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From the great minds of Ben Weinstein, Brian Pickett, Charles Kellner
and Louis Lamp, we give you the newest shuttlecraft vehicle of the
25th Century...
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Category: Auxiliary Vehicle Length: 18 meters Width: 10 meters Height: 4.5 meters Mass: 72 metric tons Decks: 1 Crew: 1 Commissioned: 2497 Phasers: Type IX Torpedo Launchers: 3 Micro Warp Reactor: M/ARA Normal Cruising Speed: 6 Max Cruising Speed: 8 Maximum Speed: 10 Threat Rating: Med Est Ships: 8 Known Ships: 2 |
Notes: Normally docked on the underside of the Eclipse class' saucer
section. This shuttle can separate from the ship and function as an
independent ship with warp drive, weapons, and transporters. It is
often used as a drop ship for SFMC units and science teams to do
surface surveillance of newly discovered M-Class planets when the
ship is in star systems with multiply habitable worlds.
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Fighting the Winter Blues - Let There Be Light
Thu, January 6, 2011 |
The current study included 89 men and
women age 60 or older who were randomly assigned to one of two
groups. In one, participants were given a light-therapy box, donated
by Philips Lighting, that emitted pale blue light; they were told to
use it every morning for one hour over three weeks. The rest of the study participants served as a "control" group. They were given boxes that emitted a dim red light, which has no known benefits or harms to the body. After three weeks of treatment, the researchers found, the light-therapy group showed a greater improvement in scores on a standard measure of depression symptoms, the Hamilton Scale for Depression. And three weeks after the therapy ended, more people in the light-therapy group were considered treatment "responders" -- meaning their depression scores had dropped by at least 50 percent. Of the light-therapy patients, 58 percent were responders, versus 34 percent of the control group. Along with the changes in depression symptoms, the study also found some biological changes, Lieverse said. Patients who underwent light therapy began to show a steeper rise in evening levels of the hormone melatonin, which promotes sleep. They also had a drop-off in levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol - which, at the start of the study, had been elevated in the study group as a whole. Lieverse said that the improvements in depression symptoms were on par with what has been seen with antidepressant treatment in older adults. Light boxes typically range in price from about $100 to $500, and insurance may not cover the cost. They are generally considered safe, but can cause side effects like headache, eye strain, nausea and irritability. There was some evidence that light therapy might also be helpful as an "add-on" treatment for older adults whose antidepressants are not working well enough. One-third of patients in the light-therapy group were already on antidepressants -- but still depressed -- and had the light box added to their drug treatment. They were as likely to improve with light therapy as their counterparts who were not on medication. Despite the positive findings, though, the study has limits. One is the small size, and another is the short-term follow-up. The researchers, who reported no financial ties to makers of the light boxes, say longer term studies are still needed to see how the benefits hold up over time. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/gxvNZC Archives of General Psychiatry, January, 2011. |
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From The Yukon To The Yucatan ...and Beyond It has been quite some time since I have reported in on this extended and continuing away mission. The last time I reported in I was onboard on Alaskan cruise ship. After a short "shore leave" of 6 weeks, I again find myself on another away mission and another cruise ship. This time the M.S. Crown Princess and exploring the regions of the Earth's western Caribbean Sea. Being home ported in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, our route takes passengers to the realms of Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island. Then to Roatan, Honduras in Central America, continuing on to Cozumel, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula. After that, Princess Cays, which is Princess' own private location in the Bahamas and finally returning to Ft. Lauderdale. I am sure many of you might be saying "Wow" or "what a lucky guy". I will be truthful here. It is not all it is cracked up to be. There are certainly some advantages to being assigned a vessel such as this with this route it takes. There are some tours ...umm, I mean "mini away missions" that I am planning on taking. One of which I did just a few days ago in Cozumel. A place called Coba'... Pronounced Co-Baah. It is the site of a city of the ancient civilization of the Maya peoples. There are two other mini away missions in Cozumel that involve other Mayan sites. I will be reporting on those soon. You all might be thinking what more can one ask for? Well, I will tell you. Some might dream of spending endless hours or even days basking under a tropical sun, sipping your favorite Synthahol, maybe taking in some water sports. I have to admit that I am not the lay-on-the-beach-all-day kind of person. So, with that in mind, with stop after stop of beaches, sand, sun and drinking establishments day after day, it does get bit boring. In Alaska, I have the position of Ship's Naturalist and being responsible for talks, presentations and narratives about the environment of Alaska. However, onboard the Crown here, I have a very different position. Still in the realm of a science type position. I am the "Computers@Sea" instructor. I teach passengers some of the finer points of digital photography and conduct classes in editing photos in Adobe Photoshop Elements. These classes are conducted while the ship is at sea, in transit. With only 2 sea days...yes, that means I only work 2 days a week. No, these classes are not free. There is a minimal charge of 25 credits pressed latinum. I conduct these classes in a specially built conference room with a very large screen plasma display. I do enjoy sharing my knowledge of photography and abilities in Photoshop with the passengers. When the "Computers@Sea" program was first started it did have classes on basic computer use and programs like Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet Usage, E-mail and the like. With the proliferation of digital cameras, photography and editing is now the emphasis of the program. Even with that, it would seem that interest in these classes is waning. The life expectancy of the "Computers@Sea" program is in question. It has already been cut back and even removed off of some of the other ships in Princess' fleet. |
Anyway, I digress. The nature and environment of the tropics is
something that I am not that unfamiliar with. I did live in Florida
for 12 years. That was quite sometime ago and it has taken these first
3 weeks to adapt to the humidity and heat. The other day in Roatan it
was 83F and the water temperature the same. Not exactly the conditions
I have been accustomed to in Alaska. All in all, I am enjoying the
local wildlife and one of my favorite pastimes is Gorn...I mean,
Iguana watching. They are quite prolific and not timid when it comes
to the presence of humans. They will tolerate being approached but not
too closely. Once, while I was photographing one about a meter away,
another much smaller Iguana came out from a bush and came over to
investigate me. It was maybe a half meter away from me and just
checking me out. Being vegetarians they are not dangerous per say.
But, they do have a long scaly tail with smaller spikes along the
dorsal ridge. When push comes to shove, the will use that tail as a
weapon and use it like a whip. So, I do respect them and try not to
cross that line. I find myself enjoying Grand Cayman more and more. I am not sure what it is, I just like the feel of the place. In Roatan a special cruise ship landing facility was built. At the cost of 60 million, it is a place that passengers can go to and spend all their time...and some money without actually every seeing the local areas. It is a shame that some do not venture beyond that area. The actual town of Roatan is several kilometers away and not easy to get to. Tours and taxis are the only way to get there. In Cozumel, it is a bit different. The actual downtown area is only a couple of kilometers away. But, where the ship and other ships dock, another "mini theme park" of shops, stores and bars has been built specifically for the ships. So, if one does not take the time to get out of these areas, it does have an artificial feel to it all. I think that is why I like Grand Cayman. The ships tenders (there is no dockage for large ships) drop us off right in the middle of town. And maybe the fact that I found a incredibly delightful coffee shop with some of the best coffee I have ever tasted and pastries to match, might have something to do with it. Oh, and of course, free wifi. I have some images to share with you all and show you and share with you some of the things I have been seeing on this away mission. This is Science Officer Alan Cortash, signing off until next time.
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IRC Golf - Towel Day Benefit
The towels will be donated to one No-kill shelter in or near Everett, WA and another in or near Portland, OR. The event begins March 11th, 2011; the anniversary of Douglas Adams' birth. The towel-gathering ends May 11th, 2011; the anniversary of Douglas Adams' death. The final delivery of towels (by those in bathrobes and pajamas) will take place on Towel Day; May 25th, 2011. For more information on IRC Golf. The crew of the “USS Aurora” will be assisting with the
Everett, WA mail-in or dropoff. |
IRC Golf - Red Shirts vs Death:
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For a reminder of how IRC Golf works, see our ship article at the 577th MSG's Page from June/July 2010. If you have a registered IRC client, any of:
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