WARE IS THE THOUGHT?

Not confused or anything are we Steve?

Steve was trying to figure that out at first, and had to consult his I-Pad. At first he stumbled on one that started on how truth is ugly, but eventually he found the Thought, sort of, although amendments were suggested from the unruly crowd. The mystery author said, in effect, that he was proud to be an American because Americans can be anything they want to be as long as they have two pieces of bread. Turned out to be Bill Cosby.

GUESTS

Rotarians: Alicia Cragholm, Lafayette

John Sherry, Lafayette

Larry Blodgett, Lafayette

Others: Valerie (Mrs. Richard) Shearer

Mary Mark, Steve Ware's guest, second time 

John Kallio, Umpteenth guest visit, still circling 

Ron Melvin's guest Jessica from Cal Poly and US Bank

Chris Lardge, speaker

IMPORTANT EVENTS COMING UP

HOME Team Hays!

The most important of which, according to Hays Englehart, is tomorrow's HOME Team. So important that Thomas Raeth was wearing a proud HOME Team shirt which he was asked to model. For red badgers and kids, this very much counts as a community service project. Meet at Gary Fulcher's shop. Ah, but by the time you receive this rag, it will have already happened. It was very important.

But according to the irresistible Alicia Cragholm, who was introduced by   John Sherry as his

John's in trouble now!

assistant (she'll get even for that), the Lafayette Club's Concert at the Rez is on May 12th, from 11:00-2:00, to baptize the new stage and is far more important than anything. It will feature the Rossmoor Big Band as well as Stanley students. To ease the brutal hike up to the Rez, there will be a cart and a van to transport anyone in need.

Ernie Furtado argues that the Taste of Lafayette event, later on the same day, with a Raffle following

Ernie's got the ducats

that is benefiting the Lafayette Community Foundation, is yet more important. Of course, he's a star peddler of the Raffle tickets.

Well, there's no reason that anyone can't do all three.

But there's more. What could be more important than the 25th Anniversary of the prestigious Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise. Brad Davis announced

Wow! 25 years old? Not you, Brad

that this solemn milestone will be observed at the May 25th breakfast, and that attempts will be made to attract a number of stellar past members for the occasion. He's having fun trying to find them.

Buddy Burke had an important sartorial announcement for next week. The speaker will be the creator of the "Pan Am" TV show, and we're to dress accordingly.

And finally, Thomas Peeks announced that we are in the last two weeks to sign up for the new Service Directory, where we can brag about our endeavors

Sign 'em up Thomas

for a reasonable price (hopefully with no "recognitions" as additional cost). This somehow morphed into Steve Ware leading the group in the 4-Way Test, presumably to discourage any puffery in the new Directory. This wasn't particularly helped by Rich Shearer adding Test #5, "don't get caught".

AND IMPORTANT EVENTS HAVE HAPPENED

Mark Roberts gave another preview of what life will be like during his presidency by lacerating a few folks for their memorable events.

Good move, Bob

Bob Riegg celebrated Pat's birthday (with Pat, of all people) by hanging out at the Mendocino Hotel. He paid his penance to the Endowment.

Good move, Ken

Ken Kosich, matromonified 32 years, went with Patti to Nashville and thought about buying one of those $10,000 barrels of Jack Daniels. He did stagger in this morning with a bottle of wine, but it was for a good cause. (Speaking of that, Chuck Bove WANTS THAT MOTORAMA WINE!)

Ditto, Rich

And Rich Shearer, who never does things halfway, celebrated Valerie's birthday in two stages - dinner at Marika's in Oakland, and a weekend at the Ahwahnee.

LARDGE RIPPER

Lardge knows Jack!

Chris Lardge, who hydro-cracked away for 30 years or so at Chevron after emigrating here from England, probably never revealed his true passion to his employer. But he did reveal it to us.

His passion is to find out everything possible about and around Jack the Ripper. He told and illustrated everything we would want to know, and possibly just a bit more.

He was initially inspired by a presentation by a TV journalist named Dan Farson in 1959, who was qualified inasmuch he was a nephew of Bram Stoker (Dracula), and as a boy was patted on the head by Hitler.

The era of the Ripper was around 1888 and took place at the east end of London. The district, which was one that definitely did not include Buckingham Palace, was the subject of Jack London's "People of the Abyss", written around 1900. Potential victims were all women, many on the streets. They were the ones that could not afford the going price of 4 pence/night for a bed.

Let's just say that any attempt here to describe the 11 murders themselves would be quite inadequate, and let it go at that. In fact, Mr. Lardge warned that some of the pictures he was showing were not for the squeamish.

The murders were never solved. However, it was interesting to learn about some of the suspects over the years. One theory was the "Royal Conspiracy", featuring Queen Victoria's grandson Prince Albert Victor ("Eddie"), brother of George V; Sir William Gull, the royal doctor; and Walter Sickert. Sickert was the subject of a book by Patricia Cornwell, "The Final Solution". She certainly believed she had the right suspect, and put her money where her mouth was. Sickert was a pretty good painter, and Cornwell bought 20 of his paintings for $3,000,000 in an attempt to match the DNA with the Ripper's. No dice. Others whose names have come up are Lord Randolph Churchill, Rev. Charles Dodson (aka Lewis Carroll), and Arthur Conan Doyle. And Mr. Lardge went through a number of other less famous alleged suspects.

Mr. Lardge was asked, what's the moral of the story? Understandably, he had no real answer. But it certainly didn't lack for immorality.

CALENDAR