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May 22, 2009
Reporter: Rich Shearer Editor: Ron Brown Photographer: Tom Black
Pat Flaharty, President, 2008 - 2009
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
 Rick Ashburn quoted Benjamin Franklin, warning us not to be "so wrong, like a man traveling in foggy weather," who sees shadowy figures in the fog before him, behind him and in the fields to the side, but who thinks he sees clearly because he seems to be able to see things near him clearly enough, "though in truth, he is as much in the fog as any of them."
GUESTS, VISITING ROTARIANS AND SUCH
Connie Linneman - Here with hubby John
Pate Thompson - Berkeley, Assistant District Governor, checking up on President Pat.
Gail Johnson - Writer and graphic designer and Steve Ware's guest
Joe Bettencourt - Multi-time visitor
Dominic Porrino - Krysten Laine's guest
BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES & MISCELLANEOUS GOOD NEWS
Paul Bettelheim rose to announce that Bryn's son, Cameron, is getting married. We know that because Cameron purchased a ring from none other than Steve Ware.
Speaking of Mr. Ware, resident jeweler extraordinaire is moving Ware Designs from its long-time home at The Forge on the east side of town to where now shuttered Contra Costa Stationers used to be (in the Diablo Foods shopping center, between the Post Office and Trader Joe's). Steve is demonstrably excited about his the space, so much so that he coughed up a $100 check to the Rotary Foundation. Come by in mid-July and see his new digs first hand.
Meanwhile, Thomas and Tamara Raeth celebrated 18 years of  wedded bliss with lunch at Miraku amidst yet another work day. It still was worth $40 to Thomas.
Ken Kosich had another birthday. Dinner in Sonoma after a day at work was worth a $20 tip.
Gary Fulcher had something resembling a birthday. He kicked in something resembling $50 for the occasion.
FROM THE ABC's OF ROTARY
Charlie Franklin took a look at Cliff Dochterman's seminal work, "The ABC's of Rotary," and culled the tidbit that, in 1949, Rotary International adopted as a slogan: "Every Rotarian an example for youth." This resonated with Charlie, who is a great believer in reaching out to young people and setting an example for them. Charlie noted that he was touched by our Club helping send a deserving but under-financed Stanley student to Washington D.C. This is something, says Charlie, that this student will remember all of his life and, with any luck, will be a lasting lesson to him that encourages him to help youngsters coming up behind him. And so urge Charlie and Rotary, seek and seize opportunities to be a role model and act as an example of the spirit of service. Thanks, Charlie, for a timely reminder.
IN THE ROTARIAN
Next up was John Linneman, who had been assigned to peruse the latest edition of The Rotarian magazine and report on what looked interesting. John was taken with the article on some Rotarians' motorcycle trip in South America. John was particularly struck by the high level of cooperation between Peruvian, Ecuadorian and US Clubs to make a positive difference for folks in dire need of aid.
Additionally, the magazine issue features an interview with Bill Gates. As you probably know, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has decided that Rotary's Polio Plus program is worthy of major help, and that Foundation has certainly stepped up to the plate to help out. What caught John's attention, however, was that Gates discusses the American pharmaceutical industry with stunning candor, naming names of the companies which he thinks have done good and not-so-good jobs of doing their share to assist those in need.
COOL STUFF UP FOR AUCTION
Paul Fillinger may have made it safely out of China without  stirring the pot, but he apparently decided that things are too placid around here. So, at our next meeting, Paul will be auctioning off one of his justly famous family portraits. Yes, it will be your family, and he will do the sitting (although it's equally likely you'll be standing) and ultimately present you with a wonderful portrait of you and your loved ones. So come prepared to bid because this is a great offer. Many thanks, Paul.
And thanks to this reporter's excellent investigative reporting skills (which consist mostly of standing still and hoping the stories will find him), The Lamorindan can report that Chuck  Kenney will also be auctioning a cool item. It seems that Chuck has the Lafayette Club's car auctions wired: he won a Mercedes a couple years back, and just won a BMW at the recent Concert at the Res. So what's it to you? Only that he will be auctioning off a weekend's use of whichever car you prefer (300 mile limit please). If you want more details, contact Chuck. And thanks, Chuck.
THREE-QUARTER CENTURY CLUB MEETING NEEDS YOUR HELP
For the past ten years, John Fazel has been putting on an annual lunch in Orinda for any and all denizens of said metropolis who have attained the age of 75 or greater. This year is no exception.  June 10 is the date, Orinda Community Church is the location, and we need your help setting up, cleaning up, working in the kitchen, serving the seniors or any combination thereof. Can you make it? It isn't clear who has more fun, the seniors or the helpers, so be sure to sign up. You will not be sorry. Call John for details or to sign up, or sign up on the list that will be going around at the meetings.
MYSTERY ROTARIAN(S)
After several weeks of no mysteries, President Pat laid two on us this week. Mystery Rotarian #1 (1) has worn his wife's panty hose, (2) was in the first graduating class of the university he attended, (3) showed a grand champion hog at the state fair, and (4) was a personal acquaintance of "Give 'Em Hell" Harry Truman. All of this applies to Prez-Elect John Fazel. He wore the panty hose to keep warm on cold-weather runs (that's his story and he's sticking to it). And he got to know Harry Truman by knocking him on his keister. (I know I've said this before, but I really don't make this stuff up.)
As for Mystery Rotarian #2, he (1) survived an avalanche while skiing, (2) loved winter camping while in high school, and (3) does not go to the Lake Tahoe area after November or before May. Yes, #3 is related to #1, and this wintery theme is the product of Steve Ware's life. Not surprisingly, after surviving the avalanche near Innsbruck, Austria, Steve decided that hanging out in the snow had lost its appeal.
PROGRAM
Mike Hughes, former Lamorinda Sunrise Member, has long been trying to look into the future and see what opportunities lay there. His latest project can be summed up in two words: Buy Locally.
But leaving it at that would vastly underestimate both the sophistication and the potentially gigantic impact of what he is up to. In short, Mike is trying to set up a system by which cable television and the power of the Internet are linked to encourage people to support their local businesses, not just by suggesting that people do this but by using carefully integrated and targeted marketing to give people powerful incentives to do so.
The key is gathering information that promotes local business  and making it available in carefully targeted ways. In Mike's vision, local access cable stations are used to promote local businesses including running "video coupons." Air time on such stations is comparatively cheap and is targeted at a very specific market area, exactly what local businesses need.
So what is new here? After all, public access TV has been around for quite a while. The difference here is tying in the TV presentations to the power of the Internet. For example, a local business lets people know via public access TV about a special offer. The TV broadcast directs viewers to a web site where a coupon can be printed. That website does far more, however. It is set up to make available other coupons, promotions, ads, etc., keyed to the shoppers location - if you are logging on in Lafayette, the website knows to tell you about what is available in and around Lafayette. You don't waste your time looking at goods and services in Sacramento, and the local business person is not wasting their advertising dollars pitching to people too far away to be a likely customer.
Also in development is being able to use the power of iPhones and similar devices in the service of this system. For example, imagine walking down the street and being able to use your iPhone to locate stores in the area selling what you are looking for and being able to pull up a coupon on screen for use in making the purchase. Mike and his team are working on this and more.
This requires some Internet savvy, and Mike has that in the person of Nicholas Fordham. Nick is young, but he has a world of experience in putting together Internet sites with this level of sophistication. This is not going to be just a local, Lafayette area project. The idea is to spread this local area marketing all over the country. This means that the local business person can benefit from the economies of scale that the big boys enjoy while still being able to target their local markets only and at costs that make sense.
The third member of the team was Kim Ryle. He has long experience with PG&E working with its biggest and smallest customers, and he came out of the experience believing that  "everything matters." In the context of electricity, that meant that watts add up to kilowatts which in turn add up to megawatts. In the current context, it means that every shopper who shops locally instead of going to the mall or buying on-line is someone who is contributing to the local tax base, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and keeping cash flowing in the community instead of flowing out to someone else's community. Get enough people to do this, and you achieve critical mass and retain a viable local economy. Get enough local communities to do this and you have a viable regional economy. Enough regions, and you have a viable state economy, and so on up the line.
Thanks for coming back to see us, Mike. Thanks as well to Nicholas Fordham and Kim Ryle for letting us in on this glimpse into the future.
COMING EVENTS
Weekly Meeting Program: Expose Yourself Venera Maysuryants and Rich Shearer
Friday 05/29/ 7:00 - 8:15am
TGITLFOTM 5/29 5:30 pm at the home of Agatha Sue and Cal Lee.
Weekly Meeting Program: Benjamin Lawrence, UC Davis professor and Davis Rotarian relates personal stories of boring water holes in Togo, Benin, and Ghana. Having just returned from a GSE trip to Ethiopia, he will have much to share with us. Don't miss it!
Friday 06/05/09 7:00 - 8:15am
Three-Quarter Century Club Luncheon The event is 11:30-1:30 or so, but we need help from about 10:00 to 2:00. Call John Fazel for more information.
Wednesday 06/10 at Orinda Community Church
Weekly Meeting Program: Expose Yourself Paul Bettelheim and Rick Ashburn
Friday 06/19 7:00 - 8:15am
Weekly Meeting Program:Pat's last day as Prez. See what he has to say as he leaves office and turns the reins over to Mr. Fazel!
Friday 06/26 7:00 - 8:15am
TGITLFOTM and Pat's Demotion Ceremony at the home of David Waal
Friday 6/26 5:30 pm until whenever! | |
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ADDITIONAL
PHOTOS OF THIS AND OTHER LSR EVENTS MAY BE FOUND AT TFBLACK.SMUGMUG.COM. SHOULD BE
YOU SMITTEN BY A PARTICULAR IMAGE, PRINTS MAY BE ORDERED FROM THIS WEBSITE. (THE
QUALITY IS EXCELLENT.).
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Contact Us
Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise
PO Box 1491
Lafayette, California 94549
www.lamorindasunrise.org
E-Mail Us
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