THOUGHT FOR THE DAY  | | Not from that magazine, Pat! |
"You'll never change, unless you change." It must be profound since Pat Flaharty said it was. You be the judge. VISITING ROTARIANS Paul Fillinger introduced the "three wandering wise men": the Larry twins, Duson and Blodgett and sidekick Bill Eames from the Lafayette noon club. SHORT TERM GUESTS Kathe and Walter Nelson - About to break two Rotary records! Spike Speiker - Hasn't given up on us after three visits Rod Ford-Smith - Another blast from the past checking in Christopher Lee - Today's speaker BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES  | | But I'm not complaining! |
Thomas Raeth, with a birthday between Christmas and New Year's, always gets the present that fell through the cracks on Chrismas Day. Thomas deemed it worthy of a $20 contribution. Ernie Furtado had a bike ride on his birthday while simultaneously house hunting and recovering from two weeks in Costa Rica. Poor guy! Bob Riegg celebrated his birthday by declaring "I'm 74 and I need some money!" To bad, Bob. Pony-up. Paul Fillinger of course had no idea that he was celebrating his 11th Anniversary as a Club Member. He was uncustomarily speechless. 
Don Reichert pre-announced he has a 50th wedding anniversary coming up later this month and will be celebrating with Gwen at the Mauna Kea on the Big Island. He did not specify the amount of his donation to the Club, but if true to form it was a big one. CARE GIVING REDUX Joe Bettencourt provided a follow-up to last week's speaker. His  | | Back up and be Safe |
company, Interim Health Care, is also in the homecare staffing business, providing two to 24 hour home care services, plus senior transportation capability. He urged that everyone who is a caregiver have a back-up plan in case of emergencies. You never know when a crisis might occur when the primary caregiver is unable to respond to the situation for whatever reason. GEORGE CHAFFEY PULLS A FAST ONE Poor Kathe and Walt Nelson had no idea what awaited them. George invited Hays Englehart to join them at the podium for  | | Chicken? |
 | | Egg? |
Walt's re-induction ceremony. George told Walt the he was establishing two firsts, for this or any other Rotary Club. The first first: Walt is being sponsored this time around by Hayes Englehart. That's the same Hays who was sponsored by Walt when Hays joined the Club four years ago. George invited everyone to look at Walt and Hays standing together and decide...which one is the chicken and which one is the egg? Not confused enough yet? There's more. Hays proceeded to pin a newly minted RED BADGE on Walt. If looks could kill, Walt would have done him in right then and there.  | | Congratulations, Wally! |
 | | Masterfully engineer, George |
But wait...there was a plaintive call of objection to the Red Badge ceremony by the always aggressive Brad Davis who asserted that Walt was entitled to an immediate upgrade to BLUE BADGE status. Brad had the badge to pin on Walt right now while proclaiming a Club name change from Walt to Wally. Walt knew he had been had, but he laughed heartily along with everyone else. George then proclaimed that this was Walt's second first. He had achieved Blue Badge status in a record three seconds. Gary Fulcher continues to hold the Club record for his hold-out as the longest Red Badger. Needless to say Walt (Wally) and Kathe were warmly greeted for having the (questionable?) good sense to return to the fold! ROTARY MAGAZINE IS 100 YEARS OLD  | | It's all in here folks! |
Although Paul is closing in on that longevity record himself he still had plenty of energy to laud the 100th year publication. This magazine has pulled pictures and articles from past issues. It is literally a walk-through of the past 100 years of world history and events, with a dizzying array of international figures prominently featured. In perhaps the second shortest speech of his Rotary career, forcefully curtailed by Prez Peeks, Paul concluded with "reading this special edition is a great way of getting to know Rotary Better!" Right on, Brother Paul! MOTORAMA LOOMING LARGE...PR HELP IS NEEDED  | | Let's get the show on the road |
Jim Brencic has taken on public relations responsibility for the second annual Motorama Father's Day event. He has a variety of exciting plans to promote attendance and participation this year. Jim has a committee that is beginning to flesh out ideas into reality. He is in need of members who can take on various assignments to spread the word throughout the community with marketing materials which the committee will be providing. Let him know if you are willing to help out. SPAGHETTI DINNER & SILENT AUCTION TO HELP AUTO VICTIM  | | This lady needs our help! |
Al Sevilla told Debra Willard's story of being hit by an elderly, unlicensed, uninsured motorist while crossing a street with her guide dog, Spirit, in Oakland recently. Spirit tried to save Debra from being struck but the car hit her and broke her knee. Surgery costs are mounting and Debra does not have medical insurance. The Spaghetti Dinner is a small way to help out. The Dinner will be held on Saturday, February 12 at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1658 Excelsior Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $15. If you would like to make a reservation or make a donation, contact Cindy Sevilla, 1064 Serrano Ct., Lafayette. Tickets will be at the will-call table at the event. PROGRAM  | | Cristopher Lee knows whereof he speaks |
Today's speaker is Christopher Lee, L.Ac. M.S., a California Acupuncture Board licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist. Chris grew up in Moraga and has a practice in Walnut Creek. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have been around for over 2,500 years. In only the past 30 years has the U.S. started to take advantage of this alternative medical system in its health care needs. Chris took us through the history of this alternative form of medicine, with interesting facts along the way. Meridian acupuncture points in the body were first identified in 1023. A medical text book on arthritis and acupuncture was written in 1683. But the first introduction of this form of alternative medicine in the U.S. came in an article by James Reston in the N.Y. Times in 1972. He had his appendix removed and received healing acupuncture treatment in China. California became the first state to license acupuncturists. The fundamental theory embraces the yin and the yang. Energy or vitality runs through the body requiring proper blood flow which is piped through internal organs and channels, or meridians (14 meridians from head to toe). The instruments for acupuncture are needles as thin as a human hair. How does it work? Acupuncture is a natural pain killer. It helps regulate sleep, increases blood flow and stimulates nerve bundles. The general conditions treated are headache, pain, injured joints, digestive disorders, asthma and allergies or eczema.  | | Powerful complementary alternative medicine |
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine has been incorporated into western medicine at many major university hospitals in the U.S. This ancient form of medicine is used to avoid side effects from drugs or where conventional medicine is not successful; to treat side effects from chemo-therapy, reduce nausea and maintain the immune system. Acupuncture patients should experience some level of positive results from one to four treatments. Over three million Americans receive acupuncture treatments. This is a growing part of the $33 Billion Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) industry. UCSF has had an Acupuncture Anesthesiologist Department for 25 years. Becoming certified through state and National testing requires four years of education. The Bay Area has schools in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley. Acupuncture treatment is widely covered by insurance companies. When asked why he chose this career path, Chris responded that he was always interested in health care and really liked this subtle approach to helping people feel better through this non-invasive treatment method.
CALENDAR
Friday, 1/21, 7:00 am - Speaker from Contra Costa Sanitary District
HOME TEAMS
MARCH 5, MAY 17, JULY 9
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