•  There is no meeting next week. Happy Thanksgiving! The following week will be our Christmas party held at High Flyers Restaurant. You may still sign-up on line. Our next regular Thursday meeting will be on December 10th. Look for the next Rotary Banner on December 12th.
• Patty gave a (un)classification talk at Thursday's meeting. Did you know that she's a half-marathon runner? (Don't ask me which half). Someone at her table pointed out that everyone at the table had ran a total of 7.2 miles before lunch. Patty represented 7 of them.
• 19 members were in the house. First to arrive was Prez Roger, setting a good example. On his heals were Allen and Mark 1. Dave, Rhonda and Patty helped to get us to 19.
• Roger was back from his BBQ buffet training last Thursday.
• Lunch featured Italian beef, boiled taters, cranberries, salad, red cake, chocolate mini pie (according to Rhonda, it included something crunchy. Wendell agreed).
• Allen still loves Hollywood (FL not CA). Mark 1 has spotted gators in Orlando and Sherry has seen Lake Okeechobee from space.
• Wendell has a bad case of the Memphis Blues
• Opening duties were handled by Roger, Rhonda and Bill who asked for "blessings on this mess". Amen!
• Rick offered everyone an opportunity to sign the photo album we are sending to Red as a Christmas gift from the club. There may also be an opportunity to sign at the Christmas party.
• Wendell suggested that Sherry would be hosting a Thanksgiving "Titefest". Sherry in turn called Roger the "rogue village guy". 
• Darren Carlton and Randy Nelson were welcomed as guests and potential members. "Cousin" Jeff was the lone visiting Rotarian. Paul suggested that it was time for Jeff to leave. Rhonda gave him the evil eye. Welcome to East Alton!! Jeff did say that the ever fluid Bethalto club may be relocating to a new venue
• Mark 1 mentioned that he saw (way) Past President Matt Mayberry and he may be interested in returning to the club. That would be nice.
• "Sweet 'n sour" Sherry got her lemon slices.
• Mark 3 scored a $64 flight to FL. Now we know where he plans to spend Christmas.
• We collected $292 for the Operation Blessing Turkey Fund. The club added $100. Roger Will deliver the $392 check to Virginia next week. Well done everyone.
• In a similar vein, Chris is now circulating a bag for donations to be used to buy gifts and essentials for a local family. he is still waiting on the particulars from Washington school.
• The Christmas tip envelope for lunch server Karen now contains $100. The envelope will circulate until December 17th. 
• Wendell reminisced about the WKRP in Cincinnati turkey episode.  Vintage!
• Roger is seeking nominees for club officers to serve during the 2017-18 Rotary year. Do you hear your name being called?
• Bill and Sherry were at it again. Rhonda got a peck on the cheek in celebration of her 39th birthday. Brad P and Roger got to put $$ in the bag to celebrate their natal days. Brad P was also recognized for his 25th anniversary as a club member and he has a new grandson. Congrats! Gettysburg, movies, space, The Grammy's, Russia and Ford were part of Wild Bill's trivia questions. I wish the answers were that easy. 
• The $32 50-50 jackpot was virtually sneered at by Allen and Brad P. Sherry took the holiday scratch off and headed for the exit.
• That's all from here. Have a fine and dry weekend. 

1. The dining hall at a U.K. boarding school
2. An Israeli tech entrepreneur
3. The editor of a New York magazine
4. A dessert made with berries, whipped cream and meringue

• The Christmas party will be held on December 3rd at High Flyers Grill @ the airport. You may still sign-up online. Chicken or beef?
• Lori is looking for names of potential Christmas flower recipients and delivery agents. They will be delivered on December 18th.
• Mark 2 is circulating the sign-up sheet for the Salvation Army bell ringing on December 12th.
• The basketball tournament will take place on January 30th. Joe, Chris and Fred are coordinating.
• The Wood River library is sponsoring an Elves' Craft Workshop on December 5th. It's for K-8th grade. 10AM-NOON. It's an opportunity for the young ones to make gifts . For additional info www.woodriverlibrary.org or lindsey@woodriverlibrary.org or 618.254.4832

• Joe was our Prez-Elect and Mark 1 was our Treasurer. Current members serving on the board were:Paul, Rod and Rick.
• Sales for the 2005 Entertainment books were wrapping up.
• Dick Bell from the Wood River club and Ted Prehn from the Bethalto club were on hand to solicit orders for holiday fruit.
• Mark 1 had a make-up from Southwest Orlando.
• Joe was among the 3 club members who would serve on a committee to match our income to expense.
• We received a $668 check from the Cardinals for our playoff game work. One wag suggested that Paul was off to Vegas with the World Series check.
• Our next Service Above Self recipient would be recognized at the November 18th meeting.
• 28 members and guests were on board the Halloween trolley. Members included Joe, Brad P and Wendell.
• The Christmas party would be held on December 9th at the Hartford Rendezvous.
• The Turkey Fund was at $112.
• Do you remember Bob Dannenburg? 

DATELINE:RI

SIX WOMEN RECOGNIZED AT UNITED NATIONS FOR LEADERSHIP, HUMANITARIAN SERVICE

The six Rotary Global Women of Action for 2015 were recognized during Rotary Day at the United Nations on 7 November in New York City for their dedication and service, which have improved the lives of thousands around the world.“The women we are honoring here today are leaders in Rotary,” said Rotary President K.R. Ravindran. “They are pushing the boundaries of Rotary service, pushing us all to do more, be more, and achieve more.”Lakshmi Puri, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and deputy executive director of UN Women, praised Rotary for its acknowledgment of the crucial role women play.“I’m very pleased you have picked this team of gender equality and women empowerment,” she said.

To continue reading link here https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/news-media/news-features/six-women-recognized-united-nations-leadership-humanitarian-service

• About 15 percent of U.S. homeowners-about 7.5 million people-are underwater on their homes, meaning that they owe more that the house is worth. In 2011, the share of underwater mortgages was nearly 30 percent.-TheAtlantic.com
• Auto manufactures sold an estimated 1.4 million vehicles last month, the industries' best October since 2001. Toyota had it's best October ever, selling more than 204,000 vehicles.-Los Angeles Times