Communication Log: Win a "free" Star Wars Encyclopedia

From the Del Rey Internet Newsletter:

DRIN - Del Rey Internet Newsletter - December, 2008

"Win one of five Free copies of THE COMPLETE STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA! Post our THE COMPLETE STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA widget on your website or blog and be eligible to win one of five finished copies of THE COMPLETE STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA. Click here to add the THE COMPLETE STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA widget to your website or blog, then fill out the form indicating the URL where you posted the widget by midnight on Monday, December 15, 2008. We will randomly select five winners who will receive a finished copy of the book."

The prize is valued from $75.00 to $125.00 depending on where you buy it!!!!

Ship's Log: Dec Meeting Minutes

The Dec 6th Christmas Party was held at Diane and Gordon's home. Everyone had a fun time! In attendance at the December meeting: Diane, Gordon, Chris, Eric, Rene, Rene G., Jill, Cat, Karen, Kurt, Phillip, Scott, Chuck, Elaine, Rachel, and Richard.

The food was excellent! We "feasted" on Chick filet chicken strips, homemade chocolate cake and apple pie, pin wheels, oreos, candy, nuts and much more. There was even warm cider to take off the chill. (It snowed for several minutes around 5pm!)

Captain Phillip discussed several agenda items:

Time is running out to reorder Bonaventure stuff, please let Phillip know if you are interested. See prices in the previous November 9th blog.

January 17 will be the next meeting. We will meet at Borders in Greensboro on the corner of High Point and Holden to car pool to Burlington. The January Meeting will be at Heroes Haven, which is right besides Mayberry's.

Continue working on roleplaying and ship designs.

We watched the Star Trek Trailer 2 (the one with old Spock in it) and critiqued it and what we think of the rumors about the upcoming movie. There were varying opinions. Most people were going to keep an open mind when they saw the movie.

We played Star Trek Santa or Dirty Ferengi depending on how politically correct you are. All the gifts were placed in the middle of the room and we drew numbers to see who would go first. Some gifts were stolen often like the Star Wars Yoda toy, the Hallmark Star Trek Communicator and the Next Generation Comic books. I'm looking forward to reading the book about Roddenberry I stole called "Star Trek Creator". Everyone had a good time, maybe people would like to comment on who they think best displayed Ferengi behavior. Of course, we ordered by our Captain to steal so we all have an excuse.... Eric requested more Star Trek instead of Star Wars toys for next year's Christmas party.

Diane and Gordon organized a Christmas card signing for our troops. Thank you Diane and Gordon for organizing that event and inviting us to your home.

Dan will send an email about the group getting together next weekend to watch The Day the Earth Stood Still.

It started to snow around 5:00 and I left at that time because I had a long shuttle ride home.

If you took pictures at the party please email them to me so I can post them.

Ship's Log: November Meeting Minutes

Captain Phillip presided over the November 8th meeting at the Natural Science Center in Greensboro. The crew had a wonderful time at the Science Center. Stephanie was gave us a special tour of the inside animals (tortoise, spiders (Stephanie had rescued a Mexican fireleg tarantula and had donated it to the center), bugs, vampire bats (small but scary- they had bowls of bovine blood in the cage). We also had fun seeing the outside animals, tigers, South American wolves,an anteater, and other cute animals.

In attendance were: Scott, Chuck, Eric, Richard, Elaine, Gordon, Diane, Chris- with his two sons, Kip and Lane, Phillip, Rachel, Dan, Jill, Rene, and a call in "hello" from James. We had two guests attend Rene and Amanda. Special guide: Stephanie!

The December Meeting will be on the first Saturday, December 6th. It will be our Christmas party meeting at Diane and Gordon's House starting at 2:00 p.m. Dan will send directions and there will be a car pool to their house.

We will be playing Star Trek Santa or the politically incorrect name of Dirty Ferengi. Each person should bring a gift from the $0 to $5 range. It may be handmade, Dollar Store, or a regift from last year. Please do not feel you can not attend if you do not have a gift. Extra gifts will be brought so everyone can play the point is to have fun! The Captain said there needed to be more stealing of prizes this year.

Snack food- we have some people already bringing food so please bring drinks, chips and desserts. Check with Dan or Diane for anything special to bring.

The ship will be taking prepaid orders for Bonaventure stuff at the Christmas party. Please bring cash and order form. Please add tax to the following prices:
$08.00 Bonaventure t-shirt
$12.00 Bonaventure cap
$15.00 Bonaventure sweatshirt
$15.00 Bonaventure briefcase
$18.00 Bonaventure polo shirt
$20.00 Bonaventure gear bag
$22.00 Bonaventure hoodie

The January 17th meeting will be on the 3rd Saturday in January. It is currently scheduled for Heroes Haven in Burlington. If you want a Monster Maroon uniform ready for the IDC come ready to be fitted and the first installment of $25.00. We will be car pooling again and meeting at Borders.

Next Department Head Meeting will be in February. February's regular meeting is yet to be decided.

The March Meeting will coincide with Stellar Con, which is the 2nd weekend in March. We will meet in the hotel lobby so if you do not wish to attend the convention you will not have to pay. Richard encouraged us to have a Star Trek panel. The crew would receive a 10% discount if 10 or more pay with one check.

Contact Dan if you wish to be in one of the Christmas parades in ST uniform:
Saturday, November 22 Burlington 9:00am
Friday, December 5 Mebane 5:00pm
Saturday, December 6 Graham 9:00am
Saturday, December 13 Gibsonville 2:00pm

Charity Events:
Eric gave a shout out for the Triad Health Winter 3 mile Walk on December 7th in Greensbor that is raising money to find a cure for Aids/HIV

Dan gave a shout out for the crew to help with Urban Ministries Food Drive. He would like the crew to set up at a Food Lion and ask for food and contributions for this charity.

Quantum of Solace Group Times:
James Bond rules! The group will be meeting at the following times and places to see the movie:

Saturday at the High Point Palladium for the 4:55 showing
Sunday at the High Point Palladium for the 2:20 showing.

Come early tickets are sure to sell out fast! They are already preselling them at theatres.

Poll Results
The favorite Star Trek series poll ended in a tie with 2 votes for the Original series, 2 votes for Next Gen and 1 vote for Enterprise.

The favorite Dr. Who poll ended with Eccleston winning with 2 votes and a past doctor receiving 1 vote. I know many people said that David was their favorite doctor but they didn't vote so Chris won! Yea!

This week's poll is for your favorite James Bond actor. Vote!

Communication Log: Dr. Who Leaving Series

Bad news for Dr. Who fans- Tennant is leaving!

"He will appear in a Christmas special and four hour-long episodes to be aired in 2009 and early 2010. But he said Wednesday that when the series returns for a full season in 2010, "it won't be with me."

Read the entire article "Say what? Tennant Leaving Dr. Who" at MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27454802/

Take the poll, which Dr. Who is your favorite! If you choose the "past doctor" option add a comment to this post to say which one is your favorite! Everyone should vote!

Ship's Log: USS Bonaventure mentioned in Starfleet Communique several times!

USS Bonaventure was mentioned several times in the Star Fleet Communicator!

1. Our 20th Anniversary Picnic was featured in the article "USS Bonaventure Celebrates Twenty Years as a Starfleet Chapter" with several color pictures. Also take a look at "Creator of Brewster Rockit Made Honorary member of the USS Bonaventure". You can read both of Dan Johnson's articles submitted by Charles Rizzo on page 7 or see images here. Thanks Dan for giving this blog a shout out!

2. In the "What an IC!" article on page 22 and 23, the USS Bonaventure hosting of the next IC is mentioned in the last paragraph, "But now I'm thinking about signing up for IC'09 in Greensboro, North Carolina in August!"


3. On page 25 in the article "Starfleet Takes the Cake" a picture of our out of this world decorated cake with the USS Bonaventure on it is displayed.

There are many other interesting articles in this issue of Starfleet Communique. I enjoyed reading the article "My New Feelings about Star Trek X1" on page 20. I can't wait for the movie! Please take a moment to complete the poll as to which Star Trek series is your favorite! I just learned how to put a poll on my blog. There was only room for four choices so if ST: Voyager is your favorite show you can start a write in campaign in the comments section. Everyone should vote!

Ship's Log: Great Conventions! Monster Con and Paper Heroes

USS Bonaventure had fun and successful recruitment drives at both Monster Con (Oct 4 & 5) and Paper Heroes Con (Oct 17, 18, 19).

Monster Con in Concord allowed free entry if you were in uniform. So the majority of the USS Bonaventure crew where dressed in their Star Fleet uniforms. Hopefully the crew member who took the group photo will send it to me so I can post it.

Paper Heroes Con in Burlington was a weekend of fun! See the photo of Eric and Chris representing the USS Bonaventure.

Dan will be submitting his interview he did with Robert Harris and William Jones (two guests at the convention) about their working with Scott Bakula when he was here in North Carolina shooting the USA made for television movie Above Suspicion.

More pictures from Paper Heroes Con and Monster Con will appear in the Communique.

Ship's Log: September Meeting - Response Needed for Uniforms

Captain Phillip presided over the September USS Bonaventure Meeting at the Burlington Mayberry's. We all enjoyed various delicious ice cream treats!

Then we visited the Heroes Haven Comic Book store next store. The group was treated to a fashion show by Scott Gibson as he modeled the latest in Federation Uniforms.

The group has a great opportunity to obtain wonderful maroon uniforms at a special group rate. It so good we can't publish it on the Internet.

Please contact Dan, Phillip, or any department head that was in attendance to get the pricing information and to let them know if you would like to purchase one.

In attendance were both Scotts, Bill, Dan, Catherine, Elaine, Chris, Eric, Diane, Gordon, Phillip, Chuck and one new member Kevin and one possible new member Brad. Welcome Kevin and Brad to our meeting!

Reorder USS Bonaventure items! Now is the time to let Phillip know if you would like to order or reorder any items with the USS Bonaventure logo such as shirts, hats, brief case or patches.

What department do you want to be in? This is your chance to give input on how your corner of the ship will look. Examples are Medical also called biological sciences, Science, Engineering, Marines, Communications etc.

Materials needed by September 27 for the Anniversary Issue of our Newsletter! Use your creativity, draw pictures, tell stories, write reports or reviews. We need your input! Please remember to bring your used cans because we are using our recycling as a means to get money. Of course, money donations are also welcome.

The new Star Trek movie was discussed!

If you take pictures at our meetings please email them to me ewitkowski@randolph.k12.nc.us so I can post them on my blog.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Renaissance Fair- September 20 in Burlington, NC. Sponsored by Heroes Haven and it will be in their parking lot.

Monster Con- October 4 & 5 in Concord, NC
The USS Bonaventure will be setting up a table and our very own writer, Dan Johnson will be a guest at the event.

The October 11th meeting will be at Leah's house, which is close to where the August meeting was off Lexington Street. Dan will be sending directions closer to the meeting. We will be having a "left over" anniversary cookout. There were plenty of hot dogs, hamburgers and buns left over from our June picnic. Dan will be sending out an email to see what everyone would like to bring to the cookout. The time will be 1:00ish for people helping with the cooking and 2:00 for others.

Paper Heroes Con- October 17 -19 in Burlington, NC
The USS Bonaventure will be setting up a table and Dan Johnson will be a guest at the event.

Halloween Party? Does anyone have ideas for a Halloween get together? Please email Dan or Philip if you have any suggestions.

The November 8th meeting will be at the Science Center at 2:00 p.m.

The December 6th Christmas Party/Meeting will be at Diane's and Gordon's home. We will be playing the Dirty Ferengi game. Everyone brings a small gift (at the $5.00) range. The first person picks a gift. Then each person after the first person can "steal" a gift from someone else or open a new gift. It is great fun!

Ship's Log- Friday & Saturday Clone War Movie Times

(Hi Everyone, I'm reposting Eric's message in case you are not on the email list. Happy Viewing! Elaine :) )

Hello, all! If I've missed anyone, I apologize. If I've included anyone who isn't interested...well, that's what you get for coming to the cookout and signing the contact list.

If any of you are interested and have the time (and money), we're getting a group up to see Star Wars: The Clone Wars this Friday, 15 August at the Palladium Cinemas at Wendover and Penny Road in High Point. The showtime we're planning is 19:15 (7:15 PM for those of you who don't like the 24 hour clock). I just checked movietickets.com, and you can get tickets online if you don't mind the surcharge (I think it's $1 per ticket). Or if you prefer, just drop by the box office. I'm not sure how hot this is going to be, but I would suggest getting advanced tickets just in case. Prices for evening shows should be $9 for adults. If you think this is too much (and I might agree for some shows), we're also planning a Saturday afternoon matinee. If you're interested, let me know so I can send out a showtime.

So if you want to join us and catch the show, we'll be meeting at the theater around 18:30 (OK, 6:30 PM). And yes, I'm taking off work that day. So this may be your only chance to see me out of my native environment during the week.

Hope to see you all there!

Eric

Ship's Log- August Meeting and 8-16-08 Clone Wars movie

Captain Phillip presided over the August Bonaventure meeting at the Mad Platter.

In attendance were Scott Gibson, Catherine, Diane, Ruby, Chris, Eric, Phillip, Rachel, Chuck, Dan, Gordon, Elaine, and Lea.

Also in attendance was new member Scott Melrose was welcomed. Commander Melrose is an Command intelligence officer. Previous posts are the USS Jamestown 1864D and MAAT 1794A.

Everyone had fun painting at the Mad Platter. Chris did a very detailed Enterprise painting on a tile.

The ship celebrated Diane's birthday with a Darth Vader cupcake cake and numerous well wishes and gifts.

Afterwards Chris, Elaine, Gordon, Diane, and Catherine went to see Mummy 3. It was a good movie but not as good as the original.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, August 16th at the 4 Seasons Theatre the group will be seeing Star Wars Clone Wars at the time closest between 3:00 and 3:30

September's meeting will be at Burlington's Hero's Haven Comic Book Store. Many members will be meeting at Borders on Holden and High Point Rd to car pool to the meeting.

October's meeting will be at Lea's house and will be a cookout with all of the leftovers from the 20th anniversary picnic.

Ship's Log: June's 20th Anniversary Picnic/Meeting

The USS Bonaventure celebrated it's 20th Anniversary with a wonderful picnic for its June meeting. There was plenty of food, fun and friendship!

Captain Phillip welcomed over 50 people at the event. We had visitors from the USS Kitty Hawk, SF3, and Greensboro/SciFi Fantasy Fans

Door Prizes

The following prizes were given away: t-shirts, patches, comic books, audio books, dvds, an authentic ST call sheet, and the grand prize was the entire season of the animated Star Trek, the series were the USS Bonaventure received its name.

History of USS Bonaventure
Look under the tab "about the Bonaventure" for more information.

Awards

Disclaimer: I was so busy clapping that I wasn't able to write all of the awards details down. Please let me know the exact title of your awards and I will add the details. You may leave a comment on the blog or email me at ewitkowski@randolph.k12.nc.us

The Ship received a regional Communications Award.
Crew members receiving awards are:
Jill (service),
Rene (service/promotion to Captain),
Stephanie (service),
James (service),
Tony (service/librarian),
Eric (service, engineering)
Elaine (blog),
Gordon (service, blood donation),
Diane (service/blood donation),
Rachel (service- putting up with Phillip's friends :) ),
Anjanette (service- putting up with Scott's friends),
Lea (service/Regional Let Me Help award),
Kayla (Victory Junction),
Les (Service in Iraq),
Dan (service/communications),
Scott (service/advice),
Chuck (service)

Tim Rickard, creator of the comic, Brewster Rockit was made a honorary member of the USS Bonaventure

Upcoming Meetings in 2008 (usually the 2nd Saturday of every month at 2:00)

July 12 Mariott Hotel, at the PTI airport, Greensboro, NC 2:30 The Star Fleet International Conference 2009 meeting will be hosted there.

August 9 Mad Platter, 1514 N Main St, High Point, NC 27262 2:00

September 13 Ice Cream Social 2:00

October 11 Cookout 2:00

November 8 Science Center, Theater, Zoo, Greensboro 2:00

December 6 Christmas Party

Ship's Log: May Meeting Minutes

Bonaventure's May meeting was held at Putt-Putt Golf after a lunch at Cook Out.

In attendance was Phillip, Richard, Janine, Chuck, Les, Katherine, Chris, Scott, Dana, Renee, Jill, Eric, and Elaine . Captain Phillip led the meeting.

The R1RC nomination was discussed. Les mentioned that he was running for a position and listed the names of other people who were also running.

IC 2009 will be in August at the Marriott Hotel at the airport. Bonaventure will be hosting.

The next order of business was the Bonaventure apparel reorder. We had an informal fashion show displaying the t-shirt, hat, and polo shirts with the ship's logo on them. T-shirts were $8.00 and the polos ranged from $12.00 up to around $21.00

The BIG news of the day was the planning for the Anniversary Party:

• on June 14th at Gibson Park


• Directions once you get to Gibson Park is to drive around 1 to 2 miles once you turn into the entrance. The street deadends into a bath house. Shelter 2 is on the right and there will be a giant Bonaventure Banner hanging over the shelter.


• The fun starts at 2:00 for guests and runs until around 6:00.


• Department Heads need to arrive at 1:00 to begin preparations.


• The grill will start at 1:30


• Door prizes will start at 2:00. The door prizes will be spaced out through out the entire event. T-shirts, patches, dvds and other goodies will be given away.


• Door prize donations are welcome and encouraged!


• A big thank you to Dan for creating the invitations and Diane for sending the invitations to all of the ships in N.C. and to some neigboring States. A good showing of over 50 guests is expecting.


• Everyone must RSVP by June 6th so the proper amount of food can be purchased. You can send an email to ussbonaventure@mindspring.com or go to our new web site at http://www.ussbonaventurencc102.org/ for the physical address to rsvp.


• Because of the number of people expected to attend it is BYOC- bring your own chair and any extra lawn chairs that you may have.


• The cake adventure was discussed. Phillip has been battling secret alien agents who want to throw a road block in front of us having a decorated cake. Little did our foe know that you don't want to challenge the Bonaventure crew with the Prime +1 directive, which is eating and having fun. Phillip will be continuing the battle soon. Donations for the cake(s) are welcome.


• Phillip has the list of food that Bonaventure members volunteered to bring in case you forget what you volunteered to bring.


• If you plan to walk the trails, please remember that the trails do NOT circle back to the Shelter. (Sounds like a Romulan plot to me)


• Bring your aluminum cans! Dan is recycling the cans to pay for a print copy of our AAWFO newsletter. Dan also needs submissions, and/or pictures for AAWFO by the end of May so it can be distributed at the picnic.
• Official Awards both at the Fleet level and the Ship level will be given out at the picnic.

Think about what charity or charities you would like the USS Bonaventure to support in the upcoming year.

Richard gave a Stellar Con 2009 update. It will be at the Radisson hotel on March 13 - March 15. During Stellar Con 2008 the USS Bonaventure's Chuck and Scott beat KAG in the checkers challenge. We also beat KAG in the charity auction challenge.

UPCOMING CONVENTIONS

• Amimazement is in Durham on May 23-25 http://www.animazement.org/
• Concarolinas is in Charlotte on May 30-June 1 http://www.concarolinas.org/

CURRENT AND UPCOMING MOVIES

• Iron Man received wonderful reviews from the crew
• Speed Racer was not seen because of poor word of mouth and bad reviews. Please post comments about this movie if you go see it.
• Indiana Jones will be seen by the crew on Sunday afternoon, May 25th

Zombie Con in Greensboro this Saturday 3-29-08

Just a quick note about Zombie Con this Saturday 3-29-08.

Jericho's Series Finale- Too Close to Reality?

I really liked Jericho and was happy when it was renewed and was sad when it was cancelled again. It was very suspenseful and had great acting. Could it be that it hit too close to home? They had a mercenary group called Raven wood which mirrored activities that the real life Black water "security forces" were accused of. Look at the different real life responses to disasters such as 9-11 or Katrina. Do we really know how our government would handle multiple disasters at once? It was a show that made you think while you were enjoying the storyline.

Communication Log: Music- Star Trek- Bon Jovi Concert

This is a reverse trivia question. I am looking for the episode and I will give you the question. I do NOT know the answer and would love for you to share your expertise with me. Which Star Trek episodes featured Spock performing musically. I remember one where he was using a guitar-like instrument and there was a group of hippies. I remember another one where he was singing to Lt. Uhuru or Nurse Chapel? It was when some aliens had control of their minds and/or bodies. I also remembered a third episode but I'm real hazy on the details.

Would Spock have approved of the Bon Jovi Concert?
My sister and I had a great time at the Bon Jovi concert. We went to the coliseum early around 5:30 to try to buy tickets from scalpers. We were thinking that once the concert started the ticket prices would go down. We decided to check the box office to see what they had left. Apparently a corporation had reserved a row of seats and had just released them. We were able to sit very close to the stage (109 AA- we were three rows up in the first elevated row) and we were able to get the tickets for only 80.00 each. My sister started crying because she was so happy. It was her birthday and she couldn't think of a better gift than great seats at the concert. We had never sat that close during a concert. Bon Jovi was incredible. I don't know how the man gets his energy. He was bouncing all over the stage and the music was awesome. The opening act, Chris Daughtry, was very good too. We parked on Chapman street so we were able to get out quickly. I can't believe 22,000 people were at the concert. I didn't get home until after midnight and didn't get to bed until 1am. I am so tired today but I'm glad I went. Did anyone else go?

Ship's Log: March Meeting 3-15-08

Bonaventure's March Meeting was held at Stellarcon in the lobby of the Radisson Hotel.

The Bonaventure fan table so steady traffic all day. Our new banner was above our table and we showed fan films, remastered Star Trek episodes

The group also ran an ad in the Stellarcon program inviting people to our 20th Anniversary Celebration Picnic at Gibson Park in Jamestown, NC (see link for map). Gibson Park is off Wendover, near Palladium Theatres. The entrance is beside the Deep River Pet Hospital. The picnic will be on June 14th at 2:00 pm.

Also in the ad was our new web site at http://www.ussbonaventurencc102.org/

Attending the meeting was Phillip, Scott, Eric, Elaine, Chris, Dan, Jennifer, Wendell, Robert, Tony, Chuck and several Klingons from KAG

Phillip talked about the new banner, new logo, and new ship design (1st ship of the new Emissary Class Heavy Cruiser design). He explained how the logo and design were a combination of future technology and the traditional look.

Department Heads: Reports need to go to Dan by the end of the month. Each department should keep on working on how you want your department to look. Each department may have a different logo for their department.

New less expensive patches were located, the only catch is that 100 has to be ordered. 3 inch patches are $3.00 and 3 1/2 inch patches are $3.40.

Hats and Shirts were given out. Royal Blue was used in the hats and part of the logo because navy blue was too dark.

Upcoming Events:

April Meeting: On April 12th we will meet at Shoney's (I-40 & Hwy 68) at 2:00, get there before 2:00 if you want the breakfast buffet.

Zombie Con: On March 29th at the Clarion Hotel off 40. Admission is $5.00

May Meeting: On May 10th at the Cookout on North Main St besides the Putt Putt. At 2:00 we will eat lunch at Cookout and then we walk next door and play Putt Putt.

ConCarolinas: On May 30th - June 1st. Picardo had to cancel because he is now a regular on StarGate: Atlantis.

June Meeting: 20th Anniversary celebration picnic at Gibson Park in Jamestown, NC. See opening of minutes for map link and directions.

September Meeting: Mayberry Day

Kela and other Klingons came by for the challenge checkers match.

"I'll be back" but I won't be watching

I can't remember a more boring season finale than tonight's Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Now that the strike is over I predict that the show will not last long. What do you think?

Previous ST Trivia Question:We all know the prime directive but what is general order 15?
Answer: "No flag officer shall beam into a hazardous area without armed escort." Quoted by Saavik before Kirk beamed onton the Regula 1 space station.

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition 6
Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity

Homeland Security issues alert to be on the look out for possible "alien" rabbit

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Chuck with a pre-Easter greeting for us! Aren't we glad that Scott had his iphone ready this for not-of-this-world action.

Last Blog's ST Trivia Question:
Which famous actor played the night shift communications officer on the Excelsior in ST4?

Answer:
Christian Slater. His mom, Mary Jo Slater, was casting director on the film.

Today's ST Trivia Question:
We all know the prime directive but what is general order 15?

In honor of Chuck- today's Ferengi Rule of Acquistion is Rule 7:
Keep your ears open!

Ship's Log: Pics and SW Magazine Winners

Which device is absolutely necessary for a prepared Star Fleet Officer to have? Forget about the tricorder, who needs a sonic screwdriver, when you have a iphone with a camera ability!

Thank you Scott for sending the pictures of the February meeting. They are great. Everyone looks like they are having a wonderful time.

Last month I had a contest for making comments on this site. The winners of a Star Wars Magazine are James Austin, Tony and Lt. Uhura (please let me know who you are in this universe). The SW magazines will be at the USS Bonaventure table at the Stellar Con convention. If you do not want the magazine let me know and I will let the next runners up have them.

ST Trivia Answer from the last post:

Which famous drummer was a fishlike Antedean Ambassador in Next Gen episode "Manhunt"?

Answer:

Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac was the Fish Guest on Next Gen

Today's ST Trivia Question:

Which famous actor played the night shift communications officer on the Excelsior in ST4?

All trivia questions and answers are coming from the SFX book- The Ultimate SF & Fantasy Trivia Book Volume 2

Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #3:

Never pay more for an acquisition than you have to.

The surprise picture from Chuck deserves its own blog! So you will have to wait for tomorrow to see it!

Communication Log: Must Read Update on ST:The Tour

If you are looking for the inside scoop on ST:The Tour you must read this article, To Boldly Go Where You've Gone Before and start saving up your money. To star in your favorite ST episode and get the dvd will cost $40.00. They blue screen you in and you read from a script. Also available is a motion postcard of you being transported, price unknown. This article has 5 pages of details and it sounds like the most out of this world experience. I can't wait, Scotty beam me there now!

ST Trivia:
Which famous drummer was a fishlike Antedean Ambassador in Next Gen episode "Manhunt"? Find out tomorrow and get to view the pictures from the February meeting.

Ferengi Rule of Acquistion 1: Once you have their money, you never give it back.

Must See Vigilante TV

I must be a vigilante sympathizer because I have really been enjoying some tv shows that seem to have the vigilante (one who takes or advocates the taking of law enforcement into one's own hands) theme occuring in them. Maybe it is because true justice seems so rare in our society today. What tv shows are you watching?

Dexter- Sundays at 10pm
Dan recommended watching Dexter. Since I usually like the shows that Dan recommends I decided to watch although I was a little hestitant thinking that a drama about a serial killer would be a downer. Actually it was very funny in a dark sort of way. It was satisfying to see "evil" killers get their due. Dexter is a serial killer who only kills other serial killers. He is an outsider who doesn't "get" other humans but he is good at "faking" or fitting in. I will definitely be watching future episodes.

Lost- Thursdays at 9pm
I enjoyed this past episode where Sayeed gives back a little bit of what the Losties have been getting. Instead of waiting to see what the Others are going to do to them, Sayeed in both the present and the future takes action. I can't wait to see how this story is going to turn out.

Prison Break- Mondays at 8pm
Although the season finale was not bad, it was not as good as past finales. I think it was because of the writer's strike that this episode was being used as a finale.

Terminator- Mondays at 9pm
This show is a hit or miss. Some episodes have been very good and some episodes have been fair. I do not think it would have lasted this long if the writer's strike was not going on. Once it has "competition" against it (anything new on tv), I think the ratings will drop. I do like Summer Glau (from Serenity/Firefly/4400) and the mom, Lena ? (from 300).

What are you watching?

The What The Hell con http://www.guilford.edu/yachting/wthcon/ was small but charming. I enjoyed myself. What did you think about the convention?

I arrived Saturday around 10:30am. I watched the sword fighting and found it entertaining. I would not want to have all of that armor on. I imagine it would get hot and uncomfortable.

I found the dealer's room. Unfortunately there were not many dealers, mainly authors trying to sell their books. Acme Comics was the only "store" there. They were having a 50% off sale but I didn't see anything I wanted.

I attended the scifi writing class at 11:00am. It was a great class where we concentrated on getting our opening line for our story just perfect. Mae and Jerrod were funny and gave useful advice.

At 12:00 I attended the film making class. The director of Geekin talked informally with us. I asked his advice for inexpensive equipment that my Technology Club at school could use. It was a shame I couldn't see his movie because it was airing the same time as the Bonaventure meeting.

After the film class, I went to visit Dan Johnson at his own table in the Artist gallery. I ran into Diane and Gordon at Dan's table and we talked for several minutes.

At 2:00 I headed over to Jam's for the "lunch" part of the Bonaventure meeting. Because Jam's did not have seats that could be moved we returned to Dana auditorium for the meeting. It was a beautiful day but just a little chilly.

I returned on Sunday for a Video Game Design class by the writer of Snood. It was interesting. For a "free" convention I had a nice time.

Ship's Log February 9th Meeting

The February Bonaventure Meeting was held at Guilford College after meeting at Jam's Deli for lunch. Scott Gibson presided over the meeting.

Attendees:
14 people attended: Scott, Eric, Stephanie, Robert, Chuck, Diane, Gordon, Tony, Chris, Rene, Jill, Richard, Elaine and Dan

What do you want to see in the AAWFO?
People mentioned that they liked the online newsletter. Suggestions for future items were a convention list and more participation from everyone. Diane asked what health issues should be covered in the medical section.

Service Ideas
Several charities were discussed such as blood drive, rest home visits, manning balloon at Christmas parade, and a can food drive at the Star Trek movie premiere.

Official announcement of ship upgrade
The USS Bonaventure is now officially an emissary class, sector control ship. We were able to keep the same number that we have had for almost 20 years, 102A

Stellar Con
We will have a table and will show New Voyages episodes. The March meeting will be on Saturday, March 15 in the lobby of the Radisson so you will not have to pay admission to attend. The meeting will start at 2:00pm. Cost to attend Stellar Con is Friday- $15.00, Saturday- $25.00, Sunday- $20.00 or Weekend pass- $$37.00. For Stellar Con questions you may contact Richard at richard2368@yahoo.com

Web Site
The web site needs to be registered. It will cost $27.00 per year for the web site. Many members made donations of $2.00 each. More donations are needed.

Clothing Sale
Money was collected for items with the USS Bonaventure logo on them. Tshirts up to 1x are $8.00, hats are $12.00, sweatshirts are $15.00 and patches are $14.50. Scott is going to check to see if he can find patches less expensive at a different place.

Trek News
The Star Trek movie trailer is online. A point of discussion was the fact that it showed the Enterprise being built on land instead of in space. The movie may have multiple time lines as Spock tries to save Kirk from being killed by the Romulans.

At http://www.diamondselecttoys.com you are able to see the new Mego toys. They retail for $18.00 each.

Raleigh and Charlotte are listed as tentative cities for the Star Trek: the Tour. The group will "road trip" to the closest location. Other destinations mentioned were the Zoo, the NC Battleship, and the Transportation Museum.

Promotions
Gordon Craighead was promoted to Ensign. Congratulations!

Live Long and Prosper! Pictures will be posted when received by our "official" photographer Scott.

Communication Log- Sci Fi Channel 45 is showing Star Trek All Day! Which episode is your favorite?

The Sci Fi Channel 45 is showing Star Trek episodes all day today (Sunday)! As you watch them you may want to think about which are your favorite episodes. When Star Trek: The Tour comes to the East coast you will be able to place yourself in any of the original Star Trek episodes as an extra and see yourself on a dvd with the original cast.

I'm trying to narrow it down to it down to 5 to 10 episodes. Which ones would you want to appear in?

My favorite has to be Mirror, Mirror

Communication Log- Road Trip to the ST Universe!

How far would you travel to see the new Star Trek the Tour? The ST:Tour is starting in San Francisco, then Minneapolis, Chicago, and then Detroit. The East Coast cities have not been announced yet.

The following is from Small Screen News http://smallscreen.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1386681.php

"Highlights of STAR TREK THE TOUR include:

* The chance to take a ride through a Star Trek adventure in four full-motion, show-based flight simulators.

* An all-new multimedia Encounter Theater, built like a theater in the round with 360 degree video screens. Computer-generated sequences put visitors in the middle of the Star Trek action.

* The opportunity for exhibit-goers to sit (in Kirk's chair) on a full-size Enterprise bridge from the original TV series and have their photo taken and superimposed with an image of the original cast – including Spock, McCoy and Scotty – to look as if the Enterprise crew is standing right next to them.

* Detailed recreations of original sets from Star Trek: The Next Generation®, including Captain Picard’s quarters, Dr. Crusher’s sick bay and the majestic NCC-1701-D Bridge.

* The ability for guests to star with the original cast in an episode of their choice and watch themselves interact with Star Trek icons such as Spock and Scotty. Guests can take home a DVD of their cameo to share with family and friends. "

Science log: Holodecks on the horizon

I was reading one a technology in education blog called "2 cents worth" at http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/ when I saw the word "holodeck" pop up. The person was taking a tour in our Research Triangle Park of "DIVE, the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment, which is one of a half dozen in the world.

"The DIVE is a six-walled room, four sides, top, and floor, each with its own projectors displaying synchronized images, so that you have a sense of being surrounded by what ever. With the stereoscopic glasses, which rapidly switch on and off each eye, letting in a slightly different version to each eye, fooling the brain into a sense of depth, you lose the corners of the room, and start to feel — well — THERE.

In fact, our first experience was an avatar woman walking down the hill across the room, then on to a bridge, from which she jumped. Our guide, Dr. Rachael Brady, then directed me to walk out onto the bridge, look over the side and jump. I did so, without the slightest fear of heights that I anticipated, and everyone else automatically went with me — since I was wearing the special glasses."

There are cool pictures and further details at the blog. The comments were also interesting. One person asked why the blogger didn’t mention "holodeck" in his blog description. He said that the guide "said they do not use that analogy any more, because most freshmen know nothing about it." Are we that old?

Communication Log: A young red shirt? A review of Brewster Rockit Space Guy Comic

If you like gentle satire of science fiction shows you need to read Tim Rickard’s "Brewster Rockit Space Guy- Close Encounters of the Worst Kind" comic collection book. I received this book for Christmas and really laughed as I read it.

You will follow the comic adventures of the handsome "idiot" captain, his wise woman science officer, the mad doctor, the "lazy" engineer and a wacky assortment of aliens. While the "kid" side kick, Winky, wears a blue shirt in the comic his misadventures foreshadow a short life as a red shirt.

No show is safe from Rickard’s wit whether it is Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Lost in Space, Alien, Wizard of Oz or the Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man" See for yourself, his daily strip can be viewed at http://comicspage.com/brewster/

Our own Dan has supplied scripts for two comics in this series. You can see the "Dr Who" themed comics at http://www.comicspage.com/comicspage/main.jsp?file=20071203csbre-a-p.jpg&refresh_content=1&component_id=3&custid=69&catid=1876&dir=%2Fbrewster
and http://www.comicspage.com/comicspage/main.jsp?file=20071204csbre-a-p.jpg&refresh_content=1&component_id=3&custid=69&catid=1876&dir=%2Fbrewster

Rickard lives in Greensboro and will be attending the Heroes convention later this year.

Ship's Log- Thank you Scott for the pictures!

Pictures of the January Meeting are at the bottom of the blog. Thank you Scott for sharing!

Ship's Log: Shirt sizes 01-15-08

I called Signature Embroidery to ask about the sizing of their t-shirts. They said that the men shirts were less expensive. So the sizes (S, M, L, XL) Phillip mentioned are men sizes.

Communication Log: Terminator- The Sarah Connor Chronicles 01-14-08

Warning Spoilers

I give the Terminator- The Sarah Connor Chronicles' first episode a "B".

Special Effects- "A"

Plot- "C"
I'm so tired of shows opening with dream sequences, try something new! Also terminator getting hit by cars, trucks, etc is old. The kid is way too lame. I know you need to have room for growth but what 15 year old is going to cry for his mommy to help him?

Acting- "A"
Sarah Coner, The mom, played by Leda Headey, is good. She was also good in 300.

Cameron, the friendly terminator, Summer Glau, is good. She was also good in Firefly and Serenity. She did all of her stunts on Firefly so it wouldn't surprise me to find out that she is doing at lot of stunts on this show.

John, the son, played by Thomas Dekker, was ok. I'm finding it hard to like him because he complains too much.

Funniest Moment- "A"
I "loved" the terminator substitute teacher!

Verdict: I think it will get high viewing numbers because it is one of the few new shows on tv right now. I will keep watching before I make a decision.

Communication Log Karl Urban: New ST Movie 01-13-08

See the "new" Dr. McCoy tonight (Sunday) on "Comanche Moon"

Read the entire interview Karl Urban: From Comanche Moon's Old West to Star Trek's Exciting Future by Matt Webb Mitovich at http://www.tvguide.com/news/karl-urban-comanche/080111-03

TVGuide.com: What did you think about the recent news that Peter Jackson is going ahead and producing the Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hobbit?Urban: Oh, I think that it's really fantastic that New Line and Peter were able to put aside their differences and that Peter is going to once again bring Middle Earth to the big screen.

TVGuide.com: A lot of our readers have said they can't imagine The Hobbit in anyone else's hands.Urban: Well, he did such an overwhelmingly fantastic job with that trilogy, it's hard to conceive of anybody laying their fingerprints on it.

TVGuide.com: Lastly, a few questions about J.J. Abrams' Star Trek film. How did that opportunity come to you? Were you one of the many young actors who threw their hats in the ring a few months ago?Urban: Absolutely, yeah. I've been watching Star Trek for many years, and when I heard that J.J. Abrams, who I have massive respect for as a director and producer and a creative force, was directing it, it was something that I actively pursued.

TVGuide.com: What is Bones McCoy like as a younger doctor?Urban: The movie that we are making is very, very faithful to the spirit of the original series and the characters that were created back in the '60s. It's those same character dynamics, and you know what? It's a lot of fun.

TVGuide.com: Bones is the realist of the group? The sometime skeptic?Urban: He is that lovable, irascible humanist that he has always been. He is, as he was written in the original series, a good friend of Jim Kirk's. J.J. is going to reinvigorate this franchise in a fresh and exciting way. It's going to be amazing.

TVGuide.com: Do you get any dialogue along the lines of, "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!"?Urban: I can't say! I can't say! I would love to tell you, but.... [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: One "obstacle" a prequel like this faces, as did TV's Enterprise, is how to make technology that can't be as advanced as what we saw in the Star Trek series still seem cool and exciting.

Urban: The way I feel about it, being as specific as I'm allowed to be, is it's like listening to a radio station in AM and then tuning it into high-definition stereo. Everything will sort of really come into high-definition focus... if that makes any sense. All I can really say is the production as a whole is incredibly faithful to the Star Trek universe and takes into account what has come before. The very fact that Leonard Nimoy is reprising his role of Spock, for the first time in, like, 15 years, is a huge endorsement. He wouldn't be doing it if he didn't believe the spirit of this production was not in the right place.

Ship's Log: January Meeting 01-12-18

January Meeting

On Saturday, January 12th the Bonaventure crew met at Elizabeth's Pizza by Hanes Mall in Winston Salem for their January meeting from 2:00 to 4:00. Captain Phillip led the meeting. Scott so kindly demonstrated all the cool technical features of his iphone including taking pictures of the meeting.

Attendees

18 people attended (Captain Phillip, Chuck, Scott, Dan, Eric, Diane, Gordon, Elaine, Tony, Janine, Stephanie, Matt, Amy, Chris, Renee, Jill, Ruby, and Mrs. Johnson)


Bonaventure Attire

Any one wanting attire (t-shirt, sweaters, caps, etc.) with the new Bonaventure logo needs to bring their money to the February 9th meeting. The grey t-shirts will cost $8.00 up to XL. Larger sizes will cost more. The logo patchs will cost $14.50 each. Signature Embroidery will be processing the orders. Their web site is http://www.signatureembroidery.com/ Their phone number is 886-4609.


New Online AAWFO

The new online Bonaventure newsletter AAWFO, All Ahead Warp Factor One, has been relaunched. If you would like to get on the email list contact the Communications Officer, Dan at xranger1@bellsouth.net


Ship Design, Registry Number and Vote

The crew voted for the new and improved ship design and for keeping the NCC102-A registry number. Many expressed concern that the proud 20 year history of the NCC102-A be preserved and were excited about the new design.

Ship's Business

The voluntary rank system was discussed. Uniform orders are needed by the Feb 9th meeting. Crew was urged to design the different department interiors. Role playing was encouraged. Creating an award system was mentioned. The ship is set in the Next Generation + universe, which is approximately 50 years into the future. Renee was congratulated on her promotion to Captain. Promotional points were discussed. Crew will earn 2 points for attending meetings and 5 points for reports. Other point assignments will need to be discussed with department heads.

Meeting Dates and Events

January 21 Levar Burton is speaking at Wake Forest University about MLK

February 9 2:00-4:00 Feb Meeting at Jam's Deli on Friendly Avenue across from Guilford College

February 8-10 all day What the Hell Con at Guilford College. Communications Officer Dan is a guest at con

March 15 2:00-4:00 Mar Meeting at Stellar Con at Downtown High Point Radisson Hotel

March 14-16 all day Stellar Con 32 and DeepSouthCon 46. Communications Officer Dan is a guest at con

April TBD TBD Shoney's by the PTI Airport

May TBD TBD CookOut on North Main High Point, Putt Putt Golf

June TBD TBD 20th Anniversary picnic at Gibson Park

September TBD TBD Mayberry Day

Other Events for year: ice cream, cookouts/picnics, movie nights, Premiere ST11 in December, painted pottery etc.

Entertainment

Chuck graciously invited the group to his house to watch the New Doctor Who Christmas episode. Pictures were reviewed for the upcoming Bonaventure web site.