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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
 | | Alicia does it all |
From the man quoted perhaps as often as Yogi Berra and through the dulcet vocal cords of visiting Rotarian Alicia Cragholm, "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." ~ Mark Twain
GUESTS AND VISITORS
Don Jenkins -- Orinda Rotary
Kevin Cragholm - Husband of Alicia
Blake Marggraff - Son of Jim Marggraff and today's co-guest speaker
M.J. Marggraff - Wife of Jim and mother of Blake
Matt Feddersen - The other co-guest speaker
Lucas Feddersen - 11-year-old brother of Matt
Troy Feddersen - Father of Matt and president of Lafayette Rotary Club
John Sherry - Past president, ibid
Mike Heller -- ibid.
Laura Waal - Wife of David and gracious co-host of fabulous encore Demotion Party
Remi Vespa - Guest of Cal Lee
Ian Kidd - Guest of Alex Arnold
Steven Wolfe -- Past president, Concord Rotary Club
Connie Linneman - Wife of John
ANNIVERSARIES AND BIRTHDAYS
David Waal - He and Laura celebrated their Silver Anniversary, renewing their marital vows at Lake Tahoe. Alex Arnold officiated. Huh? Was he even invited? David tossed $25 into Club coffers.
John Linneman - He and Connie marked 36th anniversary with a weekend at Carmel during which, said John, the sun refused to make an appearance. John dug down deep for $40.
 | | He scribes, edits, shoots (photos) and travels |
Tom Black - Birthday Aug. 9. Tom noted that he spent most of the day on Rotary-related business, starting with a board meeting and highlighted by lunch in Yountville with Nancy Baglietto and Paul Fillinger. Upon learning that it was at a Michelin-rated restaurant (Redd), wife Pat went all out, serving a sumptuous celebratory dinner of Top Ramen topped off with dessert consisting of unfrosted rice cake bedecked with a trick candle that doesn't blow out. Serves him right. $20. Coughing up $20, he noted, "It wasn't that great of a year."
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 | | Brad, the King of backpacks |
Brad Davis gave an update of Operation Backpack Cum School Supplies for kids at Garden Park Apartments in Pleasant Hill. He makes first of two Santa Claus-like deliveries to the returning schoolchildren on Aug. 15. He expressed thanks to all fellow members who procured and donated the supplies.
David Waal said the Club will need to provide more volunteers for the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival Sept. 17-18 because the city is cutting back in providing gendarmes. We are thus advised to oil our bullwhips and Tasers.
Mike Heller, holding poster aloft, noted that three free "Rock The Plaza" concerts are forthcoming in downtown Lafayette, tonight (Aug. 12) and the following two Fridays.
John Fazel, holding newspaper obit aloft, noted the death on July 31 of John Maas, 75, who, as a member of the Orinda club, was instrumental in the founding of our own, in June of 1987. Mr. Maas had relocated to Elko, Nev., retired from his dental practice.
 | | Can You Canoe? |
Ron Brown, holding aloft a fistful of printed raffle tickets, said that the much-awaited "wet launch" of the beloved Man Cave-birthed canoe would be the coming Monday at the Lafayette Reservoir. Life Magazine is sending a photographer and Walter Cronkite will voice the play-by-play for the special mini-documentary CBS is planning. Said canoe commences its tour of area Rotary clubs next week, first in Orinda, then bobbing up for the noon club. Any sister clubs peddling the tickets - face value $20 - get to keep $5 per. A total of 1,000 were printed compliments of Diablo Rapid Print in Lafayette. The vessel will be displayed - and tickets sold - at a Wine & Festival booth donated by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. The drawing is Oct. 29, just in time for Halloween.
 | | Spike kick starts the raffling |
Spike Speicher gave Ron his first sale, handing over a check for $100 from a cousin of Spike's who lives in Arizona. A hundred clams buy a book of six ducats. It was not clear whether, should he win, Spike's cousin would come pick up the canoe or we are expected to deliver it. Just in case, shall we prepare a "Canoe In Tow" sign for the back of Gary Fulcher's trailer?
RAFFLE
Pat Flaharty won and won not only a few bucks but also a bonus prize, and a very nice one: a Styrofoam ice cooler packed with sockeye salmon caught - and donated - by John Sherry on a recent (we hope) trip to Sarah
 | | Pat knows what to do with those fish! |
Palin land (a.k.a. Alaska). Said salmon were plucked from the Kenae River, which, according to the angler in question offers the best sockeye fishing in the known world. "I filleted 150 myself," said John. Thank you, John. Most generous. Pat, let us know when you'll be inviting all of us to your house for grilled salmon. Ernie Furtado commented that the cash winnings would enable Pat to "buy some tartar sauce."
PROGRAM
Proud papa Jim Marggraff introduced today's guest speakers - his son Blake and Blake's teammate, Matt
 | | Jim & Tray are still amazed |
Fedderson, in a recent international high-school science competition sponsored by Intel. From the seven million - yes, million - contestants who entered from all corners of the globe, the pool was winnowed by judges to 1,500, all of whom assembled in Los Angeles this past May. To their utter amazement, Blake and Matt won first place, an accolade, said Jim, that is the secondary-school equivalent of the Nobel Prize. "We were completely blown away," said Blake. "We thought maybe, maybe we would win fourth place."
 | | WOW!!! |
The experiment the pair conducted, using a lab at Acalanes High School, was titled "Simulated Treatment of Cancer Cells With Compton Effect-Produced Secondary Radiation." Judging by the glaze-eyed stares of the audience, it is entirely likely that only Blake's parents and Matt's dad had a clue what the boys were talking about.
The experiment, in layman's language, entailed development of a new treatment that permits pinpointing tin-particle irradiation of the centers of cancerous cells. Described as a "simple treatment" by the inventors, it can increase efficacy by as much as 20 percent over conventional methods now in use. Why tin? "Because it's non-toxic, heavy and has low electron-binding energy," explained Blake. Took the words right out of our collective mouth.
 | | The Grand Champions |
Their experiment was undertaken last fall, soon after they began their senior year together at AHS. Within a month's time they had produced "preliminary results that were encouraging." Once they had completed their work, they entered and won a local science-project competition, followed by one statewide. Then the surprise bellringer in Los Angeles, where they took first place in the category they entered, then the biggie - Best in Show.
Blake and Matt, best friends since grade school, say they believe their research holds potential for adopting new cancer-cell treatment. They also believe that their findings may hold the promise of future patents, which if granted, means that their parents, when the time comes, get to live in a luxurious assisted-living facility, all expenses prepaid by their genius sons.
Not parenthetically, the two generously made themselves available for a Meet The Inventors dinner-for-eight at Ruth's Chris Steak House, auctioned off at the June Gala Dinner for $5,500. Thank you, boys.
Both are college-bound (surprise!), Blake to Washington University in St. Louis, Matt to University of Illinois.
Congratulations, Blake and Matt, and to their respective parents, who presumably had something to do with their off-the-charts IQs.
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