Watts be interviewed
on live TV! See Ens Eddie Hines ham it up
for the cameras! See two fully ridged Klingons
try to hold phones to their heads! See it all for
only $5.00 per each postpaid DVD! In addition to
40 minutes of televised Republic samaritanism, this
four-hour DVD also includes the last half-hour of Celtic
Woman–The Greatest Journey: Essential Collection; Victor
Borge: 100 Years of Music & Laughter! (1½ hrs); Yanni
Voices (30 min.) and the first hour of My Music: My
Generation–The 60s, hosted by Michelle Phillips. Visit
the Ship's
Store to order yours now! |
Recent
Chapter Event Photos |
|
OutlantaCon
|| May 1-3, 2009
Commanding Officer Captain Eric L. Watts at
the Republic's member recruitment table during
the three-day OutlantaCon weekend.
|
|
Star
Trek Movie IMAX Premiere: Kennesaw || May
6, 2009
Kneeling: D. A. Moore, Edward DeGruy, ENS2
Zannetta Law. Standing: ENS3 Sue Lin Lange,
Ens "Wolfie," ENS3 Julianne Trew, Cmdr Joe
Campbell, ENS3 Joanne Trew, Sarah Hughes, Capt Eric
L. Watts, Cindy Rennick, Scott Rennick, ENS2 Andrea
Benton, ENS2 Mark A. Ozanick, Ens Marilyn Teague,
CRMN3 Jenilee Trew, Capt Michael Cowart.
|
|
Star
Trek Movie Opening Weekend: Chamblee || May
8, 2009
Anthony Reed, Capt Michael Cowart, ENS3
Joanne Trew, ENS3 Julianne Trew, CRMN3 Jenilee Trew,
Capt Eric L. Watts, Ens John Stump, Admiral Kelly
Hilliard (USS Atlanta), Kevin Parker, Admiral
Mike Henigan (USS Atlanta).
|
|
Star
Trek Movie Opening Weekend: Chamblee || May
10, 2009
Donna Collins, Ens Chris Jones, Ens Todd
Dissinger, Ens John Stump, ENS2 Zannetta Law, Capt
Eric L. Watts, Kevin Parker, Theresa Parker.
|
|
TimeGate
VIII || May 22-24, 2009
Capt Eric L. Watts, Ens Todd Dissinger,
ENS3 Julianne Trew, ENS3 Joanne Trew and Capt Michael
Cowart at the Republic's member recruitment
table during the three-day TimeGate weekend.
|
|
USS
Republic's TimeGate Room Party || May
23, 2009
Seated: ENS2 Sue Lin Lange, CRMN3 Jenilee
Trew, ENS3 Julianne Trew. Standing: ENS3
Joanne Trew, Capt Michael Cowart, ENS2 Mark A. Ozanick,
ENS2 Zannetta Law, Capt Eric L. Watts.
|
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JUNE
BIRTHDAYS
Tuesday, June 2
Ensign Blake G. Anderson
Sunday, June 7
Crewman
Alex Jackson
ENS2
Michael Shipley
Wednesday, June 10
ENS3
Chadd Franklin
Tuesday, June 16
Ensign Andrea Benton
Friday, June 19
ENS2
Brooke Perry
Saturday, June 27
Crewman Cody Harner
Ensign Jose A. Torres
Sunday, June 28
Ensign Richard Wood
Tuesday, June 30
ENS2
Clint Mull
|
WELCOME
ABOARD!
30 New Members in May!
Ensign
Glenn Albertini
Ensign K'La Albertini
Ensign Blake G. Anderson
Ensign Diane Arkin
Ensign Scott Ash
Ensign Lisa Burrows
Ensign Tennille Clayton
Cadet Karl Dissinger
Ensign Kevin Harris
Ensign Stacy Harris
Crewman Elizabeth Hurst
Cadet Michael Hurst
Ensign Raye Anne Hurst
Crewman Alex Jackson
Ensign Bill Lahaise
Ensign Vicki Morea
Ensign Michael D. Peck
Ensign Pamela C. Richards
Ensign William Russell
Ensign Drew Schlosser
Ensign Bill Searcy
Ensign Chris Seckinger
Lt JG Christian M. Shepherd
Ensign Eric Solomon
Ensign Patrick Stephens
Crewman Aaron Towhey
Cadet Noah Towhey
Ensign Sue H. Towhey
Ensign Lisa Willey
Ensign Richard Wood
|
JUNE
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
These members' dues
expire in June
Commander
David A. Slaughter
Ensign John Godwin
Ensign Todd Dissinger
Ensign Chris White
Ensign Marilyn Teague
CLICK
HERE TO RENEW!
|
MEMBER
REENLISTMENTS
These members renewed their memberships
in May
ENS2 Nelson M. Barnhouse
ENS3 Michael A. Knight
ENS2 Clint Mull
ENS3 Jeff Trew
CRMN3 Jenilee Trew
ENS3 Joanne Trew
ENS3 Julianne Trew
|
|
The
Republic needs certain items on a continuing basis
to operate. To help keep our expenses and membership
dues as low as possible, donations of the following items
would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for
your support!
CRITICAL NEED: HP 10 black, cyan, magenta and yellow
ink cartridges
Also:
|
Wi-fi
enabled Windows XP laptop with remote mouse |
|
HP
10 black, cyan, magenta and yellow printheads |
|
postage
stamps |
|
13
x 19 70-lb. smooth white opaque text stock |
|
Avery
8160 or compatible address labels |
|
9
x 12 manila clasp envelopes |
|
8½
x 11 90-lb. white index card stock (Springhill 15101) |
|
clear
packing tape |
|
ABOUT
THE REPUBLIC
|
Commissioned
on May 14, 1988 at Dixie-Trek in Atlanta, Georgia, the
USS Republic NCC-1371 is a chapter of STARFLEET
International (SFI) and a member of STARFLEET Region 2. The
Republic currently has 86 active members
(as of June 10) and is now the largest chapter of STARFLEET
in the world.
The Republic plans and coordinates an active schedule
of events for its members, frequently partnering with
other local science fiction groups in the Atlanta area
for joint activities, but does not hold meetings on a
consistently fixed date each month.
Membership in the Republic includes membership
in STARFLEET International. Annual dues are $25
per person for both groups (family discounts are available
with certain conditions and restrictions). Membership
in the Republic includes a subscription to our
award-winning quarterly magazine, The Sovereign Star,
access to our YahooGroups message board, voting privileges
in chapter elections and a personalized laminated membership
card which entitles the member to discounts and rebates
on products and services offered by our Member Benefits
Program partners. Additional information on Republic
membership and how to join is on our award-winning web
site.
|
FOR
MORE INFORMATION
|
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USS
REPUBLIC RELATED SITES
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XBox
Live Gamertag:
"USS Republic"
|
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OUR
MEMBER BENEFITS PROGRAM PARTNERS
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NEWS
from
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New
CQ, New STARFLEET logo, New STARFLEET Online Store
|
Saturday,
June 20, 2009
|
LOTS
of news, fellow members!
First
up, the new CQ #152 is posted to the member database and
ready for download. Just go to sfi.org
and click on "Login to Database" or go directly to db.sfi.org.
Once inside the database (using your username and
password), click on the "Comm" section on the left and
then click on "Latest CQ." The PDF is 13.2 MB in
size.
The
printed version of CQ was also completed this week and
will be mailed out to members beginning next week. Then
it's all up to the Post Office.
There's
some great stuff in this issue, including part one of an
awesome two-part article about five members of the USS Omega
Glory acting as part of an evacuation team during a
cave rescue of two trapped and injured spelunkers (cave
explorers). Author Max Khaytsus does an amazing
job of putting you right inside the cave with them. You'll
sweat, you'll gasp for air, you'll marvel at the true-life
heroism of your fellow STARFLEET members through this wonderfully-written,
true-to-life rescue adventure. Look for it on pages
33-34.
Second
and third, we've got a new STARFLEET logo and new online
store, and the two go hand-in-hand. The new store
is IN ADDITION to the existing STARFLEET Quartermaster;
it doesn't replace it. However, the QM must buy
items first and then hope they sell, which costs STARFLEET
money up front. But there are some web sites out
there that let you create virtual products for free that
aren't printed until someone orders them. Most of
you have probably heard of Cafe Press, but they aren't
allowed to carry Star Trek-related items due to
an exclusive agreement with Paramount. But such
is not the case with Spreadshirt.com!
So
we now have a "Spreadshop" featuring T-shirts, sweatshirts,
bags and a few other items with the STARFLEET logo on
them. The great thing about Spreadshirt, though,
is that they use a printing process known as "Flex" which
allows printing on dark colors and the option of using
metallic inks... that never fade! Seriously,
the shirt will disintegrate before the image ever does!
The
reason for the new logo, however, is because of the complexity
of the old STARFLEET logo. It's too intricate to
shrink down to fit on certain items like the bags. So
to allow more variety of merchandise, I created a new
STARFLEET logo based more on the new movie. Both
logos are up on the new online store, and both are considered
"official" (I'm not ready to say good-bye to the old logo
yet). :-)
If
you want to take a look, the new store is located at shop.sfi.org.
The
old logo comes first, then the new one. Also, note
that the 3XLs are separate from and located below the
smaller sized shirts. The reason for that is
the 3XLs are slightly more expensive than the smaller
sizes (different products). There is also a 4XL,
but it only comes in white at the moment. (You'll
find 4XL on the third page.)
A
quick word about prices. Spreadshirt has a
base cost for item, and STARFLEET can add on a "profit"
for ourselves. To keep costs as low as possible
for members while still generating some revenue, STARFLEET's
profit has been set at between $1.50 and $2.50 (depending
on the item). In other words, don't think we're
jacking up the prices by ten bucks a shirt or anything.
The EC wanted to keep things affordable, and one
or two bucks seemed a fair margin... just in case anyone
was curious.
And
that's the news from Communications, folks. I've
already started working on CQ #153, and the submission
deadline for #154 is July 31. Send stuff to cq@sfi.org. Write
early, write often.
Commodore Jon Lane
STARFLEET International
Chief Communications Officer
comms@sfi.org
|
Fleet
Admiral's Blog:
STARFLEET's Growing Membership! |
Saturday,
June 13, 2009
|
Last
month, I spoke about how excited I was to see STARFLEET
engaged with the media and the frequent calls I was getting
regarding the new movie. Since that time, the phone
is still ringing but it's mostly from new members asking
questions about the organization and others asking how to
join. And a few days ago, I received an email from
John Halliday, our Chief of Computer Operations, telling
me that our membership is now around 3,850 active
members!
WOW! It is an exciting time to be in STARFLEET
and I want to say "Welcome" to those who have recently joined.
STARFLEET has been and continues to be a great organization.
The Executive Committee is just finishing up their
votes for the Annual Awards that are given out at our International
Conference being held, this year, in Greensboro, NC. It
is probably the toughest vote that the Executive Committee
is tasked with, each year: to pick those members who actually
tope their respective catagories and recognize their acheivement.
Everyone who is nominated is a winner in that they
all serve to enrich our organization and their communities.
I hope that some of the new members will have an opportunity
to meet these fine folks that are spread thoughout STARFLEETactually,
I hope to see some of these new people receiving some of
these awards in the future.
As I've learned in my 17 year membership, anything is possible
in STARFLEET!
Fleet Admiral Sal Lizard
Commander, STARFLEET |
One Small Step,
One Giant Leap |
The
2009 STARFLEET International Conference will be held August
69 in Greensboro, NC
|
"One
small step." Those words resonate as the defining
moment when man stepped onto the face of another world.
When STARFLEET was born as a small Star Trek
fan club in 1974, it took its own "small step" as well.
It stepped into a world of fandom that has defined
our culture and made another phrase as significant and recognizable:
"To boldly go where no man has gone before."
At the 2009 International Conference, we hope to bring to
the members of STARFLEET two very important events. We
plan to celebrate STARFLEET's 35th anniversary as one of
the world's largest and most active Star Trek fan
organizations. We will bring to the membership that which
they have come to expect from an IC: food, fun and
fellowship!
We are going to bring the party to the member in a way that
pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of man's landing on
the moon. Our theme for the entire weekend will be
a retro "Mission Control" atmosphere with games, panels
and a guest who has indeed "gone boldly." Considering
the time until this event, we are still in discussions on
the identity of the guest.
In keeping with the theme of this event, the charity will
be two-fold. Our primary charity will be to send a
deserving local school student, who would otherwise never
get the opportunity, to NASA Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.
Any proceeds beyond the Space Camp Scholarship will
go into the STARFLEET Scholarship Program.
This IC Team has worked hard to put together an outstanding
event with a well thought out theme that is appropriate
for that special yeara year celebrating the beginning
of two things that are important to the membership and everyone
on the planet. That is just the beginning!
Les Rickard
Chair, IC 2009 Committee
International
Conference Web Site |
New Perks for STARFLEET members! |
Monday,
June 8, 2009
|
Did
you know that STARFLEET offers perks beyond just the membership
card and certificate and six issues of CQ each
year?
Let me tell you about the latest promotion offering STARFLEET
members special discounts!
Motel 6 DiscountThey'll leave the warp core
on for you! Motel 6, through Accor Hotels Promotions,
is offering any STARFLEET member an additional 5% discount
from any Motel 6 room rate if you make your reservation
through the link on our web site and/or over the phone
using the special STARFLEET Corporate Plus ID #545646.
(You will need to show your STARFLEET ID card at
check-in to confirm the rate.) What's awesome is
that Accor Hotels will be sending STARFLEET actual Corporate
Plus ID cards (with our logo on them!) to drop into all
new membership packets starting in another month or so.
The most cool thing about all this, though: Motel
6 came to us! And when I asked them why, they said
that we look like a very impressive organization with
a lot of active members, a professional web site and top-of-the-page
search engine results on the web. What's more, Accor/Motel
6 is purchasing a half-page ad in CQ. Things are
definitely starting to take off around here, folks!
Commodore Jon Lane
STARFLEET International
Chief Communications Officer
comms@sfi.org
|
STARFLEET
Membership Perks |
|