Be sure to read all the way to the end for a special bonus (which is Rich-speak for finally writing up George Chaffey's program from before Christmas that should have been done more than a month ago). Hey, the reportage you get is worth exactly what you are paying for it . . . . RMS

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Ken always thinks twice

Two bon mots for the price of one, courtesy of Ken Kosich: Bon mot #1: "When all else fails, men turn to reason," sayeth Abba Eban. Bon mot #2: "One cannot think well, love, sleep well, if one has not dined well," from the ever-pithy Virginia Woolf.

VISITING ROTARIANS

Rolf Meyerhoffer, a District Governor-Elect from Germany and past comrade of Thomas Raeth when Thomas headed up a GSE Team in Deutschland 15 or so years ago.

Cecil Padilla - Winters

Debbie Roessler - Moraga and Asst. DG for this neck of the woods

Laura Day - San Ramon Valley, and District Governor-Elect

Alicia Cragholm - Lafayette (and why are we not surprised to see her here?)

GUESTS OF OTHER PERSUASIONS

Carol Chaffey - The reason we let George stay in the Club

Kathy MacBride - Wife of today's speaker, and Shaker & Mover of ABE - more on ABE below

Alex Isaacs - Daughter of today's speaker, and Shaker & Mover of ABE

BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS GOODIES

Nancy, "where's my blue badge?", Baglietto

Nancy Baglietto has been in our Club for a whole year which was excuse enough for President Alex to relieve her of an undetermined amount of cash.

That's a nickel and dime explanation

Mark Roberts celebrated his "double-nickel" (his 55th birthday for you unhep cats) by going to Walnut Creek, drinking wine, and forking over $20. Sounds about right.

TIME TO SHOW THE HOME TEAM COLORS

Hays Englehart knows how to show the Home Team colors. No, not the colors of the 49ers, Raiders, Giants, A's, Warriors, Sharks, Cardinal (shudder) or even the Bears. Instead, you can show your support for our own HOME Team, the best home team out there, by purchasing a hat for $9, a tee-shirt for $7, or a buttoned shirt for $24.

Alex models fashionable new hat

Hey, in addition to being the height of fashion and a great way to show off our ever-growing signature project, you cannot beat those prices. E-mail Hays with your order (you can return his e-mail to you, or you can e-mail him through our newly revamped website). Don't pass this one up - all the Kool Kids will be wearing these, and you do not want to be left out.

HANDS WERE WAVED (LN-4?), INCANTATIONS WERE INCANTED, AND RED WAS MAGICALLY TURNED TO BLUE

Five winners for the DG-Elect to induct

John Fazel and DG-Elect Laura Day (the ridiculous and the sublime, respectively) did the honors as Nancy Baglietto, Mark Larks, Jim Kendall. Paula Bernard and Kevin Cragholm were relieved of their red badges and elevated to the lofty and eagerly sought-after Blue Badge status. Jim Marrggraff would have joined in the honor, too, but he wasn't here, so he'll get his Blue Badge in some back alley somewhere. DG-Elect Laura reminded all of us what an honor it is to be among the 1.3 million Rotarians in 34,000 Clubs in roughly 200 countries around the world (which explains the "International" part of "Rotary International").

At least Kevin Croak and Jim were amused

At the end of the ceremony, President Alex threw Jim Kendall the proverbial curve ball, naming the Mystery Rotarian guy. (More than one of us could have sworn Alex said Jim was to be the "Miss Rotarian" guy, leaving us scratching our heads even more than usual.) So you can expect to have to come up with three more things about yourself that no one else knows in the near future.

As for Tay Wheeler, he could have received his extra-special one-of-a-kind Charter Member/Honorary badge, but the fish were calling and who is Tay to ignore the call of the wild trout?

OKAY, KIDS, PAY ATTENTION - THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE

Hayes, in even more fashionable attire

Hays Englehart was featured prominently in an article in the Orinda News. Said article was all about how Hays' company is relocating to Orinda from SoCal. Normally, such flagrant self-promotion would be cause for a President to reach into his/her bag of Stupid President Tricks and fine the heck out of the self-promoter. But Hays is too crafty and experienced to allow such a fate to befall him. No, he wore his Rotary pin (although the photo was carefully cropped to excise it) and Hays made sure Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary was prominently mentioned in the article.

Congrats, Hays, and well-played. We hope you less-experienced Members were taking notes on how this is done.

JUST WHEN LAURA DAY THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK TO HER SEAT . . . .

Hand those Paul Harris pins over, Cal

Elevating red badgers to Blue Badge status wasn't enough for Laura Day. No, she also stood up with Cal Lee to present Paul Harris Awards to Al Sevilla (PH+2), Ron Brown (Newbie Fellow), Ken Kosich (PH+3) and - wait for it - Cal Lee (PH+2). This symbolizes a total of $11,000 contributed to the Rotary Foundation, where it is put to work on Rotary's projects.

Of course, that's just for RI's big, international projects, like Polio Plus, right? Wrong. 50% of the money each Member sends to RI comes back to the Member's District to be used in matching grant programs and a slew of other things at the District and Club level. This is a big part of Rotary's commitment to bottom-up thinking and initiative. Many thanks to Al, Ron, Ken, Cal, Laura and everyone else who has made a Paul Harris contribution. Those contributions, together with Rotarians' well-known can-do and hands-on approach, are the life blood of Rotary

PROGRAM: FAMILY VALUES - THE REAL KIND

Steve Isaacs has been John Fazel's neighbor for a long time. While there is no doubt that therein lies more than a few tales, Mr. Isaacs was not here to talk about the weirdness that is Brother John.

ABE is an inspiring story

No, he was here to talk to us about ABE. That stands for "A Better Education." This is a labor of love involving the entire Isaacs family: Steve, his wife, Kathy MacBride, and their daughters, Alex and Megan. Also in on the ground floor was Lauren Van Rheenen, a school friend of Alex's and Megan's. In a nutshell, ABE provides education and education-related services to the Mt. Kasigau area of Kenya, which takes in five villages and approximately 6,000 people.

In the summer of 2004, Alex, Megan and Lauren took on the responsibility of teaching primary school kids. Neither they nor their proud parents have looked back. Now, it is almost easier to list what ABE is not involved in than to list what it is involved in.

In the beginning, the focus was on primary school kids, both in direct support for the classroom (including returning in summers to teach) and in establishing and supporting the area's first lending library. ABE also sponsors an "Academic Olympiad" for the kids. This event, complete with prizes, provides both recognition for the best students and an incentive for all to achieve to the best of their ability.

Primary education is free to all in the Mt. Kasigau area, but high school is not. So ABE next raised money to establish scholarships for talented and motivated kids to continue their education. ABE is also now involved in setting up pre-schools and obtaining the needed supplies and training the teachers. Mr. Isaacs noted that, at this age, these kids are optimistic and ready to learn.

The rapt three wise men...or...  Larry, Curly and Moe?

But even that is not enough for the Isaacs and for ABE. ABE has started the Trade School Technical Institute, a program that provides financial assistance so that qualified high school graduates can attend trade or technical schools to receive practical training in a number of fields. Through photos, we met TSTI success stories Dorothy, now a grade school and pre-school teacher, and Grace, who is now a cook with dreams of opening a bakery in Nairobi.

We also met Amos, who was able to go to high school thanks to ABE and is now a student at Kenyatta University. University is not a main focus for ABE, but it has the flexibility to provide assistance in deserving cases.

But wait, as the Ginsu knife ads say, there's more. ABE has branched out into community service, too. After all, schools and education are great, even critical, but schools do not exist in a vacuum and there are all kinds of outside influences that can interfere with getting an education, such as food supply. Mr. Issacs reports that this is not an area of widespread starvation. However, during drought years, the food supply can become uncomfortably low; there may not be starvation, but there is hunger. Hunger and education are a bad mix.

So ABE is helping support research into drought-resistant strains of the crops that the people eat. ABE is also helping get knowledge to local farmers to help them increase their crop yields. A regular, consistent food supply can only help youngsters be able to focus on their studies, which is the idea.

Oh yes, Steve had our attention

Another problem is finding sources of fuel for cooking. The traditional fuel source is charcoal. That requires trees. But trees are at a premium in the Mt. Kasigau area, presenting both an environmental issue for the area and a financial burden on the residents. What to do? Biofuel. We saw photos of the process by which area residents can produce biofuel briquets using readily available local bio-waste and an ingenious, easy-to-operate machine. This project is the result of a $10,000 grant that Megan Isaacs was able to obtain. Not only is this a more environmentally sound and affordable means of cooking fuel, it is also a means of income for the area residents who are producing the briquets to sell.

Another serious impediment to education is hygiene. So ABE is involved in trying to improve hygiene in the area, For example, ABE has distributed sandals to protect the residents' feet. Sound like a small thing? Not to the people who have been able to avoid getting one of the nasty parasites that can enter the human body through the sole of the foot.

ABE is also taking an active role in HIV/AIDS awareness and education. People are very reticent about discussing this subject, so the Isaacs do not know how many of the area residents are HIV-positive. Best guesstimates are that 10% to 15% of the population is HIV-positive. Compare that to the US, where the rate is more like 0.5%. It is an enormous problem, and the potential impact on kids and their education is obvious.

Poverty is another impediment to education. ABE is at work on this issue, too. One way is the "Porridge for Pre-Schoolers" program during drought times. ABE is also looking for ways to attack the program in a more systemic way. The Isaacs are always looking for potential business opportunities for the Mt. Kasigau area residents. For example, the Isaacs buy locally-made baskets to bring to the US and sell, which provides work and income for the makers. ABE has also arranged for a number of area women to have access to sewing machines, to receive training in using them, and seeking out potential markets for the goods produced. For example, Mr. Issacs told us that ABE is working with the European Biotechnology Group to have the women of the Mt. Kasigau area make the conference bags for a number of international biotechnology meetings. This will involve up to 90 area women putting their seamstress skills to work on treadle sewing machines. The conference attendees will get colorful, unique bags, the women will get income, and the Mt. Kasigau area will receive an infusion of needed capital. Talk about your win-win.

But ABE is not just about helping an area of Africa. ABE started when Alex and Megan Issacs and Lauren Van Rheenen were students at Miramonte High and they formed an ABE Club while there. Each summer, these three young women went back to Kenya to teach. And they weren't the only ones; other Miramonte students went, too. Now, Washington State students have taken up the mantle. So not only is ABE making a difference in the lives of the Mt. Kasigau residents, it is educating American kids, too, teaching them that the world can use their enthusiasm and ideas and that there is no better way to make yourself feel good than to help someone else.

Thank you, Steve, Kathy and Alex for telling us about this wonderful project.

Want to know more? Want to contribute, maybe sponsor a student? Contact Kathy MacBride at (925) 254-1769, or check out www.abeclub.org.

ANOTHER PROGRAM: GEORGE CHAFFEY REACHES FOR THE SKIES

Up in the air...smooth as silk

George Chaffey spends a fair amount of his time getting high. No, not in a "better living through chemistry" way, but rather by flying "Lady Bird," his 1948 Luscombe airplane. And waaaaaay back on December 16, George told us about how his flying ties into his Rotary experience.

Now, for those of you not familiar with George, his involvement in Rotary runs deep. His father was a Club President. He is a Charter Member of Lamorinda Sunrise, not to mention a Past President and a Past District Governor of District 5160. George helps train incoming Club Presidents at PETS assemblies (President-Elect Training Seminar) around the country, helps train incoming District Governors at whatever the PETS-equivalent for them is called, is active at the Zone level - in short, George is active in Rotary in ways most of us barely know exist. If there is a Mr. (or Ms.) Rotary in our Club, it's George.

George also loves to fly Lady Bird. She's a single-engined little beauty made by a company, Luscombe, that has been out of business for something like 60 years now. Lady Bird is on the small side, but makes up for it by being slow. Kind of like George himself, now that you mention it. 

There's got to be a fellowshipgroup for each of you

This is all very cool, but whazzit have to do with Rotary, you might ask. As it turns out, quite a bit. George is a member of IFFR, which does not stand for "I Follow Freakin' Roads," but instead is the acronym for the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. It turns out that there are all kinds of Rotary Fellowships, in which Rotarians from all over the world share their love of an interest or activity.

There are dozens of Rotary Fellowships, ranging from physical activities (Canoeing, Cycling, Flying) to cultural interests (Latin Culture, Magna Graecia) to leisure pursuits (Wine, Yachting, Bridge), from the every-day practical (Computer Users) to the esoteric (Esperanto). And these are but a small fraction of available Rotary Fellowships.

One of the things that members of Rotary Fellowships do is meet at the annual Rotary International Convention. In the case of IFFR, they have "fly-ins" at each Convention, usually organized by local Rotary Clubs. George has been to a number of them. In 1993, he went to the Convention in Australia and met Warren "Wow" Jones. Mr. Jones may not be a household name to you, but at the time he was a Big Deal in Australia as a retired rugby player who was known for, among other things, (1) hands that were/are absolutely huge and (2) having the letter "W" tattooed on each of his cheeks - his lower cheeks, if you catch my drift - which, since the Aussies are nothing if not the antithesis of demure, is the source of his nickname "Wow." (Think about it for a second - it will come to you right . . . about . . . now.)

Apparently, George also found time to fly with some of the local Rotarian flypeople, or so he claims. He also was taken to see the George Chaffey Bridge. I am not making this up.

Fast forward to 2003, when George and Carol went to the IFFR fly-in in New Zealand. A major highlight was flying in a Dumbo, meaning a World War II-era PBY Catalina flying boat.

Not surprisingly, George did not fly Lady Bird to Australia or New Zealand. But in 2008, he did fly her to the Los Angeles Convention. In 2011, the Convention was in New Orleans, and George decided to fly Lady Bird to and from to take part in the fly-in.

Understand that this was not to be undertaken lightly. New Orleans is about 2,000 miles away, and Lady Bird goes about 100 mph. (That's airspeed, which means in terms of ground speed that she goes faster in a tail wind, slower in a head wind, and gets pushed around in cross-winds.) The Concorde she ain't.

George headed for New Orleans by way of Palm Springs and San Antonio, where he caught up with a friend from his and Carol's days in the Peace Corps. George took off after a lovely visit and had clear weather - for about an hour. He was able to land at Kountze, Texas. George told us what Kountze is close to - nothing. This is a small town and a small airport, with no taxi or other ground transportation available. A call to the airport manager fixed that right up, and George quickly had the run of the town in a courtesy car.

We need a runway...any kind of runway

From there, off to Slidell, Louisiana and on to Lakefront Airport, New Orleans. Lakefront Airport is a monument to the power and dominance of Huey Long back in the day. Ol' "Every Man a King" Huey got ticked off at the shakers and movers of the existing New Orleans airport for some reason or other. So he did the Huey Long thing - he filled a part of Lake Pontchartrain and built his own airport on the state's dime, of course). And in 2011, George flew in and out of it.

After enjoying the Convention, it was time for the fly-in. This consisted of a multi-day flight, with everyone reassembling at the end of the day at the designated location. George said he was part of the "Low & Slow Squadron," the folks whose planes flew - wait for it - low and slow. We were left to guess if Lady Bird was the lowest-flying plane, but George made it clear that she was one of the slowest, if not the slowest, plane along. Each morning, George would try to be the first one to take off. Each day, more often than not, he was the last one in. One gets the distinct impression that George did not mind, as he told us all of this with a big smile on his face.

From the way George tells it, the folks at every stop along the way tried to outdo each other in hospitality, food, friendship, and general merriment. "Hangar Parties" were the order of the day. Some care had to be taken in the wine and cocktail consumption department, of course, as flying under the influence is at least as big a no-no in the air as it is on the road. The rule of thumb is "8 hours from bottle to throttle." (George noted that he has seen certain pilots of the French persuasion take a slightly more relaxed view, as summed up by the rule of thumb of "8 meters from bottle to throttle.")

And what a route it turned out to be. The first stop was at Natchez, Mississippi, which afforded great views of the higher-than-normal river. (I really don't have to tell you which river, do I?) From there, onto Nashville, Tennessee and the longest leg of the trip. One of the highlights of this stopover was a tour of the Jack Daniels distillery. The tour guide assigned the visitors' seating as "whiskey drinkers in the front row, wine drinkers in the second row." There being three rows, George had to ask to whom said third row was assigned. "Baptists," came the reply.,

Another hangar party awaited the IFFR contingent when they flew into Knoxville, Tennessee. From there, on to Asheville, North Carolina and a trip to the Biltmore, the largest private home in the US. The final leg of the fly-in was to Charleston, South Carolina. A great deal of American history was the direct result of South Carolina in general, and Charleston in particular, acting out, and George took in all the historical sites where the acting out played out.

And so the fly-in came to a close. George had spent time with Rotary friends he had made over the years through a common love of flying.

Of course, George was now 3,000 miles from home, and Lady Bird had not gotten any faster. So George still had some serious flying to do.

In a plane as small as Lady Bird, weather is always an important consideration. George repeatedly mentioned getting, studying and paying close attention to weather predictions and reports. This sometimes meant a delayed take-off or an earlier-than-planned landing. Of course, there was plenty of landing anyway, to refuel plane and pilot if nothing else.

George also learned that, sometimes, bigger is indeed better. One day on the way home, it was getting late in the afternoon and George needed to land for the evening. So he decided to land at McComb, Mississippi. Small problem - the airport was closed. The nearest sizeable airport was at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. So George headed there. This turned out just fine, as folks in the tower invited George up for a tour and for dinner (one gets the impression that 1948 Luscombes don't happen by every day in Baton Rouge - or much of anywhere else, for that matter). But George learned a valuable lesson - heading for larger airports might be the better part of valor for the flight home.

Who has more fun than George? Nooobodyyyyy

Now to George's larger point: As much fun as he has through sharing his love of flying with his Rotary Fellowship friends, you can have just as much fun through large (and growing) numbers. You already love Rotary, and you already enjoy scuba diving or music or chess or whatever. What could be more natural than combining them? It sounds like a sure-fire way to obey Chaffey's Rule Number 1: Have fun!

Interested in learning more about Rotary Fellowships, including links to all of the many different Rotary Fellowships that already exist? Then this web page is for you:  

http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/fellowships

CALENDAR 

Friday, 2/3, Postino, 7am, Dr. Barbara Persons, Plastic Surgeon

Tuesday 2/7, Orinda, Board Meeting, 7am

Wednesday 2/8, Rossmoor Fireside Room, 11:30, Interclub meeting.

Friday, 2/10, DARK

HOME Team

March 10, May 5, June 3