This Week's Program: 
• Jerry Shapiro - The Unique Challenges of Family Businesses
 

Upcoming Events:

April 20th:  Julie Weiss - Environmental Toxic Waste

April 27th:  • Dr. Jim Hinsdale - Our County Trauma Center Crisis

April 28 - 30th:  District Conference

See our Calendar for all of the important dates.

To see Neighboring Club meetings go to Clubs

To our Website

To District 5170

View in PDF format:
(a good choice if you want to print the Rotator)

PRESIDENT’S CORNERThe District Conference at Santa Clara Marriott Hotel is just around the corner. The forums and Hospitality Rooms are free, but you must register to get a badge and attend. (www.rotary5170.org) Hope you’ll join our group at the Conference (and hopefully we’ll organize a car pool). I’ll be attending full-time, but here are my “top picks”. Which ones are yours?

Fri, April 28

• 12 noon-1:45: lunch with speaker Major Tammy Duckworth (Army Blackhawk pilot shot down in Iraq)
• 2:15 – 3:30: Forum #1 Memoirs of a GSE-Ah (Japanese exchange team)
• 3:30-5:30: Youth Services Policy Training (Abuse & Harassment Prevention – trained MEN needed)
• 5:00 – 6:45: Hospitality Rooms around the garden courtyard (visit ours in Area 10)

Sat, April 29

• 9:40 - 10:40: Forum #3 for Newer Members (under 5 years)
• 3:15 – 4:15: Forum #8 Crossing Cultures (Ambassadorial Scholars and World Peace Fellows)
• 4:15 – 5:15: Paul Harris Society Reception ($1000 donors in ’05-06)
• 7:00 – 10:30: dinner honoring Club Presidents with entertainment by The Reduced Shakespeare Company (this comedy troupe has performed on tv, the White House, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center)

Sun, April 30

• 8:30 – 11:30 am: Brunch and Celebration of Life (tribute to this year’s deceased Rotarians)
• District 5170 Youth Speech Contest Final

 - President Marlene

BILLIONS FOR DEFENSE, NOT ONE CENT FOR TRIBUTE  BOB ADAMS, distressed over his impending tax bill, argued long and hard for a return to fiscal sanity.  This approach is guaranteed to lead to insanity.  The appropriate tactic is to substitute the word “billion” for “million” in thought and deed, followed immediately with the happy thought that by the time the bill comes due, the taxpayer will be safely in Heaven.  This tactic may not work if you are under age 55.  Also remember that taxes are the price we pay for civilization.

ART SHOW SUPPORT JERRY MOISEN identified over 10 Rotarians who have contributed $10,500 toward underwriting expenses of the Art Show coming in May.  The target is $14,000, so if you yearn to become a sponsor-underwriter, contact JERRY immediately.

CLIPBOARD JUNGLE This intrepid Reporter is reminded of his deceased uncle, a crew member on a bomber in WWII, who reported that the flak was so thick that sometimes you couldn’t even fly.  Well, the clipboards were so thick that we could just barely eat, as follows: 

CLIPBOARD # 1:        Chef Chu Dinner on April 11;

CLIPBOARD # 2:        BusBarn Painting on May 5 and 6, with Chef Chu chicken salad to feed the painters;

CLIPBOARD # 3:        CHAC’s Champions for Youth breakfast on May 11 to fete taxpayer BOB ADAMS;

CLIPBOARD # 4:        District Conference April 28 through 30, where you can sign up online at www.rotary5170.org  as described by JOHN MOSS.  This Reporter acknowledges that there was no clipboard involved for this, only flyers on each table, but it had the feel of a clipboard.

TODAY LARC, TOMORROW THE WORLD EXPREZ CINDYL is in training to become Assistant District Governor.  Congratulations! We are reminded of the meteoric career of RICK KING, District 5170 District Governor who became REX ROTARIANUS not so long ago.  There are still some Rotarians around who lost their sight when they sat too close to REX RICK as he flashed those gold cufflinks.  Seriously, we remember CINDYL when she was fresh off the cheese factory, but we sensed even then, she would achieve great heights.

THE GREEN HATS ARE COMING!  THE GREEN HATS ARE COMING! Numerous Rotarians appeared suddenly wearing green construction helmets.  Were they on their way to Iraq as the next contingent of the Peace Corps?  No.  They were fully qualified graduates  and members of the Los Altos Emergency Response Team, trained to help themselves, their families and their neighbors if and when disaster, as in The Next Big You-Know-What, turns granite to jello.  Contact LAPD to sign up for the next course, which will be offered in June or July.

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALADOTIOUS ALAN LAMBERT , FINEMASTER, appeared and challenged us to define mysterious words which he pronounced with a French accent.  DOUG FRANCO was more severely fined than most for stating that “benignant” is somewhere between beneficial and malignant.  MARGE BRUNO correctly defined the word she heard, but not the word she was asked.  Tough luck, MARGE.  The next time you hear a prowler wandering around your house at dawn, don’t call the cops.  It may be BOB RAYL singing an aubade.

MISCELLANEOUS KUDOS DICK HENNING, MICHAEL STADLEN, KENDRA GJERSETH and STEVE YARBROUGH received various prizes for achievement or luck, or both.

TODAY’S PROGRAM PREZMARLENE introduced   Bernadine Chuck Fong, President of Foothill College since 1994, to talk about Foothill’s efforts to attract international students and to send local students abroad.  The benefits include increasing diversity, exposing students to globalization, providing real world experience, and financially benefiting Foothill from full tuition paid by international students.  Foothill sends groups of students abroad since 1987 to 9 countries to date and 2 more coming up.  Foothill is developing heritage rooms, classrooms decorated in the manner of various countries. 

President FONG showed pictures of the FOOTHILL FUNG LUM CHINESE HERITAGE CLASSROOM, which is ready to be transformed into an emergency cafeteria by the Los Altos Emergency Response Team should disaster strike.