MEETING OF MARCH 6, 2003
By Steve Yarbrough, Rotator Writer
Dick Blanding, EditorBirthday Boy Dick Duhring led the pledge. Alan Lambert led us all in a rousing Happy Birthday to Dick, who demurely declined to declare his age. Then we sang “Casey – the Band Played On.” President Elect Al Traficanti introduced visiting Rotarians and Rotarians with guests.
Sam Harding presented the thought for the day, paraphrased as: Small acts of kindness make a difference beyond their size.
Dr. Ben McGann announced that the Rotacare Clinic is moving on April 13-14 and help is needed. Volunteers can sign up next week during the meeting. Also, computer expertise is needed to archive files for the clinic. If you can assist, please contact Ben as soon as possible.
Wyatt Allen announced that the Community Health Awareness Counsel is presenting a benefit concert of Taylor Eigsti Trio for CHAC. Two performances of the jazz trio will be held 5 an 8 p.m. March 22 at the Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos, Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Contact Wyatt if you are interested, or just go!
Marlene Cowan announced that the scholarship committee is preparing for awarding its annual scholarships. If you know of a deserving graduating senior or continuing Foothill College student, please let Marlene know. If you would like to volunteer for the committee, please contact Marlene.
Sam Pesner and Mary Marley announced that it’s time to sign up for jobs for the annual fine arts show. Every Rotarian is expected to work at least two shifts during the weekend. Sign up sheets were everywhere during the meeting and will be available for the next few meetings. Contact Sam or Mary if you have any questions. If you are going to be away during the art show weekend, there are plenty of things to do in advance and following the show, so there is a job for everyone!
A cell phone rang and President Mary collected $20!
President Mary announced that the Group Study Exchange team was sent to Vietnam to re-establish Rotary in that country. A team from Vietnam is arriving in our area and will need host families for four nights – April 20-24. If you can help host a team member for those four nights and provide transportation to Palo Alto for the team member, please let Mary know.
Meg Solara reported that Rotarian David Dye is recovering from heart surgery. A card was circulated for our member from MIZZOU! Get well quick David. We miss you.
Ed Sox presented his five-minute talk today – his last as a Los Altos Rotarian. Ed and his wife Jo will be moving to Oceanside to be close to children and grandchildren. Ed and Jo met at a ski club in New Jersey a few years ago. Ed was attracted to the vivacious brunette whose spirit of adventure was leading her to trek around Europe for four months. Inspired, Ed saved his money and pursued the same trek.. They crossed paths, him coming and she going, on their adventures, but when Jo returned, Ed was paying attention and the rest is history. Ed, born in Albany, Oregon, attended Stanford and earned his engineering degree. He founded and operated his own companies until retiring. Ed has been a driving force in Rotary’s Partners for New Generations program. We all hope Ed and Jo enjoy their new home in Oceanside. We will miss them at Rotary.
Dick Haspenflug presented a slide presentation of his adventure with fellow Rotarian Jack Higgens to Nairobi, Kenya for the Rotary Presidential Conference on Peace and Development. Dick and Jack, being the ever-volunteering Rotarians you expect from Los Altos Rotary, even stood in for RI President Bhichai Rattakul during a trip to the opening a new orphanage sponsored by Rotary. Their purpose for participating in the event was to represent the RAP Committee and distribute the AIDS information books “HIV Health in Your Community” – the RAP project funded in part by the Packard Foundation. It was clear from the faces on the children in the slides, that Rotary is a welcome force in Kenya. A big thank you to Dick and Jack for representing our club internationally. Dick announced that the club will be putting together a children’s book collection drive for the Nairobi schools. If you are interested in heading up such an effort, see Dick or Jack.
Ellen Yamani and Joe Corral presented $300 pins to each Rotarian who has donated that amount to the new Polio Eradication drive. Joe announced that the club has raised $10,935 toward our goal.
Shiv Shastri introduced the speaker for the day, Rafiq Dossani, Stanford consulting
professor and senior researcher. Dr. Dossani holds a BA in economics from St. Steven University, an MBA from New Delhi University, and a Ph.d. from Northwestern. He is a professor, editor and investment banker as well as a businessman, and advisor to the Indian Securities and Exchange Commission. Dr. Dossani's father and grandfather were both Rotarians in India for 60 and 50 years respectively.
Professor Dossani spoke about the connection of India and the U.S. with respect to information technology and the outsourcing of business processing. He stated that India embodies many contradictions – slums and high rises side by side; poor servicing the rich. He noted that until 1991, India’s entrepreneurial spirit was bottled up by restrictive government policy. In 1991, the end of the cold war arrived and the World Bank forced change on India. The result has been a steady increase in Indian entrepreneurial development.
He indicated there is emerging partnership between India and the U.S. focused primarily on information technology (IT) and business process outsourcing (BPO). IT development is evolving in the customized software fields where 500,000 people work in India, generating $7 billion in annual revenues. The kind of work performed is focused on the middle to lower end of applications development. New areas in IT outsourcing include product coding for Silicon Valley firms and engineering service. U.S. firms are outsourcing to India because of cheap labor costs and an educated English-speaking work force.
BPO is developing for support services – accounting, claims processing, call centers, etc. An example of BPO is call centers
,where 500,000 are employed. More than 70 percent of that work can be done anywhere, thus India with its low cost work force and literate and English-speaking workers are attracting more and more BPO interest from the U.S. Dr. Dossani noted that the saying goes: “Come to India for the cost, stay for the quality.” Thanks to Rotarian Shiv Shastri and to Dr. Dossani for bring us an interesting, humorous and provocative talk.Other Business:
Message from Joan Rosselle: We have extended the deadline for the RotaCare Retrofit fund raising project to March 31st, and we will, of course, accept gifts even after that date.
Message from Bob Adams:
WE NEED YOUR HELP! Our World Community Service Committee has adopted a project to send children's books to the Rotary Club of Nairobe, Kenya for use in several elementary schools in villages surrounding Nairobe. Dick Hasenpflug and Jack Higgins have recently visited this Club and schools to confirm the huge need for these books. Please bring your used children's books to Rotary for the next four weeks. Lee Lynch and Lucy Rasmussen have volunteered to be the driving force in this new and worthy project. Also, Ginny Lear and Charles Alpers have volunteered to assist.Programs and Events
March
March 13: David Yarnold, Executive Editor, San Jose Mercury News, “The Future of the Mercury News in a Changing Region and World”
March 20: Post-Taliban Afghanistan, with Sophia Omar and Doug Franco, Rotarians from Hayward South. Ms. Omar is a native Afghan with family still in that country.
March 27: Toni Casey, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration, "The President's Economic Stimulus Package - Impact on Small Businesses"May
May 9: Golf Tournament, 10:00 AM at Shoreline Golf Links, Mountain View
May 17 and 18: Rotary Fine Art ShowOTHER ROTARY CLUB MEETING PLACES
MONDAY
Palo Alto: Rickey's Hyatt House, 12:15 p.m.
TUESDAY
Los Altos Sunset: The Echo Restaurant, Los Altos, 7:15 p.m.
Sunnyvale: Ramada Inn, 12:15 p.m.
Mountain View: Adobe House, Moffett & Central, Mountain View, 12:15 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Menlo Park: Menlo Park Recreation Center, Menlo Park, noon.
Woodside/Portola: Woodside Village Church, Woodside, 7:30 a.m.
Sunnyvale Sunrise: Wild Woodys Grill, Sunken Gardens Golf Course, 7 a.m.
Cupertino: Quinlan Community Center, 12:15 p.m.
THURSDAY
Palo Alto Sunrise: Scott's, Town & Country, Palo Alto, 7:15 a.m.
Yosemite: The Ahwahnee Hotel, Noon
FRIDAY
Palo Alto University: Sheraton, El Camino, Palo Alto, 7:30 a.m.
Lake Tahoe: Harvey's Hotel, 12:15 p.m.
"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 2003 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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