MEETING OF OCTOBER 30, 2003
Rotator Writer: Matt Cabot
Editor: Dick Blanding
In spite of the cold, wintry day, for us anyway, we sang “You are My Sunshine”, all in hopes of banning the sudden onslaught of Winter. It didn’t help, but it did make us feel good. Thanks SETH MANNING.
MEG SOLARA gave us a very short, and sweet Thought for the Day.
Last week, because of the election review program, we had many many visitors and visiting Rotarians. This week we had 1 visiting Rotarian, and three guests.
HALLOWEEN REMEMBERED Even though IRENE PRESTON couldn’t be here this week, she did arrange to have her perennial Halloween candy left on the table for each of us. When I went around to pick up a couple extra, there weren’t many left. I could tell you that it was for my grandchildren, but that would fail at least one of the 4 Way Test statements.
THEY’RE BREAKING UP THAT OLD GANG OF MINE: In preparation for writing the Rotator, I usually come early, and I noticed that as the tables filled up, MOST people sit in the same seats or at least at the same table each week. Occasionally I have seen Presidents hand out table numbers to encourage a mixing of people each week. But it is really our responsibility to know all of the members of our club, and by switching around your seat location from time to time, you will have an opportunity to get to know some really swell people.
Considering the quality of people who join our club, it should encourage you to meet them and know a bit about their business, and their personal life. You know, the Christmas Party is coming up in about a month, and you could really impress your spouse (I almost said wife) by going around to every person at the party and saying, “Hi (Name-Here). “This is my (husband, wife, friend, whatever). “(Name-Here) is in Electronics.” yata yata yata. Instead of grouping in the same comfortable, and familiar groups……just an idea.
HOME NEEDED FOR SCHOLAR Invite a foreign exchange student into your home for a year. Bring the world a little closer, and enjoy sharing your home and hospitality with a deserving foreign student. Call Karen Hagewood at 415-595-6063 or email her at Hagewood@PacBell.net for more information. Also, take a look at http://www.pax.org
They are the overall administrators of this exchange program.
LET THEM EAT CAKE A survey will be taken about the weekly luncheons and survey forms will be available at the meeting on Nov. 6.
KEEPS ON TICKING-BY GIVING: Rotary International Foundation Giving campaign was enriched by the generous efforts of the following:
JERRY TOMANEK, PHF + 7; STEVE YARBROUGH, PHF + 1; JOE CORRAL, PHF; Double Sustainers: WYATT ALLEN, JOHN CARDOZA, DICK DUHRING, PAT FARRELL, GUY FARTHING, ELLEN FLANAGAN, DICK HENNING, ROY JONES, GENNY LEAR, SETH MANNING, JOHN MOSS, SAM PESNER, JERRY TOMANEK
Double Sustainers are individuals who have given $200 towards the Rotary Foundation so far this year. To date, there are 33 individuals who have met this level. The ones listed above are just the latest group. The others have previously been acknowledged.
FINE FOR A DAY Fine Master, LEM SUMMEY said that President AL declared today, “Bragging Rights” Day, and got a few to fall for it: MARGE GRATIOT paid something for superintending the “#1 RANKING SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE STATE” ; JOE CONTE paid for his new granddaughter, Isabella; Sandy Whipple paid for a public service announcement; Jean Newton for her first anniversary of being JEAN NEWTON FRAGUGLIA; ELLEN YAMANE FLANAGAN for her family jewelry store, same name without the Irish part, being in the History House display of Japanese American businesses in the area; CINDY WEMYSS for becoming a partner in her company, GARY ROSS for the fact you can’t find a place to park near the new Trader Joe’s (he remodeled Trader Joes, not the parking lot; JOAN ROSSELLE for another PSA to vote Tuesday, and vote for Measure D; GUY FARTHING for missing his birthday; FIROOZ GHAFFARI for being too generous in concept, and not generous in action. I think that is called guilt; SHELLY POTVIN for being too young; and finely, (no pun intended) KAILAS CHIDAMBARAM for being that thing that FIROOZ was.
DAS VADANYA: Today’s program featured one of our own, (a rare but welcome treat)
Karen Fox. Karen is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University . If Cindy Luedtke just read her “vita”, it would have taken the whole half hour. You can do a Google search to learn more about Karen Fox, be prepared to wade through a bunch of Karen Foxes. So far, I have 711,000 hits. From Karen Fox the author, Karen Fox, PhD, the microbiologist at University of South Carolina, Karen Fox the clinical psychologist, and finely, our Karen Fox: http://business.scu.edu/faculty/profiles/foxprofile.htm
While the Google search was interesting, her PowerPoint presentation on St Petersburg Russia, where she admittedly spends about 4 months each year, was better. Just to clear things up from the start, St Petersburg, Petrograd, and Leningrad are all the same place. That’s a relief. St. Petersburg is also the home of the Hermitage, arguably the best museum in the world. http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/index.html
We were taken through a tour of her apartment, the economic conditions of the city, and the country. While you can rent a flat for next to nothing, it is still probably more than you would make. Art Historians at the Hermitage are paid in the order of $50 -$75 a month. Rent is nearly that for a very, very small room with shared living room, kitchen and bath, although bath is probably not the correct word. Try toilet. Many flats have no running hot water, and no bathtubs.
One other thing I found interesting: while there are lots of banks, there are only 44,000 mortgages in the country. Everything is done on a cash basis. Clearly they haven’t embraced all of the vagaries of capitalism yet.
Programs and Events
November
Nov. 6: Shannon Lee Turner on Feng-Shui
Nov. 13: Jennifer Kuiper - Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
Nov. 20: American Red Cross - Disaster Preparedness
Nov. 21: Fellowship Night
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving - no meetingDecember
Dec. 4: San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales
Dec. 11: Liz Kniss
Dec. 17: Holiday Party, Jesuit Retreat House
Dec. 18: To be announced
Dec. 25: Christmas - no meeting
JanuaryJan. 1: New Years Day - no meeting
Jan. 8: Club Assembly
Jan. 15: Dr. Robert Siegel - AIDS update
Jan. 16: Fellowship Night
Jan. 22: Joe Simitian
Jan. 29: Maxine Goodman - Palo Alto Philharmonic
Jan. 31: Progressive DinnerFebruary
Feb. 19: Los Altos Rotary Speech Contest
Feb. 20: Fellowship Night
Feb. 27: Cioppino Feed, Garden House
March
March 26: Fellowship Night
April
April 7: Celebrate Spring at Chef Chu's
May
May 7: Golf Tournament
May 21: Fellowship NightJune
June 25: Kickout Dinner
OTHER ROTARY CLUB MEETING PLACES
On-line Meeting: www.rotaryeclubone.org
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.
East Palo Alto Bayshore: Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, 2031 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto, 12:15 p.m.
FRIDAY
Palo Alto University: Sheraton, El Camino, Palo Alto, 7:30 a.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