Captain’s Log
To say the least September was a
wild month. I’m glad to know that everyone in our club is all right.
Doug was able to get back from
England the day before the attack. Unfortunately our Chief Security officer is
over in Italy right now. According to his wife and mother he is doing good. His
spirits are high. We also have been informed that the base he is currently
stationed at is under full lock down status. If things go well Dan should be
back on September 28th or 29th.
From everything I heard only one of
our members knew someone in this tragedy that had parished. A college
acquaintance of Paul Woida did die. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Sorry to hear about your loss.
I would like to thank everyone that
helped out with the two Lupus events. This is the clubs primary charity
organization. Whenever we can we try to help them as much as possible.
September 15 was the Lupus Walk for Life. Thanks to Jan Cummins, Teri Miller,
Sarah Tesch, Joel, Jennifer and Ginger Revoir. A special thanks to Ginger for
getting all arrangements made.
Then on Friday September 21 Teri
and Ralph Krantz put in a full day at the A.S.I.D. sale. Teri spent most of her
time helping cash out customer. Where Ralph spent most of his time helping
people get their purchases down to their vehicles. For all his hard work he
earned $57 in tips. Ralph in his generous donated all the money to the Lupus
Foundation. Thanks to the both of you for your hard work.
September 16 was the general
meeting. We had a very low attendance. With my self-only seven of us were
there. The main topic of discussion: What direction do we see our club heading.
There were no major decisions made.
But at the November meeting I
encourage all members to come with their ideas and goals. So we can decide what
to do in the next year and the years to come. If you are not there it is hard
to give your input.
That meeting will be at the Sun Ray
Library in East St. Paul on November 18th. This is also the day of the next
board meeting. We will meet at 1pm at the library.
The other event that day will be a
silent auction. The Medical Department will be doing the setup as usual so
bring your actionables and extra money to get some of the wonderful items for
sale.
In October I will be gone for most
of the month of October. My company is sending me to California starting
October 17 and back November 3rd. So I will be missing the October meeting. I
will also be gone the first two weeks of December from the 2nd thru the 16th.
The next meeting will be Game Day.
The date of the meeting will be October 21. The meeting will be held at Doug
Norton’s, the directions are in the back of the newsletter.
Financial Report
Currently the club treasury is
setting at $372. Deposit $190 No bills or expenses Total of our account $562
I just have a couple final
thoughts. We will be having our annual Award Ceremony in March. In a later
newsletter we will get forms out to nominate a crewmember for the Star Crew
Award. If members are interested in doing a party room at MarsCon we need to
start planning that ASAP. Keep in mind to do a party cost the club roughly four
to five hundred dollars. As of right now I have not heard a lot of interest in
doing one. Also at the January meeting we need to start planning for the
Christmas party. Our club is in charge of the event in 2002. We will need to
put a committee of hard workers together at that meeting. We want to try to be
a head of the game so we can have the best party possible.
That’s all for this month. I will
see you at the November meeting and silent auction. Don’t forget to bring your
ideas of what you want to see happen with the club in the upcoming years.
Captain Steve Erickson
First Officer's
Log
In my last newsletter log I
mentioned that I hoped September would be a month to remember because of the
launching of a new Star Trek show: Enterprise. September will be a month to
remember, but for different reasons. Captain Picard, in the episode
"Mariposa" said, "Every ounce of pleasure is purchased with an
equal amount of pain." Most of us live a good life. We have food, shelter,
jobs, and good friends. When I saw "Pearl Harbor" not long ago I was
reminded that our way of life sometimes has a cost and thankfully, Americans
have always been willing to count the cost and to pay it to remain free. Not
all aspects of our way of life are necessarily commendable, but mostly we are a
good and decent people. I take a moment here to remember the rescue workers who
perished at the trade center, the passengers who fought back on the United
flight so more innocent people would not perish, and to all those who died on
September 11. Something in all of us died that day. But we can take courage
from the many stories of selfless acts that took place that day from men and
women just like you and me. What the final cost will be as the days unfold we
don't know. I also salute those members of the USS Behrak who are in the
National Guard. If they are called up to action they will go with our blessings
and hopes for a safe and speedy return.
At the September meeting we opened
a dialog which will take place over the next few months about the future of the
Behrak. Members attending the September meeting were: Teri, Steve, Ralph, Lois,
Ginger, Susan, and me. We also encouraged members to make a donation to the
Behrak if they felt they could since our fundraiser did not happen due to lack
of participation. Several people donated $$$ and some suggestions were made for
the future for ways to make money, including another silent auction coming up.
Donations can be mailed to me at 7245 Guider Drive, Apartment 315, Woodbury, MN
55125.
Birthdays coming up are:
Doug Norton November 8
Some of us have suggested that we
gather to watch Enterprise together whenever there is a new episode. This will
go out on the Fireopal and I will try to monitor this and stay informed of who
will be hosting it from week to week. Which reminds me, if you are not
registered on the Firepal online you are missing it because more and more of
our announcements will be going out that way. Call Scott Raun if you still are
not sure how to get your name on the list.
I will be attending a con in
Madison in October. I hope to see Harlan Ellison, Peter David, Jerry Doyle and
many others.
Hailing frequencies closed for now,
Jan Cummins
Communications
Log
Please check out the new Behr’Ak
website www.fireopal.org/behrak/
and September e-newsletter www.fireopal.org/behrak/september_2001.htm
This month’s e-newsletter will be
available soon at
www.fireopal.org/behrak/october_2001.htm
Irene Raun, Chief Communications Officer
General Services
Log
Hello All Trekkers: I have been a
miss in the newsletter department lately. I haven't had anything to place in it
so I haven't summited anything. I am looking forward to the new Enterprise
Series. I hope it is more like DS 9 then Next Gen. Steve has asked me to host
the Launching party and I hope it goes well. Waiting for the Mummy II DVD to
come out. I was very disappointed when Warner Bros. brought Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory in TV format. I talked to the guy at Suncoast and he told me
they are going to Release a letter box version around November. They received
alot of angry Emails from Fan's. As many of you may know I had to go to England
for my Granny's Funeral last week. Was kind of sudden, however I had a very
nice week there. The Terrorist attack didn't affect me except for the Security.
As an American I feel it is our duty to get back to normal operations in travel
and thought's. This will show the Terrorist that they can't beat us down. If we
cower and stop being ourselves, then the Terrorist have WON ! I for one will
not give them the satifaction. We should hunt them down and eliminate them. But
don't go crazy and kill innocent people. Hope everything is going well.
Keep the Faith Doug Norton General
Services
Chief Engineer’s
Log
It has now, as you read this, a bit of time since the new Star Trek series
began. Did (and, do) you like it? Hopefully this series will keep the embers of
Star Trek fandom glowing (and growing) ot here.
The Star Trek convention in August was fun, with all the usual
attractions. And John DeLancie’s evening prose reading on Saturday night was a
raucous delight. It was good to be in uniform/costume again.
On Saturday, September 15 was the fund walk for Lupus. A number of us
were there from the club helping out and a couple I know of did the walk –
including our Chief Medical Officer, Ginger R. The turnout was good, better
than one might expect, considering the recent trauma on everyone’s mind.
Let’s hope we’ll all have a good fall season with activities to engage
in, to enjoy, and to share.
Hailing frequencies closed,
Sarah Tesch, Chief Engineer
Medical Log
September 15 was a great day for the Lupus Foundation of
Minnesota. The annual Make Strides/Walk for the Cure fundraiser involved 700
participants and raised over $44,000.00. It was a fantastic experience. Kudos
to Behr'Ak members who volunteered that day: Jan Cummins, Steve Erickson, Teri
Miller, Sarah Tesch, Jennifer Revoir, Joel Revoir (who celebrated his 10th
birthday that day), myself and my "volunteering friend" Mary Rosalez.
The ASID fundraiser the following week was a volunteering opportunity for Lois
Olson...the Foundation always appreciates our participation and help. At the
November general meeting we'll be having our annual silent auction. This is a
fund-raiser for us. My goal is to double last years dollar amount of $50. If 20
people come and spend 5 bucks each that goal is attainable. So be thinking
about what good stuff you have laying around your quarters - one ensign's trash
is another's treasure.
Ginger Revoir, CMO
Review: Adventures in the Liaden Universe
By Scott Raun
"The man who was not Terrence
O'Grady came quietly."
Thus, on a fateful day in 1988, I
was introduced the Steve Miller and Sharon Lee's Liaden Universe. The quote is
the first sentence in Agent of Change. Over the next year or so, two
additional novels were published - Conflict of Honors and Carpe Diem.
And
then nothing happened. Carpe Diem ended on at least three cliff-hangers,
so there was *obviously* another novel - but it didn't come out.
Seven or eight years later, I find
the authors on the Internet. I've been an active participant on their mailing
list ever since. I heard about the rights to the first three books reverting to
the authors. I heard about - and bought! - a number of chapbooks self-published
by the authors, and a number of magazines with Liaden Universe short stories.
But none of these advanced the plot from the original three books. Finally, in
February 1999, Meisha Merlin published Plan B - the fourth novel in the
original story cycle. In February 2000, Meisha Merlin published Partners in
Necessity - an omnibus volume of the first three novels. In February 2001,
along came Pilots Choice - which tells us the stories of our hero's fathers'
romances.
In February 2002, we will get I
Dare, which finishes the story started 13 or more years ago. I have had the
honor to see an Advanced Readers Copy of I Dare - and I love it, just as
I have loved all the other Liaden Universe stories.
And, as Walter Boyd, one of H. Beam
Piper's character's, said in Four Day Planet, "Stories die, and
nothing in the world is deader than a dead news story. But before they do, they
hatch a flock of little ones, and some of them grow into bigger stories
still." This isn't the end of the Liaden Universe, merely the completion
of a chapter in the lives of many characters I've come to love.
Val Con yos Phelium, Clan Korval.
Shan yos Galan, Clan Korval. Nova and Anthora yos Galan. Miri Robertson. Edger
and Sheather, Turtles. Priscilla Mendoza. The Juntavas. The Department of the
Interior. Jelaza Kazone. Heroes and villains, yes - but also people, trying to
survive and wring some joy out of life in very difficult times. And, mostly,
succeeding against incredible odds. Some of the stories are space opera, some
have the flavor of regency romances - but they are all about people you can
believe in.
These are, first and foremost,
novels about people! Yes, there is a rich universe to back them up - but
the riches of the universe are the people who populate it.
These are books that other authors
pick up to read. Anne McCaffrey, Susan Krinard, L. E. Modesitt, Andre
Norton, and a host of others. I invite you to come join them.
CONvergence 2001 was a smash!
From www.convergence-con.org
Thank you to everyone who helped
make CONvergence 2001 a great success, including convention committee, our
volunteers and our fabulous guests. And big thanks to the more than 1,730 of
you who registered for CONvergence this year! CONvergence is a convention for
fans of science fiction and fantasy in all media.
Photos and stories from our 2001 convention
will be appearing on our web site soon (www.convergence-con.org). If you have
pictures or feedback to share, or would like to get involved in helping produce
future conventions, we want to hear from you! Please see the back page of this
newsletter for our contact information.
CONvergence 2002 will be held at
the Radisson Hotel South, in Bloomington, MN, July 5, 6, 7, 2002.
Registration Rates: Until December
31, 2001 $25 January 1 - May 15, 2002: $35 At the Door: $50 Kids Ages 6-12 $15
Children 5 and under Free
Supporting memberships are
available until May 15 for $15, which can be upgraded to a full membership at
the door for only $20.
Guests scheduled to appear include:
Mark Altman and Robert Meyer Burnett Co-writers/Director of Free Enterprise, Assoc.
Producers of The Specials
Nene Thomas Popular and
award-winning fantasy artist
Phil Hester Comic book
writer/artist and penciller of Green Arrow for DC Comics
Positive Pursuits
By Sarah J. Tesch
The events of the past few weeks
have proven the need for healthy diversion. Such pursuits can get you through a
rough day or a difficult time. These pastimes or hobbies may not remove all the
pain or anxiety, but can be a healthy release.
Looking over this past summer, I
realized I had picked up on a couple of extra interests – short wave radio and
tennis.
Short wave radio takes me to places
around the globe to find out what folks are up to. I can listen to stations
such as Radio Budapest or The Voice of Croatia in the evenings which is the
best time for short wave reception. It’s amazing what is out there in
radio-land.
The tennis is an even more recent
interest, a good diversion. I watch some of the matches of the U.S. Open this
fall while frantically clearing out craft supplies, etc. I had to stop what I
was doing to devote full attention to several matches in particular – the
Women’s Final between Serena and Venus Williams; the Men’s Final; and Oran
Ivanisevic’s third match. He’s my favorite (the off-the-wall player from Sput,
Croatia. I cheered him on, wearing my Croatian t-shirt, white cap, and sitting
in my folding chair – in my living room.
What I’m saying here is we all have
or need our diversions, our passions. As long as they harm no one, they can
provid3e pleasure, inspiration, healing. What are yours?
ROSWELL LINKS TO ENTERPRISE
By Jim Kevins
In a surprise move, Roswell
executive producer Jonathan Frakes confirmed rumors that the series will
feature a crossover link to the new Enterprise series. The crossover is slated
to occur in the fourth episode of Roswell's third season. "This was the
brainstorm of Ron Moore and Jason Katims," said Frakes."They said,
'Since you're directing, would you mind playing yourself in the episode? And
while you're at it, would you mind playing yourself as if you were directing an
episode of Enterprise? And while you're directing the episode of Enterprise, do
you think we can get someone from the cast of Enterprise? And while you're at
that, would you call Rick Berman and Paramount and see if it's okay?"
Berman approved the project provided that none of the Enterprise sets were
used. Roswell, moving to UPN this fall after two years on the WB, follows the
lives of three young adults descended from aliens left behind on Earth after
the legendary crash of a UFO in the desert outside Roswell, New Mexico.
"It's an audition scene," said Frakes."Max is auditioning to
play the role of an alien, only he doesn't know how to play an alien, hence the
wacky ironic hijinks. It's a comedy scene in a serious episode. I think we can
get a good laugh out of me directing Jason (Behr) as Max in the audition. It'll
play because it'll be me telling Jason that he doesn't know how to be an alien.
The Joke is there." Earlier reports had Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer)
appearing in the episode, but the actor turned the role down. "He thought
it was too early to break the fourth wall," said Frakes. "Bakula is
not going to do it." Nevertheless, Frakes was full of praise for Trek's
newest captain. "He's a wonderful leader," says Frakes."Charming
and strong; his acting is effortless. He's a real pro. A great addition to the
family." Roswell premiers on UPN Oct. ninth at eight p.m.
Manu Intiraymi
By Jan Cummins
He is "Icheb" of Star
Trek Voyager, aka "Borg Boy," a name he does not like. He was
conceived in Peru when his parents were there at the "Festival of the
Sun" and that is what his last name means. It is Incan. It is not the last
name of his parents at all. His first name, Manu, is based on an Eastern Hare
Krishna type jargon which his parents were also into for awhile. Since Star
Trek ended he is back to waiting tables. The Creation Con was the 5th con he
has done and while speaking to him at the autograph table for a minute he did
not remember what city he was in. He also has a problem with chips.
September
10, 2001