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HOPE EVERYTHING FITS ISSUE
DECEMBER 22, 2018
NEWS NOTES & NONSENSE
MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOIR
Six young ladies from the Middle School Choir entertained us with some soothing Christmas carols, including an encore sing-a-long of Feliz Navidad. They were accompanied by Choir Director Mr. Hensley. Principal Ms. Decker also joined us. Thanks to Randy for coordinating.
Remember, no noon meeting on December 27th (except for ChrisL). Have a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years. See you again on January 3rd.
The flight of the snowbirds has begun in earnest. Be safe and see you all in the spring.
ChrisL reminded us that the basketball tournament will be held on February 2nd. The sign-up sheets for the tournament and concessions will be making the rounds real soon.
Don't forget that Disco Bingo is scheduled for March 23rd.
The who's in charge chuck-a-luck wheel stopped spinning on Bill's name. He handled Thursday's meeting duties. He was sporting his "Inspector Clouseau" all-weather coat.
Early meeting arrivals included Virgil, Lori, ChrisL and Emily. Where was Allen you ask? Don't! Among the last of 20 members to arrive were BradP, ChrisH, Joe and Paul.
Where was Cory? No one wanted to handle the cash.
Congrats to Bill for his five years of service and Randy for his three years.
ChrisH told everyone that their generosity allowed him to fill all the Christmas wishes of our adopted family. Well done!
Fried chicken was the featured entree, Merry Christmas to us! Baked chicken was the healthy option. Also on the buffet table were mac 'n cheese, mixed veggies that morphed in to Rotary g-beans, salad, apple and pecan pies and stuffed roll cake.
The renovation of Julia's is underway. What will happen to our room (and us)? Relocated? Evicted??
Not in the house:Ty, Pat, Darren, Rod, Cory, Allen, Matt, Erin, Wendell, DaveS, Sandy, Dick, Sherry, Jamie and Patty. Hope to see ya all next year.
SAA Queenie drafted ChrisL to serve as the faithful assessment collector. She reported that the husband of one of her co-workers, Rotarian Sandy Ramage, lost her husband the night before to an aneurysm. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. BradL made an announcement. If you presents were not purchased and/or wrapped, pay a $$. Trivia topics included Die Hard, argumentative writing (ever heard of that?) the World Series and the Colorado River.
Opening duties were performed by Nate, MarkS and Dave.
The $5 jackpot was yawned at by Randy and Nate. MarkS was hopeful that the scratch-off would pay for his Florida vaycay. Dream on!
That's all from here, have a fine and dry weekend. Ciao! Until next year...
FIND THE GRINCH, WIN A PRIZE
FLOWER CHILD, 2018 VERSION
FEBRUARY 2ND, THAT'S CORRECT
TRIVIA
Tortoises and turtles have soared in popularity as pets. How do they differ?
A-Tortoises tend to vote for Republicans and turtles for Democrats
B-Only turtle shells are the source of Kevlar
C-Turtles live near water while tortoises are land based
D-Tortoises live near water and turtles are land based
December 22 is National Date Nut Bread Day
94% of parents admit to buying a toy even when the age label indicated their child was too young-The Toy Association survey of 1,000 U.S. parents
As of October, the average overdraft fee is $33.23-Bankrate
Jobs requiring high levels of social interaction grew by nearly 12 percentage points as a share of the U.S. labor force between 1980 and 2012. Less-social, math-intensive jobs fell by 3.3 percentage points over the same period-Harvard Kennedy School
College graduates aren’t proficient at critical thinking, communication and professionalism, according to 2017 surveys conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers
Worldwide camera shipments totaled 25 million in 2017, a drop of nearly 80% since 2010 as smartphone photography improves-Camera & Imaging Products Association
Origins:Feather in his cap-American Indians of various tribes often wore feathers to show their past bravery in wars. This custom led to Americanism a feather in his cap, "an honor or accomplishment of which a person can be proud."
What is the deepest river in the world?
Amazon River
Congo River
Missouri River
Ob River
The Congo river is so long and so deep, that no one really knows just how deep it is. With measurements exceeding 720 feet in some places, the Congo could easily submerge the Washington Monument with 150 feet to spare. Flowing mainly through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the river's basin covers 13% of all of Africa, and is the 2nd longest on the continent, after the Nile. Another fun fact is that no other major river in the world crosses the equator, but the Congo does it twice.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
DECEMBER 19, 1996
Current member(s) in a leadership position: MarkS
We were breaking bread at DiRomero's Restaurant
Member Jim Kodras presented the program. It was about "new look Rotary programming"
Last week we held our Christmas party at the Taylor's. Don Silverthorne is in charge of next week's Christmas program
The next board meeting would be held on January 4th at Peking Gardens Restaurant
Anyone interested in learning CPR? Contact Jim Kodros
Do you remember Bud Hotson?
FEBRUARY 2005
DATELINE:RI
HOW RYLA CHANGED MY LIFE
By Daniel Eduardo Zavala, Rotaract Club of San Joaquin, Venezuela
In 2010, I had my first exposure to Rotary during a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) event in San Cristobal, a beautiful city in my country of Venezuela. A secretary at the university I was attending recommended that I would get a lot out of the event scheduled for the following weekend, and being up for adventure, I said yes. I remember that day like it was yesterday.
I didn’t know what the future held for me. But taking part in that RYLA led me down a path that would change my life forever. I learned how many people around the world were working to make this world a better place. I met people my age or younger who were committed to improving their communities. And it made me want to do the same.
After that RYLA, I returned home with a desire to do all I could to help eradicate polio and bring about positive changes in my country. I joined Rotaract, and began taking part in international service projects. In all, I probably traveled to more than 28 countries, helping out in cities all over the world.
Rotary has given me the best experiences in my life. I traveled to Guatemala to provide food, clothes and toys for children living near a garbage dump. In Venezuela, I built and repaired parks for children. In India, I learned many new things about their culture, and following that, made trips to Argentina, Costa Rica, Spain, Italy, Sri Lanka and other countries. I always tried to give of myself and leave the communities I visited with more than when I had arrived.
In serving alongside members from other countries, I learned that we are all different but equal, sharing a common goal of making a difference in the world.
When I began serving through Rotaract, I was an IT student. Now I am a lawyer and programmer, a proud Rotary program alum, and a District Rotaract Representative. This is my Rotary adventure. I now have family around the world. And I am looking forward to the day when I join Rotary.
AND I QUOTE
"If God created the world, his primary concern was not to make its understanding easy for us."-Albert Einstein
"Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary."-Robert Lewis Stevenson
"Hollywood is the place on earth where you can get stabbed in the back while you're climbing a ladder."-William Faulkner
"The social contract between humans and dogs might be the best bit of business we have ever done."-Paul Howard
SMILE
My car keys weren't in my pockets. Suddenly I realized I must have left them in the car. Frantically, I headed for the parking lot. My husband has scolded me many times for leaving my keys in the car's ignition. He's afraid that the car could be stolen.
As I looked around the parking lot, I realized he was right. The parking lot was empty.
I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car, and that it had been stolen. Then I made the most difficult call of all to my husband: "I left my keys in the car and it's been stolen."
There was a moment of silence. I thought the call had been disconnected, but then I heard his voice."ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" he barked, "I DROPPED YOU OFF!"
Now it was my turn to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, "Well, come and get me."
He retorted, "I will, as soon as I convince this cop that I didn't steal your damn car!"
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off, he asked what she'd like to have for her birthday.
“I’d like to be eight again,” she replied, still looking in the mirror.
On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Coco Pops, and then took her to Adventure World theme park.
What a day! He put her on every ride in the park: the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Roller Coaster, everything there was.
Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He then took her to a McDonald’s, where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake..
Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&M's. What a fabulous adventure!
Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed, exhausted.
He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, “Well Dear, what was it like being eight again?"
Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.
"I meant my dress size, you idiot!"
The moral of the story: Even when a man is listening, he is gonna get it wrong.
THE BOTTOM LINE
FEMA is spending $1.2 billion to repair up to 120,000 homes in Puerto Rico damaged by Hurricane Maria. More than 60% of that goes to overhead and markups-The New York Times
Farm bankruptcies have doubled in the Upper Midwest (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota) since hitting a post-recession low in 2014-TheHill.com
Publicly listed companies have fallen by 52% since peaking in the late 90's. The number now stands at 3,6128-The New York Times
