An e-mail newsletter for Berkeley Rotarians
Memorial Service
Wednesday, May 7th "The Osher Lifelong
Learning Institute at Cal," presented by Susan Hoffman and Dr. Michael
Thaler
We're Betting on You to Show: With over $20,000 worth of auction items,
this year's Nite at the Races (May 10) promises to be a big winner for everyone.
Auction items include respites in vacation homes in Hawaii and Tahoe. You can
sponsor a horse for just $25. Winning horses pay $50! Bring your friends,
neighbors, family and cash!
ATTENTION HORSE SPONSORS! If you are sponsoring
a Horse in a race at Nite at the Races, you must have any artwork, business
cards, or whatever you want to have displayed on the Big Screen to Ed Church no
later than next Wednes day, May 7. Feel free to send jpg files to
ed or hand Ed the artwork at Rotary
Rotary
Casino Royale: Put Up Your Best Hands The Pleasant Hill Rotary Club is hosting
"Rotary Casino Royale,² a no-limit Texas Hold 'em Poker Tournament on
Saturday, May 17th. You are guaranteed a winning hand, because proceeds from
the tournament go to the LN-4 Prosthetic Hand Project. Buy- in for the
tournament is a $100 donation, and the Pleasant Hill Club has thrown down the
gauntlet to find the best poker player among the area clubs. Your buy-in
donation includes dinner by New Mecca Cafe for you and a guest, and a deck of
Rotary Playing Cards. The top three players will receive Visa Gift Cards valued
at $500, $350, and $250. Black Diamond Brewery is the official "Beer
Sponor," and Hooters will be providing bartenders, as only they can, for
the event. The tournament starts at 4:00pm at the Pleasant Hill Community
Center, 320 Civic Drive, in Pleasant Hill. Berkeley Rotary needs at least two
players to represent our club, so sign up now! If you¹re not a poker
player, that¹s OK--either put yourself in and have fun, or put in your
friend or family member as a "ringer!"
CALENDAR: Nite at the Races‹Saturday, May 10th The Annual Nite At
The Races will be off and running on Saturday May 10. Tickets are $45 each
(make out your checks to "Berkeley Rotary")invite your
friends and neighbors, and every- one bring money for the auctions!
New Member Get-Together-- Friday, May 16th At the home of Judith and Alex
Glass, 206 Hillcrest Road in Berkeley, from 5:00 to 7:00pm. This is a catered
affair, so please let us know if you (and your partner/spouse) will join us.
RSVP 510-658-9847 or email:
Berkeley Rep Event-- Tuesday, May 20 Rotary night at Berkeley Rep for Figaro
on Tuesday 5/20, 6pm dinner at Down- town Restaurant, show at 8pm. There will
be a brief artistic presentation over dinner. Sign up sheet is available.
Baseball's Back! A¹s vs Phillies, June 24th See the A's play the
Philadelphia Phillies on June 24th. Tickets this year are only $17.50! Sign-up
sheets are out at the weekly meetings or see Steve Holland. .
District
Conference Remembers 30 Rotarians: Over 30 members who passed since the last
District Conference (October 2006) were remembered at the 2008 District 5160
Conference this past weekend in Sacramento. The memorial service, organized by
the Woodland Sunrise club, was officiated by the Reverend Brad vanSant, a
Presbyterian minister and member of the Woodland Sunrise club. The service was
held as part of the conference's Saturday morning breakfast session. Among the
members remembered were Berkeley Rotarians George Bevan and Bob Rigney.
Request from a Rotarian in Versailles: Our son, Maxime, will be in a
company for a trainee, in Oakland, CA, May 15 to July 15. We are looking hard
for a family as a paying guest or accommodation for him. His is sociable,
likes sports and kids. [Editor: If you can help Maxime, please contact Bob
Randall at 339-8888.]
The Glass is Half Full Our fiscal year is almost over (June 30th). As you
know we are raising Berkeley Endowment funds for next year's projects and we are
past our goal of about $11,000 for RI donations. But half of those donations
have come from four people and half of our members have not donated anything!
Become a Sustaining Member ($100 donation) or double Sustainer ($200) today!
FROM THIS WEEK¹S MEETING: Thought for the Day: Ralph Marston
said : "When the going gets rough, it's not a sign that you must lower
your expectations. It's precisely during these times that your best strategy is
to raise those expectations. Set your sites on a destination so compelling
that you'll be pulled toward it just by thinking about it. Greet this day and
every day with the unsurpassed enthusiasm of knowing what a truly grand
opportunity is now in your hands."
Announcements: The District
Conference was held in Sacramento this past weekend, with Mary Alice Rathbun,
Rosie Mann, Judith and Alex Glass, and Bob Randall representing Berkeley
Rotary. The next District Conference will be held at the Concord Hilton in
October.
Ed Church and Jim Masters auctioned off a gag to silence Ed's repeated
theatrics for the upcoming Nite at the Races, May 10ht. Only 80 people are
currently registered for the event, which has space for 160. The winning bid
was $150 by the club at large, although $186 was ultimately collected.
Judith Glass, Program Chair, asked for volunteers for the pledge,
introduction of guests, and Thought of the Day.
Jon Vicars announced that Mother's Day Chocolates are available for a very
reasonable price, a portion of which will be donated to the LN-4 Prosthetic
Hands Project. Sign- up forms at the meetings.
Don Alter announced that the Scholarship Committee will select two
Berkeley High School students for four-year college scholarships. Students are
assigned counselors to work with and mentor the students, and volunteers are
needed to be counselors for students.
Speaker¹s Notes for April 23, 2008: "Micro-Credit in Bangladesh
and Brazil" Renato Salviato Fajardo is candidate of a Mastership program
joining Public Health and International and Area Studies in the University of
California at Berkeley. His career in dentistry composes by 19 years of
teaching in UNESP (Brazilian Public University), with MSc and PhD in Dental
Material besides being Bachelor in Psychology. Hence, he has specialization in
Strategic Administration (Marketing and Human Resources). In his academic
activities, he was Executive Secretary of the Program of Quality of UNESP,
founder and coordinator of the Center of Promotion of the Quality of Life with
projects in Public Policy in Brazilian Health System. In his internship in
2007, he developed studies in the World Health Organization in Geneva and in
the Grameen Bank (Bangladesh) where he visited Yunus Muhamad (Noble Prize
Laureate - 2006). Finally, besides the program on World Peace, Renato is
pursuing a Post-Doc research with a project developed in partnership between UC
Berkeley and UCSF. We are in a special place and time. People are trying to
make real, lasting change in the world, and I'm overwhelmed to be here to tell
you about my efforts. Thank you for making it possible for me to be here in
this program. I am from Brazil, and was going to Bangladesh, which is a very
closed culture. It is very poor, a lot of poverty. Dhaka is not a beautiful
city; it is polluted, disorganized, illiterate, and corrupt. I was in Geneva
just a month before, so I went from the very top of the [economic] world to the
very bottom. Poverty is the source for violence, disease, and lack of education
and communication, so it is one of the three most important things for our next
generations to address. The others are ecology and war. But someone unleashed
a huge movement. Beginning with a small amount of money someone agreed to lend
to a stranger, there are now over 3,000 institutions providing Microcredit all
over the world. There is a UN new millenium goal to reduce poverty world-wide by
half by 2015, and eliminate it altogether 2025. In 1997, they set the goal that
by 2005 a total of 100,000 people from the poorest levels of society would get
microloans, and they achieved 113,000. There are some criticisms of
microcredit, among them that it doesn't promote the growth of business and the
GDP of the country, but rather focuses on the individual. But microcredit is a
"bottom-up" strategy, creating opportunities for education and health
care for people who couldn't get it. As the loans are repaid, more people can
be helped. More women than men receive microloans, because they are at home
while their husbands go to work. The microloans let them reach out of their
homes and become more influential. It is creating hope in a place that seems
almost hopeless. Microcredit is a social intervention, a revolution, that
helps people have a higher standard of life.
Introduction of Omid Memarian, Rotary Peace Fellow: MaryAlice Rathbun:
More than two years ago Ed Epstein, founding Director of the Rotary Center for
International Studies in Peace and Conflict Resolution at U.C. Berkeley,
approached Pate Thomson, who was about to become president of the Berkeley
Rotary Club. They began discussions about our club sponsoring a journalism
student from Iran who was eager to continue his education at U.C. Berkeley in a
master's level program. As the person who was to follow Pate, I was also
brought into the discussion. It was at that time we met Omid Memarian who
was being encouraged through Ed Epstein and others to apply for a Rotary
scholarship to become a Peace Fellow. He had been a strong advocate for human
rights in Iran. In fact, he was arrested and imprisoned for speaking and
writing about human rights issues. It was through the work of Shirin Ebadi,
selected by our club to be the Peace Grove recipient in 2004, that he was
released from prison and able to leave Iran. To make application for a Rotary
Peace Fellows Scholarship, he needed a Rotary Club to sponsor him. Since there
are no Rotary Clubs in Iran and since Omid was lucky to get out of the country,
he was in need of a club to act as his sponsor. Our club Board voted to
sponsor Omid, and he was accepted as a Rotary Peace Fellow, admitted to U.C.
School of Journalism and began his two year scholarship in fall 2007. Pate and
I have been serving as his host counselors. Those of you who attended the Peace
Fellows Seminar on April 12, got to hear Omid participate on one of the panels.
Let me share his bio from the seminar program: Omid Memarian is a journalist
and blogger who regularly conducts analysis on his blogs in English and Farsi.
He works as a freelance writer for the IPS (Inter-Press Service) news agency and
Roosonline Daily as well as op-ed pieces published in the New York Times, Los
Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. He has been involved in civil
society activities all around the country since 2000 and has researched the
status of civil society in post-revolution Iran. [Omid] also functioned for
two years as the editor in chief of Volunteer Actor's Quarterly which focuses
on civil society issues in English and Farsi. He has covered prostitution in
Dubai; the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva; asylum seekers in
Istanbul; IEARN conference in Japan; and participated in a civil society
delegation trip to Germany. A visiting scholar at UC Berkeley Graduate School of
Journalism in 2005-2006, he received the Human Rights Watch¹s highest honor
in 2005, the Human Rights Defender Award. Omid Memarian is one of Iran's most
courageous bloggers. A reformist journalist, he took up blogging in 2002 and has
paid a heavy price, including arrest, imprisonment and torture. He is now in
the U.S. as a fellow at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of
California, Berkeley.
John Lin and Scott Paine have been partners at Smith
Barney for four years. John and his fiance, Julie, have attended a number of
Rotarian events and will be energetic in participating with The Berkeley Rotary
Club. "I was born on Christmas Day in Taipei, Taiwan and immigrated to
America at the age of 2 with my parents Michael and Wendy Lin. We eventually
settled into a small suburb in Southern CA known as Diamond Bar where I the was
raised with my younger sister Jane. Shortly after graduation from Cal Poly
Pomona with a degree in International Business I accepted an offer to work in
finance with a local money manager located in San Francisco (that was March of
2000). A few years later I was recruited by Smith Barney's Berkeley office and
currently run a wealth advisory practice with my business partner and mentor
Scott Paine. I currently reside with my fiancé Julie Kahng in Emeryville
and we like to volunteer with organizations as One Brick, AACO and Autism
Speaks. For stress relief I enjoy playing golf and tennis. I look forward to
being an active member with the Rotary Club of Berkeley and am excited to
learn from others in the Club and be a part of the many great and fun things
that Rotary does.
In May 1914, Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland
met in London and agreed to form the British Association of Rotary Clubs. They
elected R.W. Pentland as the first president of the organization, which was to
have its own constitution. The next month, at that year's Rotary convention in
Houston, International Association of Rotary Clubs recognized the British group
as a legitimate extension of Rotary, and clubs in Britain agreed to affiliate
with and pay fees to the international organization. In his convention
address, RI President Russell F. Greiner said: "Feeling that we were not
familiar with local conditions in Great Britain and Ireland, I strongly
favored the forming of an association of the clubs...It such has done splendid
work in knitting into a closer union the Rotarians of the cities of the United
Kingdom." Even with limited communication among international clubs during
the World War I, the British association managed to keep the clubs in Great
Britain, Ireland, and some mainland European communities connected. By 1921,
more than 50 clubs were active in the region. Other historic developments
occurred at the 1922 RI Convention in Los Angeles. The International
Association of Rotary Clubs changed its name to Rotary International, and a
principle was established that allowed any country with 25 clubs to become a
territorial unit with representation on the RI Board. At the convention, Great
Britain requested and received territorial status as Rotary International
Association for Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI). No other group in the world
had asked for or received this standing when the territorial unit concept was
repealed in 1927. Nevertheless, the rights, privileges, and powers of existing
territories were forever protected, so RIBI has continued to function as an
independent unit of Rotary International, subject to certain conditions under
the RI Constitution.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 30th
Renato Fejardo will talk about "Microcredit in Bangladesh and
Brazil--Different Perspectives"
New Member: John Lin: Please welcome John Lin to Berkeley Rotary. John's
sponsor is Scott Paine.
Rotary Casino Royale: Put Up Your Best Hands for the LN-4 Project: The
Pleasant Hill Rotary Club is hosting "Rotary Casino Royale", a
no-limit Texas Hold 'em Poker Tournament on Saturday, May 17th. You are
guaranteed a winning hand, because proceeds from the tournament go to the LN-4
Prosthetic Hand Project. Buy-in for the tournament is a $100 donation, and the
Pleasant Hill Club has thrown down the gauntlet to find the best poker player
among the area clubs. Your buy-in donation includes dinner by New Mecca Cafe
for you and a guest, and a deck of Rotary Playing Cards. The top three players
will receive Visa Gift Cards valued at $500, $350, and $250. Black Diamond
Brewery is the official "Beer Sponsor", and Hooters will be providing
bartenders, as only they can, for the event. The tournament starts at 4:00pm at
the Pleasant Hill Community Center, 320 Civic Drive, in Pleasant Hill. Berkeley
Rotary needs at least two players to represent our club, so sign up now! If you¹re
not a poker player, that's OK--either put yourself in and have fun, or put in
your friend or family member as a "ringer!"
Peace Fellows
Seminar: Twenty-four Berkeley Rotarians participated in Saturday's Peace
Fellows Seminar event co-chaired by Bruce Willock. President Bob Randall also
recognized Pamela Doolan as Co-Chair who was the "roving linebacker"
making sure holes were plugged. The participants included: greeters Don Alter,
Grier Graff, Tom Olson, and Pate Thompson; parking assistance by O'Neil Dillon,
Reg Garcia, George Luna, Chuck Kenney, Jim Masters, and Bob Randall; map maker
Jay Mahoney; registration Marcia Dillon, Linnea Graf, Mary Alice Rathbun, and
Judy Thomson; timers Joanne Crawford, Rosemary Mann, Deborah Ritchey, and
Heather Thomson; sound and video systems Mac Lingo; and of course, co-chairs
Bruce Willock and Pamela Doolan.
Upcoming Events: Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride for Veterans
April 26th: Gil Ferrey announced a 15 mile (start 9am) or 25 mile (start
8:30am) or 50 mile (start 8am) bike ride through beautiful Napa Valley on
Saturday April 26th. This fundraiser is billed as the Wine Valley Cycle for
Sight and Rotary Ride for Veterans. You can
register on line. This fundraiser
supports two great programs; the Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind and
Visually Impaired and The California Veterans Home "Pathway Home Project".
Check out the web site or see Gil for more information.
San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers' Concerts: Friday through Sunday
4/25-4/27: Pate Thompson announced that the 4/25 concert at Holy Names
University is sold out, but tickets are still available for Saturday 4/26 at the
Veterans' Memorial Auditorium in Grass Valley, and Sunday 4/27 at the Jackson
Theater, Sonoma County Day School in Santa Rosa. Tickets are available by phone
at (800) 838-3006 or on line.
Berkeley
City College Open House: Sunday, April 27th, noon to 5pm ; 2050 Center Street
between Shattuck and Milvia. Bring family and friends to enjoy an afternoon of
fun with Arts, Humanities, Science, Drama, Dance, Music, Multimedia Arts and
Languages, tours, games, food, and more! For more information, call (510)
981-2852.
Berkeley Rotary Board Meeting: Tuesday April 29th, 5pm: The meeting will
be held at the Berkeley City Club, and is open to all Berkeley Rotary members.
Contact Bob Randall in advance if you plan to attend.
Night at the Races‹May
10th: The Annual Night At The Races will be off and running on Saturday May
10th. Tickets are $45 each (make out your checks to Berkeley Rotary Endowment)invite
your friends and neighbors, and everyone bring money for the auctions!
New Member Get-Together: Judith Glass announced a New Member Get-Together
on May 16th from 5:00 to 7:00pm at Judith and Alex Glass' home at 206 Hillcrest
Road in Berkeley.
A Letter from Rosie Mann: Rosie Mann, April 21, 2008: To the
Berkeley Rotary Club, I would like to thank all the wonderful people who are
putting forth such an incredible effort toward out Fourth Annual Nite at the
Races. I cannot believe the number of pretty wonderful auction items we have
this year. We have a lot of really unique donations, and we will be having a
successful event. As I sit here punching this material into the catalog, I
realize more than ever what a great organization we have! Highest regards,
Rosie
Nite at the Races: Your Name in Lights: With over $20,000 worth of
auction items, this year's Nite at the Races (May 10th) promises to be a big
winner for everyone. Ed and Jim want to remind you that you can sponsor a
horse for just $25. Winning horses pay $50! There will be 6 races and 10
horses per race, so there¹s plenty to go around, and all sponsors will
have their names or a picture of their choice displayed on the big screens!
Show off your grand-kids, advertise your business--be creative! And don¹t
forget, bring your friends and family to bid on the auctions! Lots include
respites in beautiful vacation homes in Hawaii and Lake Tahoe, rare and
exciting wines, and much more!
Berkeley Rep Event:Tuesday, May 20th Rotary night at Berkeley Rep for
Figaro on Tuesday 5/20, 6pm dinner at Downtown Restaurant, show at
8pm. There will be a brief artistic presentation over dinner. Sign up sheet is
available.
Berkeley Rotary Endowment Board Meeting--Tuesday May 27, 5:30p At the
Berkeley City Club.
Baseball¹s Back! A's vs Phillies, June 24th: Steve Holland announced
that we have 35 tickets available to see the A's play the Philadelphia
Phillies on June 24th. Tickets this year are only $17.50! Sign-up sheets are
out at the weekly meetings.
The Cowboy and the Yuppie: From Barbara D¹Anneo; presented by Bob
Randall: A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous
pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud
towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban
sunglasses and a YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I
tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give
me a calf?" Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his
peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?" The
yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his
Cingular BlueTooth cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where
he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location, which he then
feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high resolution
photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and
exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within
seconds, he receives an email on his PalmPilot that the image has been
processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an
ODBC connected Excel spread sheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few
minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page
report on his hi- tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to
the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves." "That's
right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud. He
watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the
young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car. Then the Bud says to the young
man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give
me back my calf?" The young man thinks about it for a second and then
says, "Okay, why not?" "You're a Congressman for the U.S.
Government," says Bud. "Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but
how did you guess that?" "No guessing required," answered the
cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get
paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to
show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about
cows... this is a herd of sheep... now give me back my dog!"
Rotarians
tackle "the last few, the hardest to get," says volunteer Charlene
Hall, as they go door to door with the polio vaccine. Moradabad, India.
I Can Hear You Breathing Out There... Our fiscal year is almost over (June
30th). As you know we are raising Berkeley Endowment funds for next year's
projects and we are past our goal of about $11,000 for RI donations. But half
of those donations have come from four people and half of our members have not
donated anything! Become a Sustaining Member ($100 donation) or double
Sustainer ($200) today!
From Patrice Mbo: Dears friends, I apologize for my long silence. I
have been crazy busy all these days. I was thinking about you and the Rotary
Club, and I wanted to share with you some updates about my family. Cecile and
Davyna are doing fine. Davyna will start going to school on July. Special news:
Cecile is pregnant!!! And, she will have her birthday this coming Sunday,
April 27. I know your schedule must be very busy, but I wanted to invite you
and anyone from the club to celebrate Cecile's Birthday at the Church. You can
come at 3:00 PM for the worship service, or you can be there at 4:30 pm for the
Birthday celebration only. The address is 2727 College Ave., Berkeley, CA.
Other good news: After a long process of recognition of my ministry, I have
been finaly welcomed by the Presbytery of San Francisco last Saturday, April
12, 2008. I am now officially a Minister of the Word and Sacrements of the
PCUSA! Last Monday, April 21, 2008, I accepted the position of Spiritual Care
Manager with the Hospice of Napa Valley! This is a much better position in term
of responsibilities, and better opportunities. Now I can better be focus on
one position and also take care of myself and my family. I should start by May
5th. I am planning to relocate so I can be close to my work place and to my
church in BerkeleyŠ Hopefully, I will have the opportunity to come to one
meeting of the club during my week of transition. I plan to take one week off.
As you can see, I have been working very hard and I am glad that God is
opening me some doors. It has been very hard financially and emotionally,
adjusting having my family with me, and we have been praying and trusting God
for his protection and guidance. Once again, Thank you so much for your
support. I look forward to meeting with you soon. Blessings, Patrice
Sydney Tots Get a Head Start Rotary International News, 15 Apr 2008
According to developmental scientists and early childhood educators, the
cognitive, social, and emotional development of children begins at birth and
continues at home long before they enter school. To this end, the Rotary Club
of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, donated US$160,000 to an innovative,
early- childhood educational enrichment program offered at La Perouse Public
School, located in a nearby suburb. The Home Interaction Program for Parents
and Youngsters works with refugees, migrants, isolated rural community members,
and other disadvantaged groups throughout Australia. Through a two-year
curriculum, specialists at La Perouse teach parents of three- to five-year-olds
how to develop their child's school readiness, communication abilities, and
relationship skills before they begin their education in the classroom. By
training as home tutors, parents gain confidence in their role as their
child's first teachers. Families also receive educational books and games that
emphasize reading and math skills. "Thanks to Rotary, the children of La
Perouse are more likely to succeed at school, hold down a job, buy a home, and
enjoy good physical and mental health in their adult years," says Tony
Nicholson, executive director of the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, which runs
the program. Sydney club member Gerry Rihs says his club is pleased to
support projects that help reduce poverty and promote universal primary
education. Sherri Longbottom, coordinator of the La Perouse program, is
grateful for the club's contribution. "Thanks to Rotary Sydney for their
much-appreciated donation. This now means we will be able to continue to work
with more parents and their children in our community." This story was
adapted from Rotary Down Under, the Rotary regional magazine serving districts
in more than a dozen geographical areas, including Australia and New Zealand.
Rotarians Close JFK Runway for Good Cause: Rotary International News, 25
Apr 2008: The Rotary Club of JFK International Airport raises thousands of
dollars through a 5-kilometer race on the tarmac. This year, there were over
350 participants and more than $10,000 was raised.
Get the full story
Last Meeting--April
23rd: Thought for the Day: Life is struggle, and struggle is life. But be
mindful that victory is in the struggle.
Announcements: President Bob Randall announced that the Berkeley Rotary
Club has raised over $7,000 for the LN-4 Prosthetic Hand project. Tom Reed was
recognized with a Rotary Bear Pin.
Speaker¹s Notes for April 23, 2008 ³Medicare Fraud²
Steve Lack, Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Inspector
General and Pleasant Hill Rotary Club Member: Our speaker is Special Agent
Steven Lack, from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of
the Inspector General (IG). Special Agent Lack is also a Rotarian, and is a
member of the Pleasant Hill Club, where he has served as a past President and
past Assistant Governor for District 5160. The title of this talk was "Health
Care Investigations (Unlocking the Mystery)." In his talk, he recounted
his career prosecuting Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Almost every department of the
government has an office of the IG. In fact, there are 57 different IGs in all.
The office of the IG in HHS has 400 agents nationwide. Medicare distributes
payments totaling $300 Billion annually, of which 10% are judged to be
fraudulent claims. Fraudulent claims are also submitted to Medicaid (medical
reimbursement for low-income citizens) and to private insurers. HHS also
prosecutes individuals who cross state lines to evade payment of child support,
and researchers who submit fraudulent grant reports, as well as providing
protective services for the Secretary of HHS. Fraudulent activities can result
in either civil actions, resulting in fines and financial penalties, or criminal
suits, resulting in convictions. HHS obtains about 500 convictions, as well as
about 250 civil actions, per year, and recovers between $2 Billion and $3
Billion annually. However, this is only 10% of the total lost to fraudulent
claims. In part, this is due to the ease with which fraud can be perpetrated in
the medical care system, and the fact that the combination of high rewards and
low risk has attracted organized crime to Medicare fraud. Furthermore,
prosecution of a large fraud case can take up to 2 1/2 years. One of the main
sources of fraud prosecution is "Whistle Blowers," people who work
either in the health care industry or the government agencies, and who inform
the IG when they suspect that something illegal is going on. Whistle Blowers can
file a "Qui Tam" action. "Qui Tam" stands for "who
alsoŠ," meaning someone who files an action on behalf of the
government as well as themselves. A Whistle Blower can collect up to 20% of the
amount recovered due to a Qui Tam filing. Mr. Lack concluded his talk with the
example of the prosecution of LifeScan, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson,
for selling defective glucose meters, even after they knew that their product
was defective. In that case, the government collected over $30 Million in a Qui
Tam action initiated by two J&J employees, who were well rewarded for their
efforts.
2008 Rotary International Convention: Los Angeles, CA 15-18 June: See the
Stars! Share the spotlight with fellow Rotarians in the entertainment capital
of the world. Los Angeles is the ideal stage for Rotary International's annual
extravaganza. Like the family of Rotary, this sprawling metropolis of 3.8
million people boasts a diverse ethnic mix and cosmopolitan flair. L.A. is the
second-largest city in the United States and teems with activity and culture,
from its star-studded motion picture industry to its picturesque beachfront
communities and resorts. By participating in an RI Convention, you'll gain a
broader appreciation of Rotary's global commitment to service.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 23rd Steve Lacks will
be talking about Medicare Fraud.
A Note from the (New) Editor: Greetings fellow Berkeley Rotarians!
This is the first issue of eRevolutions with me as editor, and I'm starting off
with a new look. I'd like acknowledge Larry Goldenberg for his contribution
as previous editor, and wish him congratulations and good luck with his
appointment as president of his trade association, the Association of
TeleServices International. It will take me a little time to become familiar
with the process and the expectations for the newsletter. I hope you¹ll
all be patient with me as I wrap my ears around all of it. If you have any
complaints, let me know what you think!
Patrick Rigney, eRevolutions Editor
Sponsor
a Horse: The comedy team of Church and Masters would like to remind you
(again) that you can sponsor a horse at the upcoming Night at the Races event
(5/10) for just $25.00. Sponsors of winning horses will get their money back
double! Sponsors will also be allowed to display their names or an image on the
track's displays! Advertise your business, show us your kids, use your
imagination (within limits, of course).
This Month in Rotary History: Rotary in Cuba: The first Rotary club to be
organized outside an English- speaking country was established in Havana, Cuba,
29 April 1916, with 22 charter members. The club was admitted to Rotary on 1
June 1916. By the time the RI Convention was held in Havana, 9€14 June
1940, 42 of the 48 clubs that had been chartered in Cuba were still active.
Another 20 clubs would be chartered thereafter. All clubs in Cuba were
terminated by 31 January 1979.
More News from Rotary International: Somalia scores "historic"
polio-free achievement. By Dan Nixon and Vivian Fiore. Rotary International
News 31 March 2008. In a triumph over violence, poverty, and poor
infrastructure, Somalia has once again become polio-free. The Global Polio
Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced on 25 March that the East African
nation hasn't reported a case of polio since a year ago. Although it eradicated
the disease in 2002, Somalia became reinfected in 2005 by poliovirus originating
in Nigeria, resulting in an outbreak of 228 cases. Innovative approaches
tailored to conflict areas were pivotal in conquering polio in Somalia. More
than 10,000 volunteers and health workers used several doses of monovalent
vaccines to immunize children in insecure areas in a short period. With strong
community support, the effort succeeded in reaching more than 1.8 million
children under age five across one of the most dangerous countries on earth.
"This truly historic achievement shows that polio can be eradicated
everywhere, even in the most challenging and difficult settings," says Dr.
Hussein A. Gezairy, director of the World Health Organization's Eastern
Mediterranean Regional Office. "Somalia beat polio in the midst of more
widespread conflict and poverty than that affecting Afghanistan and Pakistan,"
says Dr. Maritel Costales, a UNICEF senior health adviser in New York, who
cited the challenges of overcoming widespread insecurity and large population
movements in a country with no central government. "But Somalia shows that
when communities are engaged, children everywhere can be reached."
Afghanistan and Pakistan, which together accounted for 5 percent of all polio
cases in 2007, could be the first of the four remaining endemic countries ‹
the other two are India and Nigeria ‹ to end polio. Consistent financial
commitment continues to be crucial to polio eradication. Rotary International,
the top private sector contributor and volunteer arm of the GPEI, has
contributed US$9.2 million for polio eradication in Somalia and $700 million
worldwide since 1985. The global effort faces a shortage of $525 million for
2008€09, funding urgently needed to fight the disease in the remaining
endemic countries and protect children in high-risk polio-free areas. "Somalia
clearly shows that the tailored tools and tactics of the intensified
eradication effort are working," says Mohamed Benmejdoub, chair of
Rotary's Eastern Mediterranean PolioPlus Committee. "A polio-free world is
a feasible public health goal and a global public good. I urge governments
across the world ‹ and in particular the G-8 countries ‹ to rapidly
make available the necessary resources. Together, we can ensure that no child
need ever again suffer the terrible pain of lifelong polio paralysis."
Upcoming Events: Peace Fellows Seminar‹April 19th: Bruce Willock
announced that this year the annual Peace Fellows Seminar will be held at the
City Club on Saturday, April 19th between 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Price for the
seminar and lunch is $35. We will need between 20 to 25 volunteers.
2008 District Conference‹April 24€26 In Sacramento. More
information, registration forms, hotel information, and event brochures are on
the District 5160 Web Site
Wine
Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride for VeteransApril 26th: Gil
Ferrey announced a 15 mile (start 9am) or 25 mile (start 8:30am) or 50 mile
(start 8am) bike ride through beautiful Napa Valley on Saturday April 26th.
This fundraiser is billed as the Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride
for Veterans. You can register on line.
This fundraiser supports two great programs; the Enchanted Hills Camp for the
Blind and Visually Impaired and The California Veterans Home "Pathway Home
Project". Check out the web site or see Gil for more information.
Night at the Races‹May 10th: The Annual Night At The Races will be
off and running on Saturday May 10th. Tickets are $45 each (make out your
checks to Berkeley Rotary Endowment)invite your friends and neighbors,
and everyone bring money for the auctions!
Remember the 3€2€1 Program! #3 is $300 for Berkeley Rotary
Endowment, #2 is for two hands€on projects, and #1 is $100 for Rotary
International (at least) Got Checkbook? Our fiscal year is almost over (June
30th). As you know we are raising Berkeley Endowment funds for next year¹s
projects and we are past our goal of about $11,000 for RI donations. But half
of those donations have come from four people and half of our members have not
donated anything.
Past Meeting‹April 16th, 2008 Thought for
the Day: A old man and boy were riding a donkey down a country road, when
someone remarked how terrible it was that the old man had to walk while the
young boy rode. So the boy dismounted and let the man ride. A bit later,
someone commented to them how terrible it was the boy was made to walk, so the
boy climbed up on the donkey with the old man and they both rode together. It
wasn¹t long before someone commented how terribly the donkey was being
treated, so the man and the boy dismounted and carried the donkey. As they
crossed a bridge, they stumbled and the unfortunate beast fell to its death in
the river below. The moral of the story: if you try to please everyone, you
can kiss your ass goodbye.
The Four Horsemen of the Whitehouse (Humor from President Bob?): George
Bush was sleeping comfortably in the White House one night when he was awakened
by the ghost of George Washington. He asked the spirit "what can I do to
best serve the country?" The spirit replied "Set an honest and
honorable example." The next night, he was visited by the ghost of Thomas
Jefferson, whose advice was "Respect the Constitution as I did." The
third night, the ghost of Franklin D. Roosevelt said "Help those who are
less fortunate." On the fourth night, the ghost of Abraham Lincoln
appeared, and when G.W. asked again "what can I do to best serve the
country?" the apparition pondered briefly and replied "Go see a play."
Announcements: President Bob Randall announced that in memory of Pat Carey's
daughter, who passed away on March 29th, a donation has been made to the
Endowment.
Bill Huyett is the new Superintendent of Schools for the City
of Berkeley, and has been a Rotarian since 1984 in other areas. He is
transferring his membership to our club. Welcome, Bill!
Last Saturday, a
group including Mac Lingo, Preston Staley, Bruce Willock, Michael Roberts,
Khawaja Ashraf, Alex and Judith Glass, Pate Thompson, and President Bob
attended the Club Leadership Assembly in Vacaville.
John Ferguson,
having received complaints about the large size of last year's roster, made this
year's a new half€page size. He is now receiving complaints about the
small size of this year's roster. Good luck in '09, John! John also announced
that the $315 he was reimbursed for printing this year;'s roster would be
returned to the club to be divided as contributions toward Paul Harris for this
year's new members. [Editor¹s note: Thank you, John!]
A colleague
of Jay Neufeld's told Jay that his Berkeley Rotary Bear pin looked like a rat.
Hopefully Jay will bring his nearsighted friend to a meeting as a guest in
future.
Speaker¹s Notes ³The Race for the Presidency²
Jack Citrin, Ph.D., Director of Institutional Studies, UC Berkeley:
Jack Citrin is a specialist in the field of
electoral politics and voting behavior. A quote by Woody Allen: "More
than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair
and utter hopelessness, the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we have
the wisdom to choose correctly." The selection of a new President of the
United States is essentially divided into two phases, the nomination of
candidates, and the election of one of them. With respect to the nomination
of candidates, each party has its own rules. The rules are amorphous, and their
administration is not highly organized by rigid structure; the influence of
party members has a tremendous effect in the shaping and application of the
rules. Within the Democratic party, the rules and process for selecting a
candidate are more fluid than those of the Republican party. On the Democratic
side, delegates are accumulated individually, whereas the Republicans have a "winner
take all" approach wherein the candidate with the majority in a state wins
all of the delegates in that state. This leads to decisive victories in the
Republican candidate selection process, and on the Democratic side, has the
potential to put the party in the situation it is in today: two candidates
battling it out almost equally for one seat. The Democrats arrived in this
position due to the huge name recognition and endorsements of the Clinton
campaign, and the huge popularity and message of change from the Obama campaign
that resonates with young people. Obama made a strong move by conducting his
fundraising efforts over the Internet, raising to date over $120 million
(average individual donation just $94). Obama also did well in caucus states,
leading to his leading accumulation of delegates. With four big primaries left,
it would take a significant issue in the Obama camp to allow Clinton to
accumulate enough delegates to win her party's nomination by count alone, and
we will get to the Democratic convention with Barack Obama in the lead. There
is a better than 70% chance that if Obama leads Clinton going into the
convention, the superdelegates will follow the popular vote and choose Obama as
the candidate. The sentiments currently being voiced by some Clinton supporters
that they would vote for McCain before voting for Obama is largely hype, and
there will be a rally around the winner and the new agenda going into the
election. So who will win the election? There are two groups of voters: those
who compare and decide based on the underlying conditions and the fit to party
strengths (which he calls "structuralists"), and those who take a
shorter term view and will vote based on the merits of the campaign itself.
In the end, the next President will be chosen on the basis of the "Four P¹s":
Party, Policy, Performance, and Personality. Party: Democrats have the
advantage, because of the high level of dissatisfaction with President Bush,
which is a drag on the Republican party. Policy: With focus on the election
and the candidates' ideological balance, the net advantage is to the Democrats,
because the people are tired of war. Performance: The watchwords are peace,
prosperity, and a minimum of scandal and corruption. That is, the candidate who
the people are made to believe will best bring peace and prosperity to the
nation and conduct himself with integrity and hold his government accountable
for the same will lead. Advantage: Democrats, heavily. While McCain does seem to
be a candidate of high moral values, integrity and responsibility, his "continue
the war" message overshadows these benefits. Each candidate needs a well
distilled message. Ronald Reagan's message in 1980 was distilled to six words: ³Money
good, America good, government bad.² In this upcoming election, the message
of the Democrats seems obvious: "Change, no more Bush". The message
of the Republicans will likely be "experience in defending the USA and its
values." Our system of government is inherently biased against change.
Change happens very, very slowly. A President has very little ability to affect
significant change in government on his own. If the Democrats win this election,
it remains to be seen how much change will be possible.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 16th:
Speaker Professor Jack Citrin will be speaking on the Race For The
Presidency!!!
GREAT NEWS!!! WE HAVE A NEW e - REVOLUTIONS!!! AND THAT PERSON IS...
AND THAT PERSON IS... AND THAT PERSON IS...
Patrick Rigney Congratulations, Thanks
and Good Luck, Patrick. Larry Goldenberg
Past Meeting: April 9th: Thought For The Day Manjul Batra, in
honor of her Indian roots, gave us three short thoughts from Mahatma Gandhi. "I
object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only
temporary ; the evil it does is permanent" "Intolerance is itself a
form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit"
"Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare
of his fellow men"
Announcements: Kansas Jayhawks win NCAA Men's
Basketball Tournament We had to endure an "impromptu" cheer, complete
with Kansas Jayhawks T- Shirts by Kansas Alum's; Judith Glass and Jim Masters.
We'll get 'em next year with new Cal Coach Mike Montgomery.
A Winner - "Hands" Down. President Bob Randall made a major
Commitment to support District 5160 LN-4 Prosthetic Hands Project, first
introduced by last year's District Governor Candy Pierce. He has awarded
the coveted Rotary Bear Pin to recipients who have donated or had donations made
in their honor. He has honored each week's speaker with the donation of a LN-4
Hand. So far President Bob and the Rotary club of Berkeley have raised more
than $7,000 (probably closer to $8,000 now) towards the hands project. And at
$50 per hand that means well over 150 hands will be purchased before the end of
Bob's term. Congratulations - Bob Congratulations Berkeley Rotarians.
This past week several Rotarians were recognized with a Rotary Bear Pin- Jack
McPhail; Manjul Batra and Mac Lingo. Additional Funds Raised.
Last week at the weekly meeting Larry Goldenberg asked President Bob if he
could do a little 'shtick' with Grier Graff and John Ferguson, the architect and
contractor on his building remodel. He had also asked Michael Caplan to
represent the City of Berkeley as nothing gets done, construction wise without
the city licensing department getting involved. Michael was busy trying to rent
out space in downtown Berkeley (if Larry heard it correctly, he believes they
want to turn the old Ross Store into a Marine Armory) and could not make it.
Larry gave Grier and John DVD's of the Tom Hanks movie the "The Money Pit".
Anyone who has gone through a remodeling knows "The Money Pit"
feeling. Larry honored Grier, John and Michael by donating $150 to "buy"
each a LN-4 hand. Grier and John quickly matched the $150 each to buy additional
hands. I made several other donations and Ted Ockels made a very generous $1,000
donation to RI. Our fiscal year is almost over (June 30th). As you know we are
raising Berkeley Endowment funds for next year's projects and we are past our
goal of about $11,000 for RI donations. But half of those donations have come
from four people and half of our members have not donated anything - not become
Sustaining Members ($100 donation) or double Sustainers ($200 donation). So
please take out your check books and make your 2007-2008 contributions. Remember
our 3-2-1 program (#3- $300 for Berkeley Rotary Endowment, #2 hands on projects
and #1 - $100 for Rotary International -at least.
Sad News: Larry received this note from Pat Carey: I have missed a number
of meetings lately, the last couple because of our oldest daughter's death on
March 29th. She was only 37 and passed away quickly due to a cerebral
hemorrhage. We are still in shock because she had never been sick. She is
being buried today in the Philippines where she grew up. We are taking it day
to day, but I will be back next week.
Upcoming Events:
Nite At The Races: May 10th: The Annual Nite At
The Races will be off and running on Saturday May 10th. Tickets are $45 each
(make out your checks to Berkeley Rotary Endowment) invite your friends
and neighbors. April 16th is deadline for auction items. Donate Your Auction
Items Now! Berkeley Rotarians We need Auction Items Now! You can
donate both goods and services: Donate your Willie Mays Rookie card; Give baby
sitting, plumbing, carpentry, photography; Cook a dinner for 8; Ask your
favorite restaurant for a buy-one-get-one dinner; Buy a Year of Ed Church not
auctioning The Wallet, just be clever! Be resourceful! Be Rotarians! Contact
Rosie Mann before Wednesday, so we
can put your wonderful item in the Program before it goes to George Hasa for
printing. Take five minutesŠ do it now!
Peace Fellows Seminar: April 19th: Bruce Willock announced that this year
the annual Peace Fellows Seminar will be held at the City Club on Saturday April
19th between 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Price for the seminar and lunch is $35. We
will need between 20 to 25 volunteers.
Past President's Dinner & Meeting: Thursday April 17th John Ferguson
announced the annual Past President's Dinner Meeting at his house on Thursday
April 17th. The purpose of this meeting is to "beat up" on the current
President- Bob Randall ( all in good fun of course) make suggestion to the
incoming President Rosie Mann (which will be ignored) and plan the Past
President's meeting coming up on Wednesday, May 14th, when past presidents are
let out of the closet to make some (hopefully) intelligent remarks of lasting
value to the club.
2008 District 5160 Conference:
April 24th to
April 26th
Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride For Veterans: April 26th: Gil
Ferrey announced a 15 (start 9am) or 25 (start 8:30am) or 50 (start 8am) mile
bike ride through beautiful Napa valley on Saturday April 26th. This fund
raiser is billed as the Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride for
Veterans. You can register on line .
This fund raiser supports two great programs; the Enchanted Hills Camp For the
Blind ad Visually Impaired and The California Veterans Home "Pathway Home
Project". Check out the web site or see Gil for more information.
Speaker April 9th Speakers Notes: The topic of America and the Global
Economy in 2008 was presented by Tapan Monroe PhD. With the United States still
having the largest economy in the world, what happens here effects the other
world economies. As the European Union and China are fast approach the U.S.
economy in size, will they become the dominate force? China, India, Russia and
Brazil have the fast growing economies. The U.S. is the largest consumer nation
in the world which gives us a trade deficit of 3 billion dollars a day. Taking
this deficit and the subprime disaster our dollar value is falling like the
housing market. The good news is exports are up, agriculture income is up, high
tech is up, clean tech is up and the low dollar value has increase tourism in
the states. The bad news is the subprime disaster has not concluded, housing
starts and sales are down, foreclosures are up, the dollar is down and inflation
is up. The California economy which is larger than many nations has been hit
hard by the subprime housing mess. Many are viewing the housing boom and bust
like the dot-com boom and bust. The Federal Reserve is trying not to call this a
recession just a slowdown. Our economy has had 11 slowdowns (recessions) in
the past 62 years, each lasting approx 11 to 13 months, this one should run to
the 1st quarter of 2009. The Bay Area economy is buffeted right now by Silicon
Valley, University Researchers and clean tech. Oil and gas still rule the world
economy but clean tech may be the U.S. economic salvation. Thank you Tapan
Monroe PhD. For your insight.
Be there! Wednesday April 16th, 2008
Next Meeting: Wednesday March 26th.
Speaker: Lillian Koziol, The Honorable Consul General of Madagascar.
Job Wanted Ad: e-Revolutions Editor Salary? You¹re
kidding, right? Tick...tick...The clock is ticking !
Larry Goldenberg writes:
Folks, I have been editing e-Revolutions for about 4 years. One year Rosie Mann
and I split the duties and more recently Jen Pao and I were splitting the
editing. Her new job has kept her pretty busy and on the move, so she has not
been able to continue on the e-Revolutions. It is time to move on and pass the
baton to some new people. As you have already noticed I am sure, this is not
rocket science. I have kept the format simple, focusing on just plain
communicating. It does take a little time but not an inordinate amount of time.
The speaker's notes are usually provided by another club member. The best
situation would be if 2 or 3 people would step up and share the responsibility.
That way if one person can not make a meeting someone else can take over and the
time can be divided. I will continue until April 9, 2008, but then I need to
step down. If you are interested please contact me or Bob Randall and we can
discus how it all works. Larry Goldenberg
Past Meeting: March 12th
New Member Great Welcome Another new member Patrick Rigney
Note: I just saw District 5160 membership report for year
to date. The district increased membership by 2% - not bad goal was a
realistic 1%. However Berkeley Rotary increased our membership by 11%.
Congratulations to Jay Mahoney and his membership committee. Patrick
Rigney was born in 1964 in Oakland, the last of Eva¹s three children and
the only boy. A few years and a few life changes later, Eva met Bob Rigney and
the two married to create a blended family of 6 children - three girls and three
boys. Bob paid special attention to Eva's youngest boy, fulfilling the role of
father with his love, firmness and encouragement, and special brand of humor.
He also recognized his new son's curiosity for things mechanical and electrical,
particularly when several small kitchen appliances met an untimely end in a
disassembled heap under his bed. When the opportunity arose, Bob took Patrick to
the Lawrence Hall of Science to see and play with the new computers there.
Encouraged and challenged by his Dad, Patrick wrote his first computer program
at age 11, punched on paper tape. That event spurred an obsession, and by age 16
Patrick had secured gainful employment as a computer programmer with a local
Berkeley company, where he ultimately worked for eight years. Over the years
following, Patrick worked for a number of startup and established Silicon Valley
companies, including Etak, the company that invented the in-vehicle navigation
systems we all now use, and Symantec, one of the world's largest and most
successful software companies. His interest in the discipline and process
aspects of software development led him through various levels of management,
which ultimately rounded his experience in the industry to include marketing,
finance, and sales. Today, Patrick is CEO of Evocative, Incorporated, a
company he started 12 years ago across the Bay in Sausalito. Now based in
Emeryville, Evocative offers as its principle product and service a secure, "always
up" hosting environment for the mission-critical services of its small -
and mid - sized business clients. Patrick lives in the Elmwood district of
Berkeley with his wife of 6 years, Erin, and their two boys, Ian age 3, and Ryan
age 10 months. They are expecting another child in late August and are anxiously
awaiting the upcoming confirmation of its gender. If it's a girl, Patrick has
asked to be buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
Condolences George Luna's 91 year old father died. Our best wishes to
George.
LN 4 Hand Project: President Bob reported on the Berkeley Rotaract District
5160 "Assemble the Hands" project at the Berkeley Y on Saturday March
15th. The goal was to assemble 40 LN-4 hands in honor of the 40th Anniversary
of Rotaract. The goal was easily reached. In fact there was a "standing
room only crowd" of 65 "hand assemblers". Pleasant Hill Rotarian,
Mike Mendonga, who's company, manufactures the LN-4 hands instructed the
attendees in assembling the hands. In attendance were many Rotaractors and
Interactors and some of them came from as far as Davis. There were also a number
of Berkeley Rotarians in attendance ( my apologies if I have left anyone off of
the list); Don Alter, Gil Ferrey, Moe Orenstein, Larry Goldenberg, Ruth
Goldenberg; Bruce Willock; Glenn Fuller; Rosie Mann, Shar Etebar, Mary Alice
Rathbun, and President Bob Randall. After the work was done the Rotaracators,
Interacators and few Berkeley Rotarians cooled off at Fenton's Ice Creamery in
Oakland.
Dear Day Pamela Doolan provided more feedback on another successful
Dear Day on the Berkeley Public Schools... Berkeley Rotary received an email
from Deanna Drake, Program Assistant for Berkeley School Volunteers, in charge
of DEAR Day: "...We so appreciate all the help of...the wonderful
Rotarians who read! You are the most reliable and friendly group of folks to
work with, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!" This was followed
by a written note: "We wanted to thank you again for all your hard work
and commitment to DEAR Day! Working with...Rotarians is always a pleasure. I
can't tell you enough how wonderful it is to work with such a reliable and
friendly group of Berkeleyans! As always, we look forward to collaborating with
you again next year. Warmest thanks, Deanna and Michelle." Thanks to the
following for taking time from your day to visit and read to students during
DEAR Day 2008: President Bob Randall, Don Alter, Glenn Fuller, Pamela Doolan,
Joanne Crawford, Pate Thomson, Michael Roberts, George Luna, Rosemary Mann, Don
Melandry, Steve Holland, William Commerford, Schuyler Bailey and at least three
spouses: Peggy Alter, Judy Thomson and Mara Melandry.
Rosa Rangel Photographic Note Cards: Grier Graff announced that about
$2,000 worth of Rosa's cards have been sold there are cards still
available-8 cards for $20. See Grier
Career Day At Longfellow School: March 25th: Joanne Crawford announced
that career day will be held at the Longfellow School on March 25th from 9am to
noon.
New Club Roster Available: John Ferguson handed out our new, updated club
rosters. If you did not receive yours last week, be sure to see John.
Hats off to John as I am sure you must realize,
putting to together a complete club roster is a large and complex undertaking.
Rotary Hats: President Bob announced we will shortly have
Personalized Rotary Baseball hats available. These will be perfect to keep the
sun off of your head and identify that you belong to Rotary when working on
hands on projects. Sign up at the meeting. As soon as we have orders for 25 hats
they will be ordered.
Upcoming Events: Endowment Board of Directors Elections April 2nd. John
Torpey, the able Chair of our endowment Board announced that three members will
be leaving the Board this year; Don Alter, Larry Goldenberg and Allan Frasier.
Thank you all for your contribution. Elections for new members will be held on
April 2nd. The excellent slate of nominees include; Peter Campbell; Santosh Jain
and Jon Shindo. Nominees from the floor will be accepted at this week's
meeting.
Rotary District Leadership Conference Saturday April 12: President Bob
announced that the annual district leadership conference will be held in
Vacaville on Saturday April 12th. This is an invaluable meeting for incoming
club leaders but it is a worthwhile learning experience for any club member. The
club pays one total fee for as many club members that attend- so the more the
merrier. See Bob to sign up.
Peace Fellows Seminar April 19th: Bruce Willock announced that this year
the annual Peace Fellows Seminar will be held at the City Club on Saturday April
19th between 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Price for the seminar and lunch is $35. We
will need between 20 to 25 volunteers. VOLUNTEERS
WANTED: for Peace Fellow Seminar on Saturday, April 19th 9:30AM to 3:30 PM Task
sign up sheets at Wednesday meetings beginning March 10th.
Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride For Veterans April 26th:
Gil Ferrey announced a 15 ( start 9am)or 25(start 8:30am) or 50( start 8am) mile
bike ride through beautiful Napa valley on Saturday April 26th. This fund
raiser is billed as the Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride for
Veterans. You can register on line.
This fund raiser supports two great programs; the Enchanted Hills Camp For the
Blind ad Visually Impaired and The California Veterans Home "Pathway Home
Project". Check out the web site or see Gil for more information.
Nite At The Races, May 10th: The Annual Nite At The Races be off
and running on May 10. Information packets were distributed at the meeting. Ed
Church asked everyone "to open your envelopes please" and review the
information; including donation request forms, history of Berkeley Rotary
projects, etc. April 16th is deadline for auction items. Deborah Ritchie
announced she is going to be there fore sure. Last year she bought a one ounce
gold krugerrand for $650 donated by David Malcolm. Have you checked the price of
gold lately?
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24th to April 26th: Check
it out on-line
Speaker, March 19th: Mel Lavine, who presented a lively and
interesting look at the world of television journalism based on his nearly 60
years as a print and television reporter, and as a producer of television news
programs. His talk was taken from his recently published book "A Strange
Breed of Folks". Mel Lavine, a native of Boston, found himself in the
early '60s working as a T.V. reporter in Eureka CA. He recounts in his book
that he had a brief moment of journalistic stardom when during an interview with
then gubernatorial candidate Richard Nixon he caught the malevolent glare of
Nixon on camera while asking the candidate some difficult questions.
Unfortunately the sound track of the interview did not record and the interview
was not aired. Not long after that episode, Mr. Lavine received a fellowship
to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Upon completing
studies at the Graduate School, Mel Lavine worked at the major network
newsrooms, writing, reporting and producing news programs. Along the way he
worked with and produced news casts for such luminaries as Walter Cronkite,
Barbara Walters and Charles Kuralt. He called Kuralt one of the best
journalists he ever worked with but that he was a difficult person to know.
Later it was revealed that the famed journalist had a secret life with a "shadow"
wife living in Montana with whom he maintained a 20 year relationship. As he
goes around the country lecturing about broadcast journalism and talking about
his long career in television news, Mr. Lavine says he is often asked about the
famous personalities he worked with during his career in journalism. "People
often ask Œwhat is Barbara Walters really like?" What he really likes
to talk about though, is the role of journalism in informing the public. Is it
as "lap dog or watch dog?" He considers the really interesting
personalities in broadcast journalism to be the writers, reporters and producers
that create the news shows. These are the "Strange Breed of Folks"
that he writes about in his book.
Be there! Wednesday March 26th, 2008
Next Meeting: Wednesday March 19th: Our
speaker will be Author Mel Lavine. His topic will be "A Strange Bred of
Folks". I wonder who he will be talking about? Perhaps the Berkeley City
Council; Perhaps the Tree Sitters at the Sports Complex site; Perhaps..., well
come to the meeting to find out. Job
Wanted Ad: e-Revolutions
Editor: "Salary? You¹re kidding, right? Tick...tick...tick...The clock
is ticking ! 2/1/08 Folks, Larry Goldenberg has been editing e-Revolutions for
about 4 years. One year Rosie Mann and he split the duties and more recently
Jen Pao and Larry were splitting the editing. Her new job has kept her pretty
busy and on the move, so she has not been able to continue on the e-Revolutions.
It is time to move on and pass the baton to some new people. As you have already
noticed I am sure, this is not rocket science. I have kept the format simple,
focusing on just plain communicating. It does take a little time but not an
inordinate amount of time. The speakers notes are usually provided by another
club member. The best situation would be if 2 or 3 people would step up and
share the responsibility. That way if one person can not make a meeting someone
else can take over and the time can be divided. I will continue until April 9,
2008, but then I need to step down. If you are interested please contact Lary or
Bob Randall and we can discus how it all works. Larry Goldenberg"
Past Meeting: March 12th
Announcements: LN 4 Hand Project: President Bob announced the Berkeley
Rotaract District 5160 "Assemble the Hands" project at the
Berkeley "Y" on Saturday March 15th. I am sure Bob will make a
complete report on Wednesday, but I was there with a number of Berkeley
Rotarians and a standing room only crowd of Rotaractors and High School
Interactors ( one group from as far away ad Davis). It was a great experience
and teaming up with one of Rotaractors I actually put one of the hands together.
Berkeley Rotary Ski Team Survives: The Berkeley Rotary Ski Team won a
trophy at the Annual Tahoe City Rotary Club Ski Tournament Fund Raiser on
February 29th at Alpine Meadows. The trophy is called the Turtle Trophy. Three
guesses why it is called that. Ah, you got it on the first guess. Our fearless
Ski Team and our stalwart skiers did unfortunately finish (dead) last. But they
did finish they did survive- they did not break any bones what
more could you ask for? The team members included Team Captain George Hasa,
Team doctor (and chaplain, in case one was needed) Pate Thomson and team
members; Reg Garcia, Tom Reed, Kurt Hauch, Gil Ferrey, Zlatica Hasa and
Charlotte Ferrey.
Allen Leggett's Grandson Going To Jr. Olympics: Speaking
of real Skiers, Allen Leggett announced his grandson is going to the Jr.
Olympics in Utah. Congratulations, Allen.
Rosa Rangel Photographic Note Cards: Grier Graff announced that about
$2,000 worth of Rosa's cards have been sold there are cards still
available-8 cards for $20. See Grier
Career Day At Longfellow School: Joanne Crawford announced that career day
will be held at the Longfellow School on March 25th from 9am to noon. If you
would like discuss your profession with the middle school students, please sign.
This is a great opportunity to share your experiences with these students and
give them some guidance on their future careers. See Joanne or
e-mail her for more
information.
New Club Roster Available: John Ferguson handed out our new, updated club
rosters. If you did not receive yours last week, be sure to see John. Hats off
to John as I am sure you must realize, putting to together a complete
club roster is a large and complex undertaking.
PETS Conference In San Jose. The weekend of March 7-9th in San Jose was
the site of the annual PETS conference. PETS stands for President Elect Training
Seminar. This is full weekend of training, learning, building bonds with about
450 other club presidents and "immersion" into the responsibilities
our new incoming president has agreed to assume. Rosie Mann, as our incoming
President was there as well as Pate Thomson our incoming Assistant District
Governor. Rosie, reported she was highly impressed with the scope and
organization of the PETS conference and she came away feeling more confident
about her ability to handle the large responsibility.
Patrice Mbo Confirmed: Alex Glass announced that Patrice Mbo has been
confirmed as Presbyterian Minister at a service Alex attended at the New
Covenant French-American Church in Berkeley.
Rotary Hats: President Bob announced we will shortly have Personalized
Rotary Baseball hats available. These will be perfect to keep the sun off of
your head and identify that you belong to Rotary when working on hands on
projects. Sign up at the meeting. As soon as we have orders for 25 hats they
will be ordered.
Don Alter Shares A Post Card he received from Jim
Reynolds: Dear Don: Here's my contribution for this spring's crop.
Introducing my girl friend Pat (Short for Patricia I like to think, but it might
really be Patrick and only another cockatoo would know!) I'm still in
disgustingly good health and enjoying many of the cultural activities that are
so easy to find here. Come July I have another cruise lined up, this time on a
three masted schooner (Arabella) from Newport for a week up the New England
coast. Amused but not surprised by the latest headlines about Berkeley. Best to
all, and good hunting! Jim
Upcoming Events: Rotary District Leadership
Conference: Saturday April 12 President Bob announced that the annual district
leadership conference will be held in Vacaville on Saturday April 12th. This is
an invaluable meeting for incoming club leaders but it is a worthwhile learning
experience for any club member. The club pays one total fee for as many club
members that attend- so the more the merrier. See Bob to sign up.
Peace Fellows Seminar: Bruce Willock announced that this year the
annual Peace Fellows Seminar will be held at the City Club on Saturday April
19th between 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Price for the seminar and lunch is $35. We
will need between 20 to 25 volunteers.
Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and
Rotary Ride For Veterans: Gil Ferrey announced a 15 ( start 9am)or 25(start
8:30am) or 50( start 8am) mile bike ride through beautiful Napa valley on
Saturday April 26th. This fund raiser is billed as the Wine Valley Cycle for
Sight and Rotary Ride for Veterans. You can register on line This fund raiser
supports two great programs; the Enchanted Hills Camp For the Blind ad Visually
Impaired and The California Veterans Home "Pathway Home Project".
Check out the web site or see Gil for more information.
Nite At The Races: The Annual Nite At The Races will be off and running on
May 10th. As in past years Ed Church and Jim Masters did a little Nite at The
Races "schtik" as only they can. More information to follow, but put
it on your calendar now!
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24th to April 26th
http://www.rotary5160.org/events/2008Conference.php
Speaker March 5th, 2008: Diane Rames, general manager of the Daily
Californiandiscussed her role at the paper. The newspaper began
publishing in 1871. In 1971 it became independent from the University of
California. At that time the University was trying to censor some of the
student editorials. The last straw was an editorial about "Peoples Park".
The students urged the University to "tear down the fences". UC then
fired the editor of the Daily Cal. After that the newspaper and the University
got "divorced" and the newspaper became an independent entity. This
solved several problems. The University was no longer liable for the
newspaper's content and the newspaper could publish articles and editorials as
the manager and the students saw fit. The newspaper carries it's own liability
insurance. The Daily Cal rents space from the University on campus. It is
staffed by up to 150 volunteer students, an excellent experience for those
interested in journalism as a career. The students decide the editorial content.
During the five week winter break many of the students can get temporary jobs
at the San Francisco Chronicle. There is no undergraduate course in
journalism at UC. There is a graduate school of journalism. The Daily Cal has
won top collegiate awards for 4 out of the last 5 years. Members of the
audience asked a number of questions. How does the Daily Cal make money? It is
dependent on advertising revenue. There are racks at 142 locations within a
mile of the campus where you can obtain a newspaper. The students have to clean
up graffiti on the racks and they cost $650 to replace. Diane is the only full
time employee but a number of Cal alums in the newspaper business consult. The
web site. It gets up to 75,000 hits a month
from all around the world because the correspondents like to get independent non
biased comments. It was an excellent talk and we all learned a lot.
Bob's Joke Corner: Continuing saga of our hero- Bubba Subject: Bubba
and the Glider Back in Kentucky, you don't see too many people hang-gliding.
Bubba decided to save up and get a hang-glider. He takes it to the highest
mountain, and after struggling to the top, he gets ready to take flight. He
takes off running and reaches the edge--and into the wind he goes! Meanwhile, Ma
and Pa Hicks were sittin' on the porch swing talkin' about the good ol' days
when Ma spots the biggest bird she had ever seen! "Lookat the size of that
bird, Pa!" she exclaims. Pa straightens up and says, "Git my gun, Ma."
She runs into the house and brings out his pump shotgun. He takes careful Aim.
BANG...BANG.....BANG.....BANG! The monster-size bird continues to sail silently
over the tree tops. "I think ya missed him, Pa," she says. Yeah,"
he replies, "but at least he let go of Bubba!"
Be there! Wednesday March 19th, 2008
Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 12th:
Speaker Diane Rames, General Manager of the Daily Cal. Her topic will be an
update on the happenings at the Daily Cal.
Job
Wanted Ad: e-Revolutions Editor (Larry Goldenberg)
Tick...tick...tick...tick...The clock is ticking ! 2/1/08 Folks, I have been
editing e-Revolutions for about 4 years. One year, Rosie Mann and I split the
duties and more recently Jen Pao and I were splitting the editing. Her new job
has kept her pretty busy and on the move, so she has not been able to continue
on the e-Revolutions. It is time to move on and pass the baton to some new
people. As you have already noticed I am sure, this is not rocket science. I
have kept the format simple, focusing on just plain communicating. It does take
a little time but not an inordinate amount of time. The speakers notes are
usually provided by another club member. The best situation would be if 2 or 3
people would step up and share the responsibility. That way if one person cannot
make a meeting someone else can take over and the time can be divided. I will
continue until April 9, 2008, but then I need to step down. If you are
interested please contact Larry or Bob Randall and we can discus how it all
works. Larry Goldenberg
Past Meeting: February 27th: Announcements: LN-4 Hand
Project: President Bob honored Ed Church for his contribution to the LN-4 hand
project with the Bear Rotary pin. Ed announced he was making this contribution
in honor of his 10th anniversary in Berkeley Rotary. Bob also honored Jon Vicars
wife, Rotarian, Nobuko, for also making a contribution to the LN-4 hand project.
Can you believe it? 51 years! Burch White announced he has had perfect
attendance for 51 long years. Burch was given a standing ovation for his
dedication to Berkeley Rotary.
New Endowment Board Member John Torpey, Chair of the Berkeley Endowment
Board announced that Allan Leggett was appointed to the Board of the Trustees of
the Endowment to serve out the remainder of Kristina Wolf's term and that we are
happy that he agreed to serve. Allan brings years of Berkeley Rotary experience
to his new post.
Career Day At Longfellow School: Joanne Crawford announced that career day
will be held at the Longfellow School on March 25th from 9am to noon. If you
would like discuss your profession with middle school students, please sign up.
This is a great opportunity to share your experiences with these students and
give them some guidance on their future careers. See Joanne for more
information.
PETS Conference In San Jose: This past weekend San Jose was the site of the
annual PETS conference. PETS stands for President Elect Training. This is full
weekend of training, learning, building bonds with other club presidents and "immersion"
into the responsibilities our new incoming president has agreed to assume.
President Bob gave our President-Elect Rosie Mann a grand send off with a bag of
goodies mostly books on leadership ( such as the "7 habits of highly
effective people") and tapes from Cliff Dochterman, etc. Between the books
and the weekend PETS conference Rosie should be raring to go. ( This is
the start of the period when Rosie wakes up in the middle of the night sweating
and saying to herself "how did I let myself get talked into this").
And so she won't forget her responsibility to our annual Nite At The Races Fund
raiser Bob gave her a stuffed horse. Rosie was going to tell Bob to stuff the
horse but being a lady she refrained from doing that.
Rotary Hats: President Bob announced we will shortly have Personalized
Rotary Baseball hats available. These will be perfect to keep the sun off of
your head and identify that you belong to Rotary when working on hands on
projects. Sign up at the meeting. As soon as we have orders for 25 hats they
will be ordered.
Thank you from CHORI: Our new member Jake Neufeld, a
member of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute thanked us from the
staff for attending the meeting at CHORI the previous week. John Ferguson
mentioned that he took a picture of Jake nodding off during the meeting. Jake
admitted he did fall asleep fairly often in class.
New Daughter: Dan Thomas gave us an update on his new Daughter
Corrina. She weighed in at 7 lbs and 11 ounces and she was 19 inches long.
Mother and Daughter are doing just fine. This event took place at 8:37 pm
Tuesday February 28th. President Bob announced that Hideo Simon our former
member who moved to Southern California also had a new baby a day after Dan's
baby was born.
Upcoming Events: Saturday March 15th Assemble Prosthetic Hands
Save that date for a truly "hands on" project- helping to assemble
Prosthetic hands to assist Rotaract. This will take place at the YMCA
time 10am to 1pm. Sign ups at the meeting. Rotaract District 5160 invites you
to LN-4 PROSTHETIC HAND BUILD DAY Saturday, March 15, 2008 10 AM 1 PM
Berkeley YMCA @ 2001 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704 Join us for an
after-service Rotaract Birthday Party at Fenton's Ice Creamery (4226 Piedmont
Ave., Oakland, CA).
Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary Ride For Veterans April 26th
Gil Ferrey announced a 15 mile ( start 9am) or 25 mile (start 8:30am) or 50 mile
( start 8am) bike ride through beautiful Napa valley on Saturday April 26th.
This fund raiser is billed as the "Wine Valley Cycle for Sight and Rotary
Ride for Veterans". You can register on
line. This fund raiser supports two great programs; the Enchanted Hills Camp
For the Blind and Visually Impaired and The California Veterans Home "Pathway
Home Project". Check out the web site or see Gil for more information.
Peace Fellows Seminar: Bruce Willock announced that this year the annual
Peace Fellows Seminar will be held at the City Club on Saturday April 19th. More
information and request for volunteers will be forthcoming. We will need between
20 to 25 volunteers. VOLUNTEERS WANTED: for Peace Fellow Seminar Sat: April
19th 9:30AM to 3:30 PM Task sign up sheets at Wednesday meetings
beginning March 10th.
Nite At The Races: The Annual Nite At The Races be off and running on May
10th. As in past years Ed Church and Jim Masters did a little Nite at The Races
"schtik" as only they can. More information to follow, but put it on
your calendar now!
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24 to April 26: Check it out
atOn-line
Speaker March 5th, 2008 Sprec Rosenkrans The problem of "Water
in California", its value, distribution, and its importance to urban and
rural areas, was the subject of our program March 5th. Sprec Rosenkrans,
Berkeley, of the State Environmental Defense Department, presented a power-point
illustrated program on the Delta. He told how the 500,000 members of the
Defense Fund are influencing control of water in the State. This on a day when
Nevada released tons of water from the Hoover Dam to flush out and restore the
lower Colorado River habitat. Another illustration of how water is used. Since
the West is mostly dry, farms must be irrigated to provide a fast-growing
population with food and agricultural products to sustain it. 43 million acre
feet of water storage is currently maintained and six million acre feet is
exported, Rosenkrans stated. The aim of the Governor and the Defense Fund is to
reduce water consumption by 20%, establish better flood control, have adequate
water supply for any disaster, and to build/increase the water supply. One of
the crops which taps about 8% of water in agriculture is irrigation of alfalfa.
Asked about this, the speaker did not know how many crops of alfalfa are
harvested per year. The number is four and perhaps five in ideal conditions.
(In the mid-west, three crops of alfalfa are harvested per year.) Some
agricultural food crops are reducing water consumption with the use of drip
irrigation. Further use of drip and individual plant spray irrigation in
orchards, etc. and the use of some fertilizer, is the focus of further water
conservation, he said. The Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers supply water to the
Delta Region. Storage of water in the upper (Sierra foothills) region is at or
near capacity. More storage in the Sierra mountains is not too practical, he
believes. Delta islands are rich farm land, but are at risk. Many are below
sea level and subject to flooding or earthquake damage. Mr. Rosenkrans also
spoke about the State's approval of a proposed Peripheral Canal in 1982, which
was never built. He feels it should be built and that some water be stored in
underground aquifers, as is being done in Kern County. The speaker advocated
sending letters to Senator Diane Feinstein regarding the controversial Hetch
Hetchy project, but he described what the area would eventually look like if the
project were carried out. A number of probing questions were asked by Rotary
members at the conclusion of his presentation. The Bioplastics Team was in
charge of this informative program.
Bob's Joke Corner-Subject: Planning Your Estate: Dan was a single guy
living at home with his father and working in the family business. When he found
out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he
needed a wife with which to share his fortune. One evening at an investment
meeting he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty
took his breath away. "I may look like just an ordinary man," he said
to her, "but in just a few years, my father will die, and I'll inherit 20
million dollars." Impressed, the woman obtained his business card and three
days later, she became his stepmother. Women are so much better at estate
planning than men!
Be there! Wednesday March 12th, 2008
Next Meeting Wednesday February 20th 2008
Speaker Our speaker will be Warren Kirk CEO of Alta Bates /Summit. Warren will
be discussing issues that relate to the current state of health care.
Job
Wanted Ad: e-Revolutions Editor: 2/1/08 Folks, I have been editing
e-Revolutions for about 4 years. One year Rosie Mann and I split the duties and
more recently Jen Pao and I were splitting the editing. Her new job has kept
her pretty busy and on the move, so she has not been able to continue on the
e-Revolutions. It is time to move on and pass the baton to some new people. As
you have already noticed I am sure, this is not rocket science. I have kept the
format simple, focusing on just plain communicating. It does take a little time
but not an inordinate amount of time. The speakers notes are usually provided by
another club member. The best situation would be if 2 or 3 people would step up
and share the responsibility. That way if one person can not make a meeting
someone else can take over and the time can be divided. I will continue for
another two months or so ( until April 9, 2008), but then I need to step down.
If you are interested please contact me or Bob Randall and we can discus how it
all works. Larry Goldenberg
Past Meeting: February 13th: This was a special meeting with a
special format. We were entertained for our annual Valentine meeting by the UC
Men's Octet from Cal Berkeley. Because of their time commitment they led off the
meeting with only a singing introduction by John Ferguson. They were a
tremendous hit with our overflow audience. They all displayed excellent voices
and they delivered their songs with animation, feeling and good humor. After the
Men's Octet performance President Bob introduced our very many guests. We were
privileged to have many of our members special Valentine's in the audience as
well as other guests and visiting Rotarians.. Yappy Fallen Dime Stay Ted Ockels
read another one of his classic stories- this one about Valentine's Day ( can¹t
you tell by the title). There is no use reprinting the story, because you can
not come close to getting the flavor of the humor unless you hear Ted reading
it.
Announcements: District 5160 Avoidable Blindness Project Ranjit
Chakravorti the person in charge of Humanitarian Grants for District 5160
introduced a new program sponsored by District 5160. The goal is to provide eye
surgery to 3,700 people in Calcutta India to restore sight for these people.
Through the involvement of many Rotarians both in the US and India we can get
the cost of these surgeries down to $21 each. So far 8-10 clubs in District 5160
have signed up and Ranjit is hoping to have many more of the districts 67 clubs
participate by donating funds. You will hear more about this project in the near
future.
Third Grader Dictionary Letter: President Bob read another cute thank you
letter from an appreciative Berkeley third grader.
Sad News: Dear Fellow Rotarians, It is with great sadness that we
announce the passing of Rotarian Eddie Roodveldt, Past President of the Moraga
Rotary Club and Passionate leader of our District Youth Exchange program for
many years. Eddie had been battling cancer. In the words of a fellow
Rotarian and Dear Friend to the Roodveldts: We have lost a very dear friend.
Our loss will resonate not just in our local area, but throughout our world
because Eddie's good work as our Director of Youth Exchange connected he and
his wife Lillian with so many Youth Exchange Students from all over the World.
What a fortunate man to accumulate so many friends, who love him so much, from
so many places. In June of 2003 Eddie agreed to be the Director of our Youth
Exchange program, he clearly knew then what really mattered in life: Love,
Friendship and Service. We will miss him so much. Condolences can be sent
to Lillian Roodveldt, 798 Augusta Drive, Moraga, CA 94556. Laura Day Lt.
Governor for DG Stan Smalley
Upcoming Events:
Berkeley Chamber Crab Feed: Michael Roberts
announced there will be an "all you can eat" Berkeley Chamber Of
Commerce Crab Feed on February 28th, 7 to 9 pm ( cocktails start at 6pm) at La
Quinta Inn at 920 University Ave. Funds raised will be used for scholarships.
Tickets are $40. Albany Rotary Fundraiser Beth Pollard, former President of
Albany rotary and Ed Church's Valentine announced that the Albany Rotary was
having a casino Night on March First. Tickets are $35. See Ed for more
information.
March 11th: DEAR Day- Pamela Doolan reminded us again about the
upcoming Dear Day. See Information below. Pamela also mentioned she has been in
touch with William (Bill) Huyett, the new Berkeley District Superintendent of
Schools. He is a former Rotarian and is planning to visit our club after he gets
his "feet on the ground". Pamela thought you might be interested in
reading Bill¹s introductory letter:
February 11, 2008 Dear
Berkeley Public School Community Members, It is my great pleasure to introduce
myself as the new Superintendent of the Berkeley Unified School District. I have
always heard wonderful things about the quality of the teachers and staff in the
Berkeley schools, as well as of the tremendous support given to the schools from
Berkeley's parents and community. These are some of the reasons that I wanted to
come to Berkeley, and I look forward to sharing more of my reasons as we get to
know each other in the months to come. I will be coming around to schools and
PTAs, visiting with parents, teachers and staff, listening to their visions and
dreams for public education. In my first week I have already enjoyed an
elementary school assembly honoring Black History Month, attended another
elementary school's PTA meeting, and I received a beautiful gift basket from the
PTA Council, full of treasures from many of the schools. I will thank each PTA
individually, but I wanted to share how welcome your thoughtfulness made me
feel. Collectively we are called upon to raise student achievement for all
students. I am going to be asking how we can effectively hold the high standards
that we have, and close the achievement gap that exists between groups of our
students. This is one of my highest priorities, and I know that it is a top
priority of this community as well. I have reviewed the comments and
suggestions collected in community meetings by the consultants who conducted the
superintendent search. Those comments send a clear message of what you were
looking for in your new superintendent, as well as what you hope to see in the
District as we move ahead. I look forward to getting out into the community,
working with you to find the answers to your questions, while we continue to
improve the quality of education we are providing for all of our students.
Sincerely, William (Bill) Huyett Superintendent
Calling all DEAR
Day Readers! Don't forget... February 15: Lincoln's Birthday Holiday
February 18: President's Day Holiday Dear Volunteers, We hope that your
holiday season was restful and bright and that your New Year has gotten off to a
great start. We've been gearing up for another great semester of volunteering in
our schools and we wanted to alert you to some upcoming one-time events to help
out with, along with information about our 15th annual DEAR Day! Thanks!
Michelle Khazai and Deanna Drake, Director Program Assistant DEAR Day 2008
March 11, 2008, will mark our 15th annual Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)
Day celebration in the Berkeley elementary and preschools. At 9:30 a.m.,
volunteers will sit down in classrooms across the school district to read to
students for twenty minutes. Drop Everything and Read Day is a wonderful way to
connect with Berkeley's schools and share with our preschool and elementary
students your life-long love of reading. Here's how it works: 1. Email or
call our office to sign up. If you have a preference as to what grade level or
school you'd like to be placed with, be sure to mention them when you sign up.
2. Wait for your assignment. We will send out sign up forms to all our
participating schools and ask teachers to commit to the date and time. Once we
have all of their responses, we will begin to assign readers to those who have
requested them . 3. Look out for your assignment in the mail. If you know you
signed up and haven't received a letter by Thursday the 6th, call our office and
make sure that you get your assignment. 4. Choose a book or books. Your
assignment will have what grade level you're assigned to. Choose a
grade-appropriate book. The Berkeley Public Library has a long list of
recommended books divided by age on its website. The letter will also list your
teacher's name and phone number, so feel free to call them to discuss the event
and make sure you're both prepared for the big day. 5. On the morning of
March 11th, arrive at the school at least 15 minutes in advance and ask the
front desk to give you directions to the library (at elementary schools only).
There, the site librarian will greet you and make sure you can find your
classroom. Then introduce yourself to the class, settle in, and enjoy reading!
One-time Volunteer Opportunities in the Berkeley Schools! Longfellow
Middle School Tina Lewis needs help with a Black History/ Chinese New Year
Production on Thursday, February 7 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Some particular needs
are help with sound system, lights, costumes, makeup, and stagecraft. For more
information, contact Tina Lewis at the Longfellow Stars Extended Day Program
(510)883-5258. M.L. King Jr. Middle School February 2, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
and April 26th 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. there will be work days in the Edible
Schoolyard at King. Lunch provided. Please contact Kyle Cornforth for more
information (510)558-1335.
Offsite Meeting - February 27th: Our regular Wednesday meeting will be
held at the Children's Hospital Research Center on MLK Way on Wednesday February
27th. Lunch will be provided, no charge. We will be learning about Stem Cell
Research. More details to follow.
Be there! Wednesday February 20th, 2008
Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 13th:
SPECIAL VALENTINE MEETING. John Ferguson has arranged for the well known Cal
Men's Octet to sing for our Valentine pleasure. They will be singing between
12:30pm and 1pm. So please try to come a little early so everyone is seated by
12:30 at the latest. And be sure to bring your significant other to what
promises to be an outstanding program.
Past Meeting: February 6th
Announcements: LN 4 Hand Project
President Bob recognized Preston Staley our RI Chair person, for his recent
excellent presentation on the RI Foundation, by awarding him the Rotary Bear Pin
signifying a $50 donation was made in his name to purchase a LN-4 hand. Paul
Harris Fellow Preston, in turn honored George Hasa and Grier Graff ( third
stone) as new Paul Harris Fellows.
Super Bowl Party: February 3rd. George Hasa thanked Rosie Mann for hosting
another great annual Berkeley Rotary Super Bowl party. George Hasa organized the
betting pool overall game winner Mary Alice Rathbun. Second half
winner Larry Goldenberg- but the biggest winner was Berkeley Rotary endowment recipient
of half the prize money $160. Rosie had some technical difficulties
opening wine bottles so President Bob presented her with a new corkscrew which
Bob called the "Godzilla" of Wine Bottle openers.
Upcoming Events: March 11th: Dear Day: Calling all DEAR Day Readers!
Dear Volunteers, We hope that your holiday season was restful and bright and
that your New Year has gotten off to a great start. We've been gearing up for
another great semester of volunteering in our schools and we wanted to alert you
to some upcoming one-time events to help out with, along with information about
our 15th annual DEAR Day! Thanks! Michelle Khazai Deanna
Drake Director Program Assistant DEAR Day 2008
March 11, 2008 will mark our 15th annual Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)
Day celebration in the Berkeley elementary and preschools. At 9:30 a.m.,
volunteers will sit down in classrooms across the school district to read to
students for twenty minutes. Drop Everything and Read Day is a wonderful way to
connect with Berkeley's schools and share with our preschool and elementary
students your life-long love of reading. Here's how it works: 1. Email or
call our office to sign up. If you have a preference as to what grade level or
school you'd like to be placed with, be sure to mention them when you sign up.
2. Wait for your assignment. We will send out sign up forms to all our
participating schools and ask teachers to commit to the date and time. Once we
have all of their responses, we will begin to assign readers to those who have
requested them . 3. Look out for your assignment in the mail. If you know you
signed up and haven't received a letter by Thursday the 6th, call our office and
make sure that you get your assignment. 4. Choose a book or books. Your
assignment will have what grade level you're assigned to. Choose a
grade-appropriate book. The Berkeley Public Library has a long list of
recommended books divided by age on its website. The letter will also list your
teacher's name and phone number, so feel free to call them to discuss the event
and make sure you're both prepared for the big day. 5. On the morning of
March 11th, arrive at the school at least 15 minutes in advance and ask the
front desk to give you directions to the library (at elementary schools only).
There, the site librarian will greet you and make sure you can find your
classroom. Then introduce yourself to the class, settle in, and enjoy reading!
One-time Volunteer Opportunities in the Berkeley Schools! Longfellow
Middle School: Tina Lewis needs help with a Black History/ Chinese New Year
Production on Thursday, February 7 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Some particular needs
are help with sound system, lights, costumes, makeup, and stagecraft. For more
information, contact Tina Lewis at
the Longfellow Stars Extended Day Program (510)883-5258.
M.L. King Jr. Middle School February 2, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and April
26th 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. there will be work days in the Edible Schoolyard at
King. Lunch provided. Please contact Kyle Cornforth for more information
(510)558-1335 or see website .
Or, you can contact the Berkeley School Volunteers 1835 Allston Way Berkeley,
California 94703 phone: 510-644-8833 fax: 510-644-4865
email or check out the
website
Ski Team: Yes, we are going to do it again. George Hasa announced
that the Berkeley Rotary Ski Team will compete in the largest Rotary ski
competition in the world at Lake Tahoe, February 29th. Cost is $125. If you are
interested contact George for more details.
Peace Studies: Pate Thomson made the following announcement: Call for
Applications-The Rotary Foundation announces a call for applications for the
2009-11 Rotary World Peace Fellowships (RWPF) and January and June 2009 Rotary
Peace and Conflict Studies (RPCS) Program sessions. The deadline for completed
applications to be submitted to The Rotary Foundation for these sessions is: 1
July 2008. Program Synopses: The Rotary Centers for International Studies
program offers fellowships for Master's Degree study fields related to peace and
conflict resolution. Beyond academics, Rotary World Peace Fellows also gain
practical skills in conflict resolution appropriate to their individual careers.
Up to 60 Rotary World Peace Fellows each year enroll in the six Rotary Centers
based at leading universities in five countries: International Christian
University, Japan; Universidad del Salvador, Argentina; University of Bradford,
United Kingdom; University of Queensland, Australia; University of
California-Berkeley, Calif., U.S.A., and Duke University and University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, N.C. The Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Program is a
professional development program held in Bangkok, Thailand, through which up to
30 participants embark on three months of intensive study instructed by some of
the leading specialists in the peace and conflict resolution fields. The
specialized curriculum has been crafted to capitalize on the experience of both
participants and lecturers while balancing theoretical and practical learning.
Ideal for busy professionals, the customized program helps promising leaders
expand their global outlook, strengthen their negotiation skills, and ultimately
make a positive impact on future peace and conflict resolution efforts
worldwide. For More Information Please contact Laura Tell, Rotary Centers
Program Assistant, at +1-847-866-3307 with any questions or for more
information. Program materials and participant profiles can be downloaded at
the RI link.
Offsite Meeting - February 27th: Our regular Wednesday meeting will be
held at the Children's Hospital Research Center on MLK Way on Wednesday February
27th. Lunch will be provided, no charge. We will be learning about Stem Cell
Research. More details to follow.
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24 to April 26: Information
can be found on the
District 5160
site.
2/6 Speaker: Nancy Skinner is currently the Director
of Ward I of the East Bay Regional Park District and she told us that she will
be running for State Assembly hoping to take the seat now held by Loni Hancock.
The EBRPD was founded by legislation passed in 1934 which created the Parks
District. This means that even during the dark days of the Depression,
legislators were looking ahead and thinking positively about the future. At the
time of its founding, the EBRPD was granted 100,000 acres of land. The District
continues to acquire land whenever possible, and to date has acquired an
additional 34,000 acres. There are over 110 miles of trails throughout the park
system. In 1988, a Bond Measure was passed which helped immensely in expanding
the facilities of the Park District to include more open space, parks and
recreational facilities. A second bond measure will be on the 2008 ballot, and
when passed, it will provide the Park District with funds to continue its
acquisition of more space. In particular, the district is focusing on acquiring
property near the I-80 corridor which is convenient to many low income
neighborhoods where there are not many park facilities nearby. The focus of
the EBRPD is that a healthy economy is directly linked to a healthy environment
with access to public parks. In some areas, the Park District works in
partnership with the State of California or a local city. An example is the
Eastshore Park which is close to Hs. Lordships and was supported by our own
Rotary Club a few years ago. This park is owned jointly by EBRPD and the City
of Berkeley. Another example is that just north of University (and just east
of Hs Lordships) the EBRPD is joining with Golden Gate Fields and some local
cities to build two large ball fields. Another project in the works is that by
utilizing the free swimming pools in the Park District, every 3rd grade child in
the Oakland Unified School District will be taught how to swim. Ms. Skinner
complimented the Berkeley Rotarians for the creation of the Peace Grove in
Tilden Park, and the 100 trees that are there in the open space of the grove as
well as our work on the aforementioned Shorebird Park.
Be there! Wednesday February 13th, 2008
Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 6th Speaker: Nancy
Skinner from the East Bay Parks Districtshe will be discussing Bond
Measures for Public Benefit.
Job Wanted Ad: e-Revolutions Editor Folks, I
have been editing e-Revolutions for about 4 years. One year Rosie Mann and I
split the duties and more recently Jen Pao and I were splitting the editing.
Her new job has kept her pretty busy and on the move, so she has not been able
to continue on the e-Revolutions. It is time to move on and pass the baton to
some new people. As you have already noticed I am sure, this is not rocket
science. I have kept the format simple, focusing on just plain communicating. It
does take a little time but not an inordinate amount of time. The speakers notes
are usually provided by another club member. The best situation would be if 2 or
3 people would step up and share the responsibility. That way if one person can
not make a meeting someone else can take over and the time can be divided. I
will continue for another two months or so, but then I need to step down. If you
are interested please contact me or Bob Randall and we can discus how it all
works. Larry Goldenberg
Past Meeting: Birth of a granddaughter: Joanne Crawford
announced the birth of a granddaughter. Joanne was pleased to make a donation
to the Berkeley Rotary Endowment in honor of the occasion.
A New United States Citizen: - LN 4 Hand Project- Rosie Mann made a
contribution to the LN-4 hands project in honor of her son-in-law who just
earned his U.S. Citizenship. President Bob presented Rosie with the Bear Rotary
Pin.
Dictionary Project: President Bob read another wonderful letter from a
Berkeley 3rd Grader who was thrilled with her dictionary.
Upcoming Events: Valentine Meeting February 13th: A special meeting
is planned for Valentine's Day. So be sure to bring your special Valentine.
Super Bowl Party February 3rd: Moe Orenstein announced that once again
Rosie Mann is hosting the umpteenth annual Berkeley Rotary Super Bowl party. Let
Rosie know if you are coming and just bring some food to share. Game - 3PM
Plan to arrive anytime after 2pm. The address is 4693 Setting Sun Drive, El
Sobrante.
Ski Team: Yes, we are going to do it again. George Hasa announced that the
Berkeley Rotary Ski Team will compete in the largest Rotary ski competition in
the world at Lake Tahoe, February 29th. Cost is $125. If you are interested
contact George for more details.
Offsite Meeting - February 27th: Our regular Wednesday meeting will be
held at the Children's Hospital Research Center on MLK Way on Wednesday February
27th. Lunch will be provided, no charge. We will be learning about Stem Cell
Research. More details to follow.
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24 to April 26:
Check out the
District web-site for information
President Bob's Joke Column: Obviously Romney didn't know what he was
talking about when he said Bill Clinton would be in the White House with nothing
to do. Hillary will keep him busy :-) (Please read to the end. The last line
is the best.)
Hillary Sends Bill on Campaign Trip to Antarctica Will Remain There Until
Convention, Aides Confirm Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham
Clinton has sent her husband, former President Bill Clinton, on a "special
campaign trip" to Antarctica that could last "six or seven months,"
Clinton aides confirmed today. "From here on in, Bill is going to be our
man in Antarctica," said top Clinton strategist Mark Penn. "We have
sent him down there with enough food and firewood to last until the Democratic
convention this summer." The unexpected change in the former president's
itinerary happened just hours after Mrs. Clinton's drubbing in the South
Carolina primary, causing some party insiders to wonder if Mr. Clinton's mission
to Antarctica represented something of a demotion. The decision to dispatch
Mr. Clinton to the South Pole also raised eyebrows because the continent of
Antarctica does not participate in the so-called "Super Tuesday"
primaries on February 5 and sends no delegates to the Democratic National
Convention. Mr. Penn attempted to tamp down all such speculation, telling
reporters, "This race isn't about votes or delegates, it's about land mass,
frozen tundra and penguins." Mr. Clinton's itinerary change comes on the
heels of a controversial incident Saturday night in which he was discovered
bound and gagged in the bathroom of Mrs. Clinton's campaign plane, his hands
tied by what appeared to be the jacket of a bright yellow pantsuit. Speaking
to reporters with a strip of duct tape still over his mouth, Mr. Clinton denied
that he was being muzzled by the campaign, adding, "Mmmfff mghrmfff
mmbrrfff." Elsewhere, the White House announced that President Bush's
State of the Union address would be simulcast in English.
1/30
Speaker: The speaker, intoduced by Mac Lingo, was Gene Agress, Founder and CEO
of Berkeley Mills producer of upscale furniture and cabinetry (2830 Seventh
Street). Gene arrived in Berkeley in 1969 with $60 in his pocket and didn't know
anyone. Now, he is a partner in a business employing 40 people. He started in
the Bronx in a family business that was over 100 years only run by immigrants
and learned good work ethics on the job where skill wasn't as important as
character. After arriving in Berkeley he was 'discovered' selling toys outside
of I. Magnin in San Francisco. His toys were purchased by the Smithsonian.
His personal values are reflected in his company. He believes corporations are
made out of people they are not faceless entities. When companies
pollute or have harmful labor practices, there are people behind those decisions
who are failing. Business is personal. Everything is personal. Berkeley
Mills was one of the first furniture shops to go green and has received
recognition from the Forestry Stewardship Council for conscientious use of
sustainably harvested wood. Excellence informs their work. Teams have been
dispatched to Germany to learn mechanics, to Japan to study the use of space and
to Italy to study design. Their furniture honors the Arts & Crafts period
and Frank Lloyd Wright. They also produce a Japanese inspired line of tansu and
Shoji screens. As Gene said, "If you aren¹t hurting anyone, you
are probably doing okay".
Bob's Joke Corner courtesy of George Hasa ( Bob wanted to share the blame
with George) The coach had put together the perfect team for the Oakland
Raiders. The only thing missing was a good quarterback. He had scouted all the
colleges and even the Canadian and European Leagues, but he couldn't find a
ringer who could ensure a Super Bowl victory. Then one night, while watching
CNN, he saw a war-zone scene. In one corner of the background, he spotted a
young Afghan Muslim soldier with a truly incredible arm. He threw a hand-grenade
straight into a window from 80 yards away. Then he threw another from 50 yards
down a chimney, and then hit a passing car going 80 miles per hour. "I've
got to get this guy!" coach said to himself. "He has the perfect arm!"
So, he brings the young Afghan to the States and teaches him the great game
of football ... .... and sure enough the Raiders go on to win the Super Bowl.
The young Afghan is hailed as a hero of football, and when the Coach asks him
what he wants, all the young man wants to do is call his mother. "Mom,"
he says into the phone, "I just won the Super Bowl!" "I don't
want to talk to you," the old Muslim woman says. "You deserted us.
"Mother, I don't think you understand," pleads the son, "I've
just won the greatest sporting event in the world!" "No! Let me
tell you," his mother retorts. "at this very moment there are gunshots
all around us. The neighborhood is a pile of rubble. Your two brothers were
beaten within an inch of their lives last week, and I have to keep your sister
in the house so she doesn't get assaulted!" The old lady pauses, then
tearfully says, "I will never forgive you for making us move to Oakland ."
Editors note: President Bob was arrested for joke telling- this was the
Oakland Police departments first arrest of the year. Bob may or may not be at
this week meeting
Be there! Wednesday February 6th, 2008
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 23rd:
Speaker January 23rd: The speaker will be Judith Kennedy from the Berkeley
Historical Society speaking about guess what?
Past Meeting: January 16th:
Announcements: Board Meeting: Tuesday, January 29th: The monthly Board
meeting will be held at the City Club on Tuesday the 29th of January at 6pm. The
meeting is open to all members. Just let Bob Randall know ahead of time so he
can arrange to have a dinner available.
Centro Vida: President Bob Randal announced we received a nice thank you
letter from the director of Centro Vida preschool for the visit Bob and other
Rotarians made at the school at Christmas time.
Dictionary Project: President Bob read another wonderful letter from a
Berkeley 3rd Grader who was thrilled with her dictionary. "Dear Rotary
Club, Thank you so, so much for the dictionary. I'm using it a lot. It also
helps me do school work. There are almost all the words that I can think of. I
like dictionaries because they tell you how to spell a word, how to say it, the
definition and a few sentences with the words in it. I like looking in the
dictionary just for fun. The first word in the dictionary is "a" and
the last word is "zucchini". The dictionary has a lot of interesting
words in it; hemoglobin, sequoia, zodiac (even though I know what zodiac means
it's still cool). One of my friends is going to try to read the dictionary you
gave us in only ONE WEEK ! I think she is crazy. This is my first children's
dictionary. Thanks again for the dictionary!! From, Samara P.S. I used the
dictionary for most of the tricky words in this letter."
Ambassadorial
Scholar: Don Alter, continues to do wonderful work as Chair of the scholarship
committee, especially the providing Rotary International with outstanding
outgoing scholars. This past Wednesday, Don introduced a young lady that just
floored our members with her outstanding academic and service credentials.
Jamie Rowan is a Ph. D. with a Law Degree. She speaks 6 or 7 languages and is
now learning Bosnian. Her experience with Rotary goes back many years when she
was a finalist for the District Speech contest. She will be leaving shortly on a
three month Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship program in Morocco. Ed Epstein
added after Jamie's presentation, that he was a mentor to Jamie and she was one
of the most outstanding student he has ever mentored.
LN 4 Hand Project: President Bob presented Doug Kim with Cal Bear Rotary
pin for his generous contribution to the District 5160 LN-4 hand project.
Flag Exchange: President Bob exchanged flags with Karl Regenhuber from
Germany
Reno Train Trip: The Reno Train trip has been chugging along since 1938.
And it seems Joe Pena and Tom Reed and their committee have been heading it up
for that entire time. Probably not, but they have dedicated countless hours to
make this one of the highlights of the Rotary year. Joe announced that
yes- there will be another trip next year. This trip went like clockwork. The
train was on time going up and back. Plenty of good food and drink; games of
chance and good discussions were the order of the trip up and back. And our club
had a wonderful dinner at the Buffet at Harrah's. And the lunch meeting, with
500 Rotarians in attendance was outstanding. The speaker was Dr. Joe Serra, one
of the original founders of the Rotary Polio Plus program. Joe gave us an update
on the success of the program to date and the plans to reach those last few hard
to reach children in out of the way places. Joe thanked the committee that
helped make the trip go so smoothly; Steve Holland (Chair); Scott Paine; Rosie
Mann; Jackie Hammond; Bob Gilmore; Jack McPhail (and as he has done countless
times in the past Jack gathered up the leftover food when he got back to
Berkeley late at night and delivered that food to a homeless shelter); Kurt
Hauch; George Luna; Jon Vicars; Deborah Ritchey; and last but not least Allen
Leggett.
Upcoming Events: Ski Team: Yes, we are going to do it again. George Hasa
announced that the Berkeley Rotary Ski Team will compete in the largest Rotary
ski competition in the world at Lake Tahoe, February 29th. Cost is $125. If you
are interested contact George for more details.
Super Bowl Party: February 3rd: Moe Orenstein announced that once again
Rosie Mann is hosting the umpteenth annual Berkeley Rotary Super Bowl party. Let
Rosie know if you are coming and just bring some food to share. Game - 3PM
Plan to arrive anytime after 2pm.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute: Cal Berkeley offers a wide range of
courses for seniors to learn and keep their minds sharp. Ed Epstein alerted us
to an open house to learn more about this educational opportunity at the
Berkeley Rep on Tuesday January 22nd 9:30am to 12 noon.
Offsite Meeting: February 27th: Our regular Wednesday meeting will be held
at the Children's Hospital Research Center on MLK Way on Wednesday February
27th. Lunch will be provided at no charge. We will be learning about Stem Cell
Research. More details to follow.
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24 to April 26: To learn more,
contact the District at:
http://www.rotary5160.org/events/2008Conference.php
Day At The Races: Friday, February 1, 2008, 11:15 A.M.: George Luna
and Michael Roberts introduced a fun day at Golden Gate fields complete with
Valet parking, a Prime Rib lunch and a race named in honor of Berkeley Rotary.
Total price $30 per person. Sign up at the club.
January 9th.
Speaker: Our own Preston Staley gave us a history of "The Rotary
International Foundation" and the many important worldwide projects
currently supported by our RI Donations. Preston has worked tirelessly over the
past few years, to promote the RI Foundation and handle all of the paper work
moving our donation to RI International Foundation and making sure we get credit
for those donations individually and for the club. Preston announced we
have raised about $6,500 towards our goal of $11,000 ( about $100 per member
average) for the fiscal 2007-2008 year Preston also presented new Paul Harris
Fellow recognitions to Mary Wainright; George Hasa; Grier Graff; Bud Loftesness
and Khawaja Ashraf, who is member of the Paul Harris Society given in
recognition of his annual donation of $1,000. If you have not visited the Rotary
International web site lately, take the time now-you will be blown away with the
scope of our programs. Just click on
www.rotary.org
Be there! Wednesday January 23rd, 2008!
Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 9, 2008
IMPORTANT NOTICE! No meetings on December 26th, 2007 & January 2nd
2008 Be sure to see President Bob's heartfelt (?) seasons greetings to you all
at the end of e-Revolutions.
2008 District 5160 Conference April 24th to April 26th: Early sign
up If you sign up before December 31st there is a 25% discount.
President Bob announced this year¹s District Conference will be held in
Sacramento From April 24th to April 26th. If you have never gone to a District
Conference you owe it to yourself to go at least once. It will give you a whole
new perspective and respect for Rotary International, Rotary District 5160 and
Berkeley Rotary's role in the big picture of providing "Service Above Self".
For your benefit we have inserted the following link regarding the
district
conference:
January 9th Speaker: The speaker at the January 9th meeting will be Dr.
Nilos Young and his topic will be the "Heart To Heart Program". Many
of you will remember that a number of years ago we donated a substantial amount
of money through Pate Thomson's leadership to buy a Heart Lung Machine for a
Russian hospital and a number of our members accompanied that machine to Russia.
Steve Holland and Pete Campbell very active in that effort as well.
Past Meeting: December 19th:
Announcements: LN-4 Hand Project President Bob presented Alex Glass, Hideo
Simon (who attended his last meeting he and his family are moving to LA.),
Rob Schneider, Jon Shindo and Dan Thomas with a new Rotary Bear Pin for their
generous contributions to the District 5160 LN-4 Hand project. We were treated
to a presentation including a very moving video of the results of the LN-4 Hands
Project by Michael Mendonca. His firm manufactures the LN-4 hands and he has
personally invested a great deal of effort, money and time to make this project
happen. Mike recognized our own Dan Thomas who approached Michael with a new
source for obtaining the straps needed in the design of the LN-4 hands. The new
source was able to drop the price from $5 each to $1.60. Given the thousands of
hands we will distribute this is a major savings. Michael announced we had
already raised $196,000 in District 5160. Mac Lingo announced he is giving hand
in honor to a loved one as a Christmas gift. Michael also recognized Jack Mashi
for being a mentor to Michael for the GSE program in a trip to Brazil.
President Bob thanked Jackie Hammond for providing the decorations
provided throughout the year.
Club Flags: George Luna presented President
Bob with two club flags he obtained in Mexico when the International project
exploratory team visited Mexico last month.
So What Else Is New? Guess
what? Scott Paine won the December raffle prize for the umpteenth time. In
additional "Scott Paine News" Rob Schneider announced his partner Ken
Towers had "caught" Scott in the parking lot of their office building
with a brand new 2008 RED ( on less) Corvette. Because of his continued good
fortune in winning our club raffles, Scott has graciously offered his new
Corvette as the January Raffle Prize (so confident is Scott in winning)
Rosa Rangel Photo Project: Rosa Rangel is a student at UC Davis that won a
Berkeley Rotary scholarship. Rosa needs help financially. Rosa is an excellent
photographer and Grier Graff has coordinated the printing and sale of 4 of
Rosa's photographs as either Christmas Cards or note cards. The cards are
available at the Club Meeting. This is a great way to help one of our
scholarship students. Grier announced that $1,800 worth of Rosa's note have
been sold.
Happy Holiday Wishes - David: Holiday wishes to David our loyal food
service person. President Bob passed the hat for a well deserved gratuity for
David's continual assistance.
Service Above Self: 3 2 1 Service Above Self is the motto of Rotary
International and a constant reminder to all of us of why we belong to Rotary.
Delivering that service, takes money and our personal involvement. John
Ferguson, chair of our Fund Raising Committee, reminded us of our obligation to
participate by: 3. Donating $300 to our Local club's Endowment Fund to fund
community and international projects for the 2008-2009 year; 2. Participating in
at least two hands-on projects per year; and 1. Donating at least $100 to Rotary
International to be a sustaining member towards Paul Harris Fellow award.
Editors note: The $100 amount has been a staple of RI's annual campaign for at
least 4 decades. It is obvious that $100 in mid 1960's dollars can not provide
as much charitable impact today ( in fact $100 in mid 60's dollars is only worth
about $16 today). So seriously consider becoming a double sustaining member at
$200 per year or even a Paul Harris Society member by donating $1,000 per year.
Upcoming Events: Projects 2008-2009 Rotary Year "The Community
Projects Committee is still looking for good projects for the 2008-2009 year.
Send your ideas to Alex Glass, or
fax to 510-653-4803. Please indicate how the project will help the community,
who is the point of contact, and how much money is requested."
64th Annual Reno Train Trip: Sunday & Monday January 13th & 14th
-2008: Tom Reed commented this may be the last Reno train Trip. Many of the
promoters of this event in other clubs have kind of moved on. No one is taking
the leadership to promote this event at the other clubs. Therefore attendance
will be down below the breakeven mark. So if you every wanted to attend
this trip, this may be your last opportunity. See Tom or Joe Pena to see if it
is not to late to sign up. $270.00 for a single and $245.00 per person for a
double Contact Joe Pena or Tom Reed with questions.
12/19 Speaker
Remarks: Don Melandry, retired professional photographer, gave a presentation on
techniques for taking great pictures during the holiday season. He started his
talk with information about the technical aspects of digital cameras, the
definition of pixels, and the various features of digital cameras. He discussed