Issues are arranged in reverse order. Scroll down to find the issue you want.
November 1 - Elly Lichenstein: Cinnabar Theater
November 8 - Dr. Colette Bizal: "Good Fat, Bad Fat, What Fat?"
November 15 - Bill Hammerman and Bill Paxton: "How Do We Prepare for a Local Disaster?"
Oops! "Teaching" was supposed to be "Combatting."
PRESIDENT LOU STEINBERG must have been pleased to see a full crowd in attendance for today’s meeting. There was a large number of visiting Rotarians and Rotarians with guests (great to see Heidi Kibbe).
Too loud for Steve?
HERB BUNDESEN led us in song . . .
. . . and PAUL LOUNIBOS recited some thoughtful words from Maya Angelou.
David Solo introduces visiting Rotarians.
Gail and Tom want their birthday cake.
The Birthday Table was acknowledged, but there was no Birthday Table – AND nobody was fined for this omission. ROBERT MITCHELL was offended he was left off the Birthday List and wanted STEVE OLMSTEAD to bear the fine, but PRESIDENT LOU was quick to fine both men.
ONITA PELLIGRINI and GRETA VIGUE gave Friendship Feast updates on their respective events – sounds like the Feasts are off to a strong start!
PAST PRESIDENT ED FULLERTON reported on the Festival of Brotherhood and an upcoming Rotary International trip to Guadalajara, Mexico and asked for “doll” donations (think soft, cuddly, and no batteries).
MICHAEL WHITE asked for donations of gift-wrapping paper for the Holiday presents for underprivileged children.
ROBERT MITCHELL gave an update on the International Committee and the El Faro project in Mexico. He also reported that the “Mechanical Cow” . . .
Kip: "What the hell is a mechanical cow?"
. . . projects are underway in several South American countries. As Robert explained that the machine extracts soy “milk” from soy meal, . . .
. . . RALPH SARTORI jumped out of his seat and took great offense at this term. Proclaiming there is no such thing as soy “milk”; he derided Robert’s choice of terminology. In defense, ROBERT said he doesn’t name the projects - Rotary International is responsible.
PRESIDENT LOU STEINBERG quickly stepped in and defused the “udder” controversy.
Fines were next on PRESIDENT LOU’s mind and he quickly collected $25 each from . . .
. . . LORETTA CATAROZOLI and TOM BAKER for recent gambling junkets.
STEVE OLMSTEAD really paid for the recent arrival of his 9th grandchild (a girl) . . .
. . . and MICHAEL CARUANA happily paid for his son’s nuptials (and the week in Zihuatanejo).
TOM BUCKLEY paid up for using HERB BUNDESEN’S office address.
Mike disclaims responsibility for mailing mixup.
ERIK GUNHEIM then introduced our speaker, Brian Fishman. This was certainly one of the most serious and informative presentations our club has had the privilege of hosting. Brian is at the forefront of international terrorist information and his assessment of our policy and goals were impressive, to say the least. Our only regret is that we ran out of time (officially), but the majority of members stayed riveted to Brian’s insights and continued the discussion.
Thank you, Brian, for your time and dedication. You truly are a Petaluma treasure!
God Bless.
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More about Brian Fishman and Al Qaeda and Iraq If you missed Brian's presentation — or want to learn more — you'll want to see Bill Moyers Journal for July 27, 2007. Who exactly is the enemy in Iraq and how does al Qaeda fit in? Bill Moyers talks with West Point Instructor, Brian Fishman, and Middle Eastern and International Affairs Professor Fawaz Gerges, discussing the growing power of al Qaeda and its connections to the war in Iraq. Click here to watch the show — or click here to read the transcript. |
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Ricardo Marzo.
October 25 - Brian Fishman: Al Qaeda, terrorism and Iraq
November 1 - An interesting program
November 8 - Bill Hammerman and Bill Paxton: "How Do We Prepare for a Local Disaster?"
November 15 - Dr. Colette Bizal: "Good Fat, Bad Fat, What Fat?"
PRESIDENT LOU called the meeting to order and asked STEVE RUSTAD to come forward and led us in song. Steve started out with “I’m a Rambler, I’m a Gambler and finished with “America the Beautiful”.
DAVE AMUNDSEN gave the Thought for the Day, which focused on “Everyday Miracles“ which we often take for granted.
BRIAN BREEN introduced our lone visiting Rotarian from the Petaluma Valley Club.
Rotarians with guests included: STEVE RUSTAD with his wife Colleen and MIKE BADDELEY with his guest Heidi Kibbe.
PRESIDENT LOU then called on the following members for announcements:
JOHN DADO – Annual Day At The Races will be on 1-11-08. Mark your calendar. This will be open to all three Rotary Clubs in Petaluma. Plan on leaving at 7:00 am. and returning around 6:00 pm.
MIKE BADDELEY reported that the Friendship Feast Dinners were underway.
SHERRY ANN BURWEN reported that everyone had a Great Time at the event she attended.
JIM BECKER reported that the event hosted by MICHAEL CARUANA and his wife included an Arabian horse demonstration along with Great Food and Wine.
PRESIDENT LOU gave a Big Thank You to RON HARRIS, ...
. . . MICHAEL WHITE and . . .
. . . JOANNE FERRIS for coordinating the Youth Exchange BBQ and overnight stay at Petaluma Junior High School. Michael White also said Thank You’s were in order to Giacomo’s Restaurant for storing the food and Governor Elect ED FULLERTON’s daughter for preparing the beans.
PRESIDENT LOU called on our new member JANE SALDAÑA-TALLEY to give her craft talk. Jane was born in Fresno, Ca. being the oldest of five children. Her son and daughter-in-law have two sons. She enjoys her grandchildren and looks forward to having them visit Petaluma. The San Francisco Giants are her favorite baseball team. She and her husband did live in Arizona for several years and she admits she’s a California girl and thankful to be living and working in the beautiful community of Petaluma. She has been involved in Education the majority of her career and currently is the number one person at the Petaluma SRJC Campus.
PRESIDENT LOU went into his collection mode and started fining members. First up for fining were: NIT ANDERSON, JAMES BURLESON, and BANO CUMMINGS for coming in late.
AL CATTALINI was next up: His trip to Alaska for his 50th class reunion along with his other trips cost him dearly.
PAST PRESIDENT BABE then interrupted PRESIDENT LOU and said that all of the Past Presidents had met and felt that a $100.00 fine should be in order for President Lou being named to the Honorary Alumni at Sonoma State University last week especially since the article in the Argus-Courier nearly took up a full page. PRESIDENT LOU smartly agreed to pay the fine only after he clarified some facts that that were mentioned. Congratulations PRESIDENT LOU!!
WALLY BRAGDON was PRESIDENTS LOU’s next victim. Wally admitted to taking a 16 day Viking River Cruise which included going thru 68 locks. He gladly paid a fine and even increased the fine due to the fact that President Lou forgot about his Costa Rica trip.
Newly married PAST PRESIDENT TAWNY was called upon to explain she bribed her way out of a speeding ticket in Petaluma. Seems she was speeding on Petaluma Blvd. And was pulled over by one of Petaluma’s finest. Having just completed Traffic School for another matter she knew she had to do something. The officer involved recognized her and let her go after a lengthy conversation. The officer’s father-in law is a very well respected Rotary member and Tawny should be very thankful. It appears that Tawny and the newly elected Sonoma County Fair President (who is also a club member) may have something in common relating to tickets).
Just as PRESIDENT LOU was about to have the raffle drawing RALPH SARTORI interrupted and asked about the “Great Maze Race”.
LARRY JONAS and BILL GROVERMAN agreed that the race should take place this Saturday pending the weather and that a complete report would be given next week.
CHRIS ALBERTSON had the winning raffle ticket however he had left the meeting so a rock was drawn for him and a bottle of wine should be heading his way.
CLARK ROSEN introduced today’s speaker who happened to be . . .
. . . our very own STEVE RUSTAD. Steve gave us a brief background of his life stating that he and his wife Colleen have three children and that he graduated from U.C. Berkeley in the late 60’s. His topic “ Video and The Internet”. He went on to explain how video has changed the Internet, and how it will continue to change the Internet. He took us back thru the history of how the Internet came about and how video has changed over the years. The ability to have video incorporated into the Internet has and will change the world. He gave many examples of how video has influenced thousands of people worldwide. This was a great program and thanks are in order to Steve for his many hours spent in putting the program together for us.
Erik Gunheim discusses next week's program.
Next week's speaker will be Brian Fishman (from the local Fishman family) who is recognized as an authority on Terrorism. Brian’s Topic “ AL Qaeda and Iraq”. You won’t want to miss this program!
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Ralph Sartori.
October 18 - Steve Rustad: Video and the Internet
October 25 - Brian Fishman: Al Qaeda, terrorism and Iraq
November 1 - An interesting program
November 8 - Another interesting program
"How do I get this thing to work?"
"Click the switch to ON, Larry."
"Wow, that makes a difference!"
Acting President LARRY JONAS ("Don't Tell"), filling in for LOU "SSU" STEINBERG, opened the meeting, . . .
. . . HERB "Butter" BUNDENSEN led us in song, . . .
. . . and JUDI ALLEWELT ("That Ends Well") delivered a very humorous Thought for the Day.
After the members' customary greetings, handshakes, and hugs, JAY "23rd" PALM introduced the visiting Rotarians, followed by the introduction of guests of Rotarians, and a medley of announcements:
The Friendship Feast dinner guest lists have all been completed and delivered to the hosts, so all members who signed up should be contacted soon.
TOM "Deal" BAKER reported that our annual Children's Holiday gift event is on track and he is hopeful that at least 250 needy children will receive gifts this year – call Tom if you want to help.
KATHY "Doc O" O'CONNOR reminded us that the annual Members' Holiday Party will be on December 1 at the Sheraton Hotel this year – call Kathy for more details.
HERB "Bell Banger" BUNDENSEN announced that several Rotarians are on the Salvation Army Advisory Board and they are looking for 2 hour commitments from our members to be Holiday bell ringers for the Salvation Army, and thereby give the true gift of service above self – call Herb if you can help.
The penurious Prez then proceeded with a fining frenzy the likes of which haven't been seen… well, since he was our real Prez many big development projects ago:
TOM "Tea Time" BRANDAL paid a $50 bilingual tax for a recent trip to England and Ireland.
RICK "Mini" VAN BEBBER paid a $50 luxury tax for yet another new motor home, owning a fleet of cars, and having a wife (KAREN "Catch and Release" VAN BEBBER) who won a fishing derby with a 17" lake trout (off their new boat??).
GEOFF "Shock and Awe" ELLIS paid a $35 trophy tax for winning the 2007 Petaluma Golf & Country Club Championship.
WHITNEY "Dude, Where's My Horse" HALL paid a $50 saddle tax for a Dude Ranch adventure in the Tetons.
BILL "Corn Grower" GROVERMAN paid a $15 traffic jam tax for his brother's corn maze (maize?), but not before he issued a $100 challenge (to be contributed to the local Rotary Foundation) to the Prez to see who could navigate the maze the quickest –
. . . if Larry wins, MARK "My Words" STOKES will donate another $100 to the Foundation.
ONITA PELLEGRINI ("Water") paid a $20 new post tax for being appointed to the Sonoma County Innovation Council.
JANE SALDAÑA-TALLEY ("Ho") paid a $75 labor tax for an Argus-Courier pic and article detailing her oversight of the SRJC-Petaluma Campus expansion.
RICK "Too Tall" MOSSI paid a $20 growth hormone tax for being so tall, sitting at the "tall guy table" and standing head and shoulders above everyone else in a recent Exchange Bank ad.
Banyan Tree reviews have NIT ANDERSON smiling!
CLARK "Life is a Bed of" ROSEN won the raffle (bottle of vino).
ROBERT "Mitchum" MITCHELL then introduced our speaker, . . .
. . . Dena Sanders (his daughter-in-law), an environmental educator who educated us about the nature of her elementary school environmental education program. She received a Rotary memento for her presentation and an autographed book will be duly donated to a local high school library in her name.
Whereupon, at long last, but extremely reluctantly, Acting Prez Larry surrendered the microphone, stepped away from the podium, and rang the bell to adjourn the meeting. See you next week.
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Mike Baddeley.
October 11 - Dina Sanders: Educating a Green Generation
October 18 - Steve Rustad: Video and the Internet
October 25 - Brian Fishman: Al Qaeda, terrorism and Iraq
The bell sounded at precisely 12:30 and PRESIDENT LOU brought the meeting to order. TED ADKINS led us in a jolly rendition of “I’m a Rambler” (most of us finally know the words) followed by an enthusiastic “God Bless America”.
LARRY JONAS gave “the thought for the day”. He reminded us that if we touch just one child or adult at a time, we can make a difference in the world.
The usual hugs and handshakes quickly followed. The friendly crowd needed a tap of the bell to settle down. GEOFF ELLIS introduced the visiting Rotarians. The Rotarians with guests were then introduced.
The visiting Rotarian from the Valley Club didn’t seem to have the scoop on their upcoming Oktoberfest. PRESIDENT LOU helped out with the details. Mark your calendars for October 20th. From 4:00-10:00 at Herzog Hall for $10, you can have a great time.
JEANNETTE reminded everyone to get their dates sent in to MIKE BADDELEY, so they can start getting the groups together for the wonderful fellowship had by all at the Friendship Feasts.
RON HARRIS announced that the Youth Exchange Barbecue will be on October 12th & 13th. “Unfortunately, it had to be moved from St Vincent’s to the Fairgrounds.” That little faux pas cost him $5.
The new Rancho Cotati Club is hosting their first Golf Tournament on October 15th. Let PRESIDENT LOU know if you’d like to get a team together.
“Does anyone want to march in the Petaluma Veteran’s Day Parade?” asked PRESIDENT LOU. The crowd was silent, so I guess not.
Rotaract at Sonoma State needs a liaison from the Club. If anyone is interested, please let PRESIDENT LOU know.
ROBERT MITCHELL reminded everyone that the International Committee meets at the Chamber of Commerce every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 5:30. Please join them on October 16th if you’d like to see what it’s all about.
PRESIDENT LOU spotted the new Santa Rosa Fair manager in the audience. Why it’s our very own TAWNY TESCONI. The good news for us, besides being close to a Sonoma County celebrity, is the fact that she is going to stay a member of our Club. Yeah!!! She made that clear to Fair Director RALPH BETTINELLI before accepting position. Turning the attention away from herself, she pointed out that her name badge still reads PRESIDENT TAWNY. That’ll be $5 from our Secretary STEVE. TAWNY offered up $50 for her good fortune. She also announced that there are 38,000 dictionaries on order.
JEANNETTE CLARK has been missed. She took off to Colorado to see the fall colors. JEANNETTE is always sneaking off somewhere, so $20 was enough for now.
KATHY BURROUGHS snuck in a late announcement. The Holiday Party is scheduled for December 1st at the Sheraton. The cost will be $50.
Looks like Secretary STEVE is on the hook for another $5. BANO’s name is not listed as a director in the Rota-Teller.
STEVE POWELL paid $25 for an almost new Mercedes for his wife, although she wasn’t thrilled about the diesel.
MARK STOKES was in the newspaper for winning the Tuesday with Maury award for the mentorship program in Sebastopol. That recognition cost him $50.
GARY BRODIE had the winning raffle ticket. He was a little slow to come forward and pick a blue rock for a bottle of wine.
Was that LARRY JONAS’ cell phone that was ringing? $10 please!!
BANO introduced our gust speaker, . . .
. . . A. J. Maldonado. With a small amount of equipment, one can do some very helpful exercises with little strain to our bodies. “Ya just gotta do it” for better health and flexibility.
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Loretta Catarozoli.