Upcoming Events:

Next Week's Program: 
May   5 - Cinco de Mayo Celebration by Russ Clark of Estrellita's

Rotator Writer Thursday:  Dick Blanding

May   3 - Art Show Committee 8:00 AM - Northern Trust

May   4 - PNG meeting, 8:15 a.m.

See Programs for all of the important dates.

To see Neighboring Club meetings go to Clubs

To our Website

Your reporter for today was a bit derelict in his duties at the beginning of the meeting.  After BOO BUE led us in the pledge, I darted to the buffet table for nourishment (having arrived a bit later than needed) rather than register who led us in what song and what MARLENE COWAN had said about the District Conference.  I then was interrupted in my food-gathering mission to provide the thought for the day which I’ll provide in detail in hopes of making up for the missing information already admitted to (from an unknown source sent by e-mail from a buddy who normally sends a weekly joke and sent something serious for a change!):

            Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
            Watch your words, they become your actions.
            Watch your actions, they become your habits.
            Watch your habits, they become your character.
            Watch your character, for that becomes your destiny.

Already oh for two by foraging for food rather than attending to note taking, I settled down and tried to be more attentive for the remainder of our meeting. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Under the heading “World Community Service”

•           MARK WALKER, a Rotarian from Arizona, thanked our club for our efforts toward providing relief to the tsunami victims.  He complimented us for selecting an ongoing effort that will provide benefit over time rather than a one-time donation that would be forgotten all too quickly.  

•           Pres. CINDY announced a World Community Service Meeting to be held May 6^th at the Golden Oak restaurant in Morgan Hill. 

Under the heading “Los Altos Rotary Fine Art In The Park”

•           VAL CARPENTER has provided the latest art show assignments.  Some members are still noticeable by their absence on the list.  Please contact VAL with days and times you can help out on this all-important fund raising event.

•          JOHN MOSS has some beautiful posters available to let people know the art
            show is about to happen.  Please post one if you have an office / store
             window.

Under the heading of “general information”

•          JIM SPANGLER, past president of the Mountain View Rotary Club,
           announced their fundraising – a reverse raffle.  If you can support their club,
            contact JIM.

•          JOHN MOSS reminded us that the Rotary team is still being formed to walk
            in the American Cancer Society “Relay For Life”    

•          JOAN ROSSELLE asked for input from members of our club regarding the
            annual holiday party.  With BILL REWAK moving on to another assignment,
            we may need to look for different venues and ideas for this annual event. 

JACK HEIDMILLER provided our Rotary moment (though certainly not that brief!). 
JACK started off by reviewing his year as president, 1994-95.  The club was meeting at the Elks Club in Palo Alto, we ended the year with 114 members, and “Be A Friend” was the Rotary International theme that Rotary year.  It was the first year e-mail was attempted as a communication device, but far too few members were e-mail savvy.  As the chair of our annual art show, JACK talked about twenty-nine preceding shows.   Our work seems much more civilized these days based upon his description of erecting booths for the participating artists.  Our Interact Clubs were the first to sell food and Quota Club sold the wine.  We might have heard more, but Pres. CINDY wrestled the microphone from JACK and wouldn’t relinquish it. 

Membership News
JANE REED was able to provide recognition and opportunities to lighten wallets and purses of members MEG SOLERA, SAM PESNER, JEAN HOLLANDS, HEINZ BLENNEMANN, MATT CABOT, WYATT ALLEN, KENDRA GJERSETH, CLYDE NOEL, TOM LISTON and SHIV SHASTRI.  Good job with recognition, JANE. 

On a sad note, past member and community volunteer ROY DUNNETT passed away April 28^th at the age of 91.  ROY was a 40 year employee of Eastman Kodak before retiring and becoming active locally.  He is a past mayor of Los Altos and past Chair of the Park and Recreation Commission.  He is a recipient of the Board of Realtors award for volunteer service to his community.  ROY was sponsored into Rotary in 1976 by JOE RENATI and, while a member he fulfilled roles of Treasurer, cashiering, and senior activities.  Due to injuries sustained in a senior fall at the Elks Club in the 1990’s, ROY has not been active in our club for a number of years.  Service arrangements will be forthcoming.  Thank you, ROY, for your contributions to our community and to our Rotary Club. 

MARLENE COWAN introduced our speaker for today, Judge TOM CAIN of the San Jose Rotary Club, who did his best to make us hungry again just after eating lunch.  He also convinced people like me that thought they put meat on the barbeque that we’re not doing any such thing.  We’re imposters in the eyes of true barbeque competitors.   

Judge CAIN had judged barbeque competitions around the nation and is a published expert on barbeque.  He quickly differentiated grilling that most of us do in our back yards from the fine art of barbequing.  He didn’t actually accuse those of us who cook foods on gas grills of abusing the name of barbeque, but he certainly distanced us from the true barbeque enthusiasts who cook for hours over select hardwoods. 

The fuels used in authentic barbeque are hardwoods that vary by region.  Here in California, oak is preferred while in the southwest mesquite is the choice and hickory is among the choices in the eastern part of the country.  The wood is soaked before use so that it slowly smolders rather than burns, emitting much more smoke than flame. 

Barbeque briquettes used by many of us that don’t use gas grills are lumps of pre-burned wood held together by petroleum-based binders (“glue”) that produce undesirable flavors.  Lump charcoal is a tad better because it burns hotter and longer.  Were you aware that Henry Ford was credited with inventing charcoal for barbequing?  He thought of a way to use up all the wood scraps from his automobile manufacturing and teamed up with a man named Kingsford to produce and market briquettes that were sold exclusively through car dealerships until the 1950’s.  (I didn’t know that!)

True barbequing is a balance of slow cooking over low heat.  The meat is best not cooked directly over the heat sources, but off to the side and allowed to slow cook for hours.  Ribs might take three to four hours while a beef brisket might take twelve to sixteen hours (at least to prepare for regional barbeque competition, that is!).  The goal is to achieve the most tender meat that simply melts in your mouth.  

The taste from barbequing meat comes from a balance of the quality of meat, the smoke produced by the hardwood and the sauce applied to enhance the desired flavors.  Judge CAIN reminded us that marinades do not help low grade meats improve much in quality (there goes that trick!) and that most of us put sauces or rubs onto the meat far too early.  It’s best to put the sauces on during (not before) the cooking process or, best of all, not until the meat is fully cooked. 

Judge CAIN provided some hints for those of us who don’t have the patience for true barbeque but insist on cooking quickly on gas grills (yes, there is hope for us!):

• Pre-heat the grill
• Have everything you might need within arms reach ahead of time
• Cook meats away from direct flame (light one side and place the meat on the side away from the flames)
• Meat should be a room temperature before placing on the grill
• Cook meat with the hood / lid of grill in the closed or down position
• Have a water spray bottle handy to douse any flare-ups
• Don’t boil meats before grilling, it takes away the savory flavors
• Heat sauces before applying them to the meat
• Before cooking ribs, remove the membrane on the back side
• If you desire a smoky flavor, place soaked hardwood in foil over the flame and the meat away from the flame with the lid down, allowing the smoke to circulate

And all this time, I thought I knew how to barbeque…….

Here is an email from Allart Ligtenberg who has been in Nepal for the past several months, monitoring our WCS projects, and developing new contacts. 

Dear Fellow Los Altos Rotarians:
Here are some pictures and a quick note from your “correspondent” in Nepal.  

Since the King of Nepal on Feb 1 disbanded democracy, parliament, free press, freedom of expression, human rights, it is superficially quiet in Kathmandu (KTM). Many political leaders are in jail or under house arrest. However outside KTM valley it is the same story of killings by Maoists and the Nepalese Army. During my past 2 ½ months here , 3 strikes and road blockades of 12 days each were organized by the Maoists. This causes severe shortages of food, kerosene, gas, etc making life difficult and expensive for the population.

Attached are some pictures of LARC’s Matching Grants (MG), Club Opportunity Grant (COG) and HIV project.

	- Non-formal education (literacy) project for impoverished women and HIV affected women with Dr.Pushpa Bhatt’s HIV prevention/clinic organization.
- MG with Siddhipur village for a vegetable coop project where villagers learn how to organically grow vegetables. Pic shows coop management team plus Yala RC Pres.Elect  with one of the greenhouses. Project also includes solar dryers, water pasteyrizers and cookers.	Series of pics of Nayapati village final MG ceremony of handing out solar and sustainable devices to the villagers. Solar MG (LARC and PARC) with Rajdhani is now completed.
– We completed the MG paperwork with this Club for a Renewable Energy School project just before deadline of March 31.	Handing over LARC flag to the RC of Kathmandu Sunrise that I helped start last year
	Our COG Grant will empower impoverished women of Mache Gaon village by teaching them how to make briquettes from biomass (shredded paper, grass clippings, leaves) and start a business selling briquettes. The picture shows the hand press the women are going to build and use.

Looking forward to see you in 2 weeks,  Allart Ligtenberg  (Webmaster's note:  I may not have the descriptions and the pictures matched correctly. Pictures and descriptions came in separate emails, so who knows?)

ART SHOW:  VAL CARPENTER has almost completed the assignments for the up-coming FINE ART IN THE PARK.  PLEASE check the website at here for your assignments.  Remember, if you can’t make your assigned time and place, it is your responsibility to find a suitable replacement. 

From Webmaster, Matt Cabot:

FUTURE ROTATOR WRITERS:    I am looking to add several new Rotator writers to the Rotator Writer Team.  Currently there are about 8 writers, so it means writing the Rotator about once every six weeks.  If you would like to write the Rotator, please send me an email at matt.cabot@gmail.com and I will add you to the list beginning in July.  This is your opportunity to be creative, and add some color and fun to our club.  I have created a "style sheet" to guide the writers in style and content.  Take a look at http://www.losaltosrotary.org/StyleSheet.htm if you are interested.   Matt