This Week's Program: 
Ted Marston from EPRI -- Nuclear Power Industry
 

Upcoming Events:
Pediatric AIDS Symnposium

  Pres. SAM “Mc” PESNER began our pre-St Patrick’s Day meeting on time despite the clocks being thrust ahead an hour sooner in the year than normal.  I guess by Thursday, most members were able to adjust, especially since the weather has been Spring-like the entire week long. 

  Despite our leader’s initial warning that it was the “Ides of March,” we didn’t experience any Caesar-like tragedies or transgressions from the Brutus’s of the world.  There was a definite Irish theme to several elements of the meeting since it was St. Patty’s Day Eve Eve.  There wasn’t as much wearin’ of the green today, however. 

  Sunnyvale Rotary Club President ARLEY MARLEY led us in the pledge and KURT HUEG followed with the signing of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” a very appropriate song for the theme of the day.   JOANNE BYRNE provided our thought for the day which didn’t sound Irish (neither did ARLEY, for that matter), but it did have an Irish origin.  JOANNE’S Irish father (her parent’s hailed from County Cork, no less!) had conveyed a parable about feathers being your words and if you cast them out to the wind, it is mighty difficult to get them back.  Saying it another way, mind your words since they are so difficult to retrieve.

  Pres-Elect JOHN MOSS, knowing more about Rotary than he would ever imagine after completing the Presidents-Elect Training this past weekend, found the only visiting Rotarians to be ARLEY MARLEY.  Members introducing guests they had invited included VAL CARPENTER, MATT CABOT, MARY MARLEY, CINDY LUEDTKE and JANE REED.  It’s nice to see so many guests invited to our club meetings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS, PROCLAMATIONS AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
Pres. SAM let us know about the following District 5170 events and encouraged participation from the ranks:

1)      The District Golf Tournament will be held April 16^th at Castlewood Country Club.  Lunch, dinner, and golf are included for the $175 per player fee, with proceeds going toward Camp RYLA.  For questions or reservations, contact Richard Lowenthal at richard@lowenthal.com

2)      “You Otter Be There” is the theme or motto for the District Conference in Monterey April 20-22.  This year, Past Rotary International President, RICK KING will “perform” a cabaret concert Friday evening and there will be a Dancing with the Stars competition on Saturday evening.  Did I hear the PESNERS and LUEDTKES may be competing???

3)      The District is offering a Cruise on the Bay on June 3^rd (at least it doesn’t conflict with our Fine Art in the Park this year).  $100 of the $150 fee goes towards your Rotary Foundation account.  Not a bad way to support the efforts of our Foundation!  See Pres. SAM for  details.

4)      San Jose East-Evergreen Rotary Club is offering a safari trip in Africa July 13-24.

5)      There is also a Hong Kong Heritage tour offered through the District in August.

  VAL CARPENTER, our club member and city Councilwomen reported on the recent special events policy adopted by the Council that affects our annual fundraiser.  We were pleased and relieved to hear that the City of Los Altos will continue to underwrite 50% of the event costs of our Fine Art in the Park.  Our club greatly appreciates the City’s support. 

  Pres. SAM reported that Past District Governor IVAN CORNELIUS attended our club’s recent Board meeting and discussed Rotary’s Youth Protection policies.  It turns out that the prior position of Rotary International was far below the level required by State law where youth are served by individuals and organizations.  Everyone who will be working with youth (Interact, Rotaract, tutoring, mentoring, coaching, etc.) should complete the Youth Protection Training and go through the (relatively painless) steps to be in compliance with the laws of the State of California (completion of forms, fingerprinting, life-scan, etc.).  It is as much for your protection as the youth we strive to serve.

  Reminder:  March 29^th will be the AIDS Symposium presented by our own Rotary AIDS Project.  Attendance is anticipated to be high and everyone is asked to respond to an upcoming e-mail as to whether you plan to attend and whether or not you anticipate bringing a guest.  Our caterer needs to know so that sufficient food is available for those attending.

  By the time you receive this newsletter, the Rotary Singles Fellowship event has already taken place at the Saddle Rack in Fremont.  If you’re sorry you missed it, or want to find out how the event was for those attending, talk to MARLENE COWAN or others who may have attended to find out when the next event is planned. 

 JACK HIGGINS reported that the Health Committee would meet after the meeting.  That won’t help for this month, but the committee meets after the regular meeting on the third Thursday of each month and invites interested members to attend in future months. 

  ROY JONES offered two unrelated announcements (unrelated to each other or St. Patrick’s Day for that matter!). 

1)      For new members, for members who have changed shape, for members who don’t remember where they stored it, or members who like something new, ROY announced that Los Altos Rotary polo shirts are available to those that wish to order them.  If you order soon, the shirts will be available by the next Art Show.  If you need a shirt, and can’t find an order form at the next meeting, contact ROY.

2)      ROY also announced the Jeremiah’s Promise fundraising Golf Tournament on April 30^th at Silver Creek Golf Course in San Jose.  It’s just another fundraiser until you learn that Jeremiah’s Promise raises money to save foster home girls from terrible plights when turned to the streets when they turn 18.   Even if you don’t play golf, you might consider a donation since, without financial aid, so many of these girls have no prospects for a decent chance in life.  To learn more about the startling statistics, check out www.jeremiahspromise.org.

  Keeping with the youth theme, JACK KELLY announced the Area 10 Speech Contest that will be held March 20^th, 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room of First Republic Bank.  It is sponsored by the East Palo Alto Bayshore and Los Altos Sunset Rotary Clubs.  Members are welcome and encouraged to support these youth including our own Los Altos Rotary Club winner.

  KENDRA GJERSETH asked for volunteers from our club to join her on the Young at Art Committee this year.  This is an opportunity for us to encourage youth in our community to express themselves in artistic means and have the opportunity to have their creations displayed at our annual Art Show.

  JOHN HAMBLIN, following the Art Show topic line, thanked 2006 sponsors from our club and also congratulated members MARY MARLEY, DENNIS YOUNG, CHUCK LINDAUER, SAM PESNER, STEVE ANDERSON,PAUL NYBERG, LARRY AND LAWRENCE CHU for pledges of sponsorships of various types for 2007.  JOHN reminded us that there are still opportunities to help sponsor our most important event of the year.

KATIE NUTTER, this year’s Art Show Poobah (I don’t know the female version of Poobah, {(Poobette? Poobella? Sorry!)}, asked that this message be inserted in the Rotator today:

ART SHOW UPDATE
  Sorry to have gone silent on you, but your art show director had surgery and wasn’t up to full speed for a while.  But, things sure didn’t’ stop while KATIE NUTTER was recuperating!  The posters and postcards are at the printers, and the ads have been placed.  MARLENE COWAN – not knowing this was supposed to be impossible – actually got us a feature story in Gentry Magazine.  DICK HENNING, LOUIS BOREL and DENNIS POTTER have the wine-tasting booth well in hand, and JEAN NEWTON FRAGUGLIA will decorate it. 

  DICK HASENPFLUG, who is in charge of site layout, wants me to remind you that folks interested in site layout will meet after Rotary next Thursday (the 22^nd) to walk the park and make the final sitting decisions.

 The focus right now is on staffing pre-show jobs.  PAT GRAY will coordinate those people who will visit other Rotary clubs and/or try to get out show in their own publications.  PHIL ROSE will coordinate people who get posters hung up.  Each of those two needs about half a dozen volunteers, so let him or her know if you want to do that job.  KENDRA GJERSETH needs folks to help with Young at Art.  We don’t need restaurant solicitors this year because SANDY BOZICH, who heads up the artists’ reception/dinner, has convinced Whole Foods to cater the whole event, at a deep discount.  Lastly, MICHAEL STADLEN, who is our staffing chair, encourages people who haven’t yet “chaired” an activity – and are interested in doing so – let him know (mstadlen@usa.net).  The goal here is to get a few more “apprentices” who have watched how things work in 2007 and can therefore – oh so effortlessly – step into positions of leadership in 2008.

Finally, be sure to pencil in Thursday, May 10 on your calendar.  That’s when there will be a “home stretch, declare victory in advance” party at your art director’s home.  It will be an hors d’oeuvre and wine kind of gig open to ALL ROTARIANS.  More later 

RECOGNITION
  St. Patrick was used by JOHN MC ALISTER for the recognition of members’ accomplishments and events in their respective lives.  Those lightening their wallets and purses included BAIDRA MURPHY (husband’s, another Irishman, and son’s birthdays); SHELLY POTVIN (for a child on the way); BOB ADAMS (for the anniversary of selling his business); PAUL NYBERG (for anniversary of buying the Town Crier); VICTORIA EMMONS, DAN O’DONNELL, JERRY and BILL MOISON, RICK CASEY, MICHAEL STADLEN, MEG SOLERA, and GARY ROSS for answers to St. Patrick’s Day oriented questions (whether they answered correctly or not!). 

  St. Patty’s Day trivia from JOHN MCALISTER: St. Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in Boston, the first parade was in New York City and corned beef and cabbage was first introduced to the day in Texas (JOHN explained that the Irish ate pork, not beef) and that St. Patrick is the patron saint of Nigeria (!?!?).  I‘ll bet most didn’t know that!

  JOHN provided an Irish joke that Pres. SAM liked so much he decided against his standard end-of-meeting stand-up routine in favor of JOHN today (maybe it was off color and not in the theme of “green” today)

PRESENTATION
  Still staying with the theme of green, though in slightly different context, our own MIKE HARRIGAN presented the Tesla Car Company story to our club.  I find it amazing what the members of our Rotary Club are involved in and what their careers and life experiences include.  MIKE explained that the Tesla name came from Thomas Edison’s “competitor.”  Edison worked with direct current while Tesla worked with alternating current which happens to be the technology used for this new electric car.  

  From 1998-2002, a number of automobile manufacturers produced a limited number of electric cars while government subsidies were offered all stopping when the money or tax breaks weren’t offered any longer.  The problem was, that they didn’t appeal to the general public due to a variety of reasons; lack of pleasing design, lack of sufficient power, sufficient passenger capacity and /or limited range due to battery restrictions.

  Imagine having a car that gives excellence in acceleration, is very pleasing to look at, can be re-charged using our existing infrastructure, discharges zero emissions into our atmosphere, and eliminates our dependency on petroleum products.  Impossible you say?  Remember the word “Tesla.”  The firm has facilities in the US, Taiwan and Europe.  It has just signed a contract for a manufacturing plant in New Mexico.  They have worked closely with Lotus Cars (England) for much of the car’s interior and exterior design (MIKE, kudos for the fabulous look to the car!). 

  Tesla designed a prototype roadster, initially called “Dark Star,” based upon four criteria, (1) performance (would you believe 0-60 mile per hour in four seconds!), (2) technology (better battery system and motor design), (3) environment (zero emissions) and National Security (eliminate dependency on petroleum products).

  The Tesla roadster achieves these criteria as well as having a 250 mile range before re-charging, costs about a penny per mile to operate (electricity for re-charge) and uses existing infrastructure (regular 220 circuit). 

  Tesla has taken some 335 orders at $100,000 each for their cars that will go into production later this year or early 2008.  There will be customer service centers in some six locations around the country initially, with many more planned in the years ahead.  A four or five passenger sport sedan is in the works, possibly available in 2010. 

  The breakthrough for Tesla is to utilize lithium ion battery technology using 6831 batteries the equivalent to “AA.”  These multiple batteries are housed in 621 unit cells that have their own micro-charger and cooling system.  Together, the system is capable of putting out 400 volts and 600 amps (which might explain the torque it produces that can propel the car to sixty mile per hour from a standing start in four seconds).  The battery system begins to deteriorate from the first use, according to MIKE and is anticipated to be at about 75% of original capacity at the end of the 5-year, 100,000 mile warranty.

  MIKE stated that the car is not a long-distance alternative since the entire re-charging process takes about three and one half hours.  That would make your trip to Los Angeles a bit longer than desired.  But imagine driving within a 250 mile range between re-charging.  Most of us drive less than fifty miles each day.  You have virtually no maintenance expenses (possibly tires and windshield wiper blades in the first 100,000 miles) and when we have high gasoline prices or lines for service as we did once before, you can drive past in high style with a huge smile on your face. 

  Has MIKE told you enough for you to want to put down a deposit on a Tesla?  It certainly isn’t your father’s electric car, is it?  Congratulations, MIKE, on being part of the team developing a new, exciting form of transportation that is part of the wave of the future.

  The lucky drawing winners for a 10-minute ride in the current roadster prototype were CRES MCFALL and TRACIE MURRAY.  Collectively, our raffle ticket purchases netted $650 into our Los Altos Rotary Endowment Fund.  It was a win-win for all.