MEETING OF AUGUST 22, 2002
By: Matt Cabot
Editor - Dick Blanding
Webmaster - Steve GruberAs life goes on, there seems to be fewer and fewer people who are older than I am. So it was with delight that I joined the club in singing Happy Birthday to Boo Bue, whose birthday was today.
Kris Casto read a lovely poem from "Journey thru Heartsong" by Matte J.T. Stepanek, reminding us how lucky we really are. Kris was also the winner of two tickets to any performance by the West Bay Opera this next season. While she may be $120 lighter for the effort, she will be doubly rewarded by enjoying one of West Bay's fine performances at the Lucy Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. Just in case you missed picking up a brochure on the table, here is their Website: http://www.wbopera.org/ . One very curious thing: you never know what you can learn by following one of these internet threads. At the bottom of the descriptive text about WBO, it says, "This text is based on a brochure originally written by Matthew Gilmartin …" What makes that unusual is that "Matthew Gilmartin" is my nephew. I didn't know he was even involved with WBO. Small world. BTW, the tickets were donated by Chuck Hess with the proceeds going to LAREF.
NEW MEMBERS: President Mary read a few email responses to her call for thought on what makes a good new member several weeks ago. I missed most of it because while she was fighting with the sound system; I am thinking about how we can talk to the man in the moon, but we can't seem to get clear audio 25 feet away in Los Altos. I believe our sound system was designed by the now failing cell phone industry…. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? No!, No! and No.
Confession seems to be good for the soul, and Los Altos Rotary. While we have not had an active Fine Master since the start of the new year, people are just lining up to confess to some big buck activities. Bella Berlly, in thanksgiving for her husband's improved condition after his accident, Mona Armistead for her 40th high school reunion, and Matt and Chris Cabot for their 40th Anniversary.
In the next few weeks we will be inundated with articles, new coverage and pictures re-hashing those terrible events of 9/11, and how the US and the world have changed since that day. I would like to focus on the events a few days after the event, and how we have changed since that time. Time seems to want to heal old wounds. (I see we are having the Los Altos 50th Anniversary celebration ball on December 7th.)
One thing I noticed was how nice everyone was to each other in the days following the tragedy. Everyone flew a US flag from their house, car, or bicycle; smiled more at each other; was more courteous, and I am guessing, more law abiding. People stopped at stop signs, greeted each other as they passed in the street, and in general, reverted to a time of Wally Cleaver in the 1950's.
But, oh how we have slipped since. Yesterday I was at Costco…probably not a place to be on Sundays anyway, but there I was. I was shoved, knocked, and nearly spit on by some kid leaning against the outside wall. People were filling their carts while waiting in line, oblivious to the poor souls who waited behind them. Two different checkers were yelling at customers to "Don't walk there…Go around." "Stand on the other side of the counter…" yata yata yata. I just wanted to go home, hide in my bedroom.
I read this morning that another family was wiped out by someone running a red light, a seemingly more common event these days. What's happened to us? Why were we so nice to each other following 9/11, and then just a year later, we are back to our "old selves?" And, how does this relate to us and Rotary?
People are still starving in the world; need wheel chairs, vaccinations, and are dying of AIDS. One of the reasons we acted differently and more compassionately during the days following 9/11 was we were forced to look up. Look up from our surroundings, and look around. We saw other people. There was someone else on this planet other than ourselves. People who had needs, expectations, sorrows. AND WE RESPONDED. Millions and millions of dollars came into help those affected by 9/11. We were now aware…and we responded. But with the growing burden created by the economic climate, we have once again lost our global focus, and reverted back to what I call the "Me Focus." We have our own problems.
The Rotary International theme this year is "Sow the Seeds of Love." And President Mary's sub theme is "Imagine."
Imagine if we responded globally as we did nationally? People are still dying in Israel, Palestine, Karachi, Afghanistan, and a 100 other places in the world.
Imagine if every child and every adult who needed a wheelchair had one.
Imagine if we were to educate everyone about the dangers of unprotected sex.
Imagine if everyone's water was safe to drink.
Imagine if there was a Safeway, Costco, Wal-Mart in every town in Africa, Afghanistan and Russia.
Imagine if we all helped each other.
Why not? Wouldn't this sow the seeds of love?
TODAY'S SPEAKER:
Fellow Rotarian, Carl Guardino: President & CEO of Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, spoke on
"Silicon Valley: State of the Valley and the Economy". Lots of details, percentages and trends. Most of it pretty depressing to me. Friday September 20th, the SVMG will present their next ten-year outlook. I suspect that will be depressing as well.
In case you missed his talk, it was depressing because in all of the areas, People, traffic, water, teachers, homes, etc, there was a deficit, except of course for the "people" and the traffic category. Too many people, too much traffic, too few teachers, not enough homes, etc.
One thing that Mr. Guardion did say that I found very encouraging was that trends are just that: trends. They are not future history, not fact, not predestined and not inevitable. We have an opportunity to modify the outcome. We can train and hire new teachers, we can develop mass transit; we can make Boise more attractive to our less skilled people so they will move out of state.
To tie this whole Rotator together: We can have a better city community, country, world by our actions as Rotarians - leaders in changing the world for the better. It begins with me. I am just going to stay out of Costco on Sundays.
By Steve Gruber
New member Kelly Hudson gave her five-minute talk today and we learned that she is
both an actress and the CEO of Rich's Business Directory. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Kelly went to New York, where she studied at the Neighborhood School of the Theater for two years. She performed in various shows for 18 months in New York. Was she on Broadway? "Off, off Broadway," says Kelly. After returning to the Bay Area she got a job with Rich's Business Directory and rose through the ranks to CEO. She is still acting, and will be in "The Laramie Project" at the Bus Barn, starting on September 12. Kelly also will join the AIDS California Bike Ride next June and will ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.
Programs and Events
August
August 29 - Joyce Friedrichs: Education Director for Biz World, "Teaching Business & Entrepreneurship To Kids"
September
September 5 - Rotary District Governor Brad Howard
September 12 - Billy Russell Day Picnic
September 19 - Judy Johnson: "Unexpected Treasures" Antiques & CollectiblesSeptember 26 - Humberto Mayorga: Rotary District 5170 GSE Scholar
"Information in this newsletter is intended for the exclusive use of the members of the Rotary Club of Los Altos to facilitate the work of the club and to promote club fellowship. It is not to be used for any commercial or outside, unrelated, non-profit purposes. No publication of material in this newsletter should occur without the express permission of the club President or the Editor of the Rotator."Copyright 2002 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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