CEO and Executive Editor of the North Bay Bohemian
How a local publishing group survived the Internet, now a pandemic, and why local journalism still matters.
Dan Pulcrano bought the Sonoma County Independent 28 years ago, and seven years later renamed it the North Bay Bohemian. Against his better judgment, he continues to operate as an independent publisher in an industry that skeptics think has a dim future, expanding to more than 15 titles, including two acquisitions and a startup magazine during the pandemic. In last month’s California Journalism Awards, his Weeklys group won 47 awards, including the highly coveted General Excellence Award, given to the state’s best weekly.
Dan is also a pioneer in digital media, starting one of Silicon Valley’s first social networks in 1993.
Dan is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz. He and his wife Juliana welcomed their youngest daughter a year ago, joining their two older sisters, aged 5 and 9.
Our Special “Guest” Speakers for the June 3, 2021, meeting were our own world travelers, Don Floriani, Peter Banks, and Scott Holder. The topic was Amazing Travel Experiences! Their experiences were truly international and intercontinental: Flo’s trip to Umbria, Italy; Peter’s sailing lifestyle in the Caribbean; and Scott’s “practice” climbs in Ecuador. Sunrise spans the globe!
Don and Wendy Floriani bought an Italian travel vacation donated by John Johns at one of our past annual events. Don and Wendy traveled to Umbria, Italy and lived in an Italian villa in Umbria, where Don admittedly spent the entire vacation eating his way through Southern Italy, with some meals in Amsterdam as well. Don and Wendy hopped from town to town in Southern Italy eating some of the best Italian food in the world. They traveled in Umbria, giving special mention to Cortona in Eastern Tuscany, and to Don’s new favorite place, Sila. Don provided photos of wild boar and octopus meals. They had an awesome time on their never-to-be-forgotten Italian vacation.
Peter and Mary Banks bought their 38-foot French-built Lagoon sailboat in 2015 to accomplish their dream of living and sailing in the Eastern side of the Caribbean out of Saint Martin. The islands in this area are much like Peter’s hometown of San Diego; warm and dry. The water is unbelievably clear, with 100-foot visibility and average temperatures of 85 degrees! Peter and Mary’s favorite island was St. Barts, about 22 miles southeast of Saint Martin. Peter says that living and sailing in this part of the Caribbean is like being in paradise; it is another world. They got up early, enjoyed the 100-foot visibility and watched every sunset every day. Peter and Mary’s idyllic sailing life is apparently over, however, since they are in the process of selling their yacht. As someone said: “the happiest days of your life are the day you bought your boat and the day you sold it.” What an amazing sailing run for this amazing couple!
Scott Holder rounded out our world traveler triumvirate. As we all know, Scott is a world class mountaineer and, apparently, needs to warm up before scaling the highest peaks in the world by traveling to exotic locations to take day hikes. His trip to the Ecuador’s part of the ring of fire in 2014 was one of these warmups. Quito, Ecuador is one of the highest cities in the world and was a perfect way to get into high-altitude shape. Scott and his fellow climbers scaled Fuya Fuya, Imbabura, Cayambe (a volcano that erupted 2 weeks after he was there!), and Chimburazo. Chimburazo’s peak is 20,500, the highest mountain in the world. Scott also enjoyed staying in some wonderful Ecuadoran hotels and climbers’ huts. He provided us with photos of one hotel, a hacienda built in the 1800’s, which included a chapel built in 1750. He also showed photos of him straddling the equator and a massive waterfall with three separate cascades, near Quito. One weird and inexplicable fact about Ecuador is that the people seem fixated on guinea pigs and include them in their diet!
Many thanks to our amazing speakers for sharing their travels with us. These places all sound colorful, wonderful, and joyful – well done Don and Wendy, Peter and Mary, and Scott!
View the presentation HERE! It will be available only for the next week or so.
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
Stacey Drucker-Andress gave a Thought for the Day from poet Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Update on Franchetti"s -- Due to an inability to hire staff, we will not be able to hold an in person/hybrid meeting in the near future at the restaurant. Stay in touch for further updates.
Carolyn Anderson has put together a report on grants totaling $17,000 that were awarded to some of our most deserving recipients.
Debra Roberson is our new president nominee, reports Eloise Tweeten who led the selection committee of past presidents.
CONGRATULATIONS PRESIDENT NOMINEE DEBRA!
Stacey Drucker-Andres welcomed new member Kristine Burns, recruited by "Super Sunrise Rotary Recruiter, Wonder Woman Penny Millar."
New Empty Nester, Penny Millar, shared a "Hi Five:" She and Paul have recently lost a few occupants; including kids, dogs, cats and chickens, now that visiting relatives have moved on.
This lead-in to an invitation to a World Environment Day presentation came from the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG). I can’t put it any better than this, so am forwarding for all to read:
“For too long, we have been exploiting and destroying our planet’s ecosystems. Every three seconds, the world loses enough forest to cover a football field and over the last century we have destroyed half of our wetlands. As much as 50% of our coral reefs have already been lost and up to 90% of coral reefs could be lost by 2050, even if global warming is limited to an increase of 1.5°C. Ecosystem loss is depriving the world of carbon sinks, like forests and peatlands, at a time humanity can least afford it. Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown for three consecutive years and the planet is on pace for potentially catastrophic climate change. The emergence of COVID-19 has also shown just how disastrous the consequences of ecosystem loss can be- by shrinking the area of natural habitat for animals, we have created ideal conditions for pathogens – including coronaviruses – to spread.
With this big and challenging picture, the World Environment Day is focus in the ecosystem restoration and its theme is “Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.” Ecosystem restoration means preventing, halting and reversing this damage – to go from exploiting nature to healing it. This World Environment Day will kick off the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a global mission to revive billions of hectares, from forests to farmlands, from the top of mountains to the depth of the sea. Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change and stop the collapse of biodiversity.”
Only We the People can change what is happening. It’s all of our individual responsibilities to alter our lifestyles, today, so that the world we leave our children and grandchildren is a place suitable to live. It’s not the other guy or the next generation’s responsibility to fix what needs fixing- the time is now and it is up to us or it won’t get done. Remember, we need to reduce our carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 or the snowball effect of global warming will tip us past the temperature increase that will result in unimaginable future havoc no matter what action we take post 2030.
8 year old Preston, 70 something Rich and 102 year old Model T Ford Davey recently discovered age is no obsacle to persistence and willingness to accept a challenge!
Young and younger converge in mutual interest:
Sunriser Rich Randolph engages Preston Thomas, Sunriser Lotasha's son in car talk during the recent Annual Car Show in Oakmont. What neither Rich, Lotasha or Preston knew was how much they needed each other's help ~ at least Rich needed theirs.
"I'd like to go for a spin Preston, but I've got a problem"!
Preston didn't hesitate, and with a lift from Lotasha to Rich's tools, Preston and Rich completed the repair.
Before long, Preston will be taking driving lessons! His eagerness and skill got Davey home safely and saved Rich an AAA service call. Preston impressed Rich with his knowledge of fractions, 5/8, 3/4, nine sixteenths etc and how to read a torque wrench.
To cool off after the hot job, the three of us rode comfortably in Lotasha's SUV to Kenwood for i-c-e c-r-e-a-m refreshment in the VJB Marketplace.
Many Thanks to Preston and Lotasha for opening a door of help, goodwill and certainly better friendships!
M.J. Girard is currently an on air personality on KOWSfm.com His “Roots of Rock” is broadcast every Sunday morning at 7
Evolution, Revolution, the Times There Are A Changing!
Number 7 release from the Beatles was the last time the UK album was different from the one Columbia Records released. More importantly, it marked a decidedly different approach to their lives and musical style.
”Revolver” marked an end to an era. Following this release, which coincided with their last worldwide tour, all of the music was sculpted from the standpoint of studio work, no longer with what could or couldn’t be performed before a live audience.
1966 marked also the height of the hippy movement in America and the avant-garde art scene in Britain. Encountering the underground and psychedelic drugs altered their perceptions, both of themselves and their music.
The album was chock-a-block full of new avenues of musical insights. Introducing a child’s singalong to a psychedelic melange of altered tapes loops. What a mix: taxation, Tibetan Buddhism, law breaking doctors, lonely spinsters, sleep, submarines and sunshine! None of these songs were performed during the Beatles final tour, their repertoire consisted of their previous works. They had become studio recording artist, no longer preforming artist. Released in August it hit the top of the worldwide charts and held that position for many months.
Thank you for tuning in to the Roots of Rock, it is my pleasure to share my 50 plus years of my musical heritage with my faithful listeners. Stay well, Stay safe. God Bless.
A man went to his lawyer and told him, "My neighbor owes me $500 and he won’t pay up. What should I do?" "Do you have any proof he owes you the money?" asked the lawyer. "Nope," replied the man. "OK, then write him a letter asking him for the $5,000 he owed you," said the lawyer. "But it's only $500," replied the man. "Precisely”, said the lawyer.
In January 2020, when I announced my presidential theme, Rotary Opens Opportunities, and spoke of the changes that Rotary needed to embrace, none of us had any idea how quickly change would arrive. But I am a longtime believer in seeing challenges as opportunities. This year, we seized new opportunities to reimagine what Rotary could be. For years, we had discussed ways to make Rotary flexible and adaptable, and we had tried a few experiments. This year, we all experimented — and succeeded! Online meetings are a regular fixture now as clubs invite guests from across the globe.
Susanne and I love to meet members of the family of Rotary around the world, and we’ve missed seeing you in person over the past year. But for me, it was a new way of experiencing Rotary. We traveled the world virtually. I definitely met thousands more of you than I would have otherwise. I never set foot in my office in Evanston as president, yet we found new ways to get the job done while cutting travel costs.
This is the Rotary we experienced in 2020-21: nimble, adaptable, and creative. The next step is not to go back to the way things were before the pandemic. We must move forward. Let’s apply what we have learned in order to offer new experiences and opportunities for our members, such as online attendance as a regular option.
We need a younger, more diverse Rotary at every level to keep our clubs strong. What diversity means is different from region to region, but I encourage you to welcome people from all backgrounds. Another step we can all take is to increase the number of women and amplify their role everywhere.
I am glad that many now see Rotary and Rotaract clubs as equals. Let’s keep going in this direction by inviting Rotaract clubs to be a part of everything we do. Let’s not squander any opportunity to reach young leaders, but partner with Rotaract and invest in our many new approaches.
I am very proud of the work Rotary is doing to fight COVID-19 by supporting vaccination campaigns through advocating for fair distribution and combating misinformation. But we must also continue to do everything we can to end polio. And we now have opportunities to work in a new area of focus: the environment.
The world is a different place today from when I first announced that Rotary Opens Opportunities. We can all be proud of how we updated what Rotary can be this year. Let’s continue on this path, always taking care of our clubs and of our friends in those clubs. They are precious, and they keep Rotary alive and thriving.
Susanne and I are thankful for all the opportunities to serve the organization during this special year, a year of finding new meaning in Service Above Self. We see Rotary as a community of people who live their values by putting them into action. In these extraordinary times, there is no doubt that we must place increased emphasis on service. This is our opportunity to show the world what Service Above Self means for Rotarians.
There are so many opportunities waiting for us that will help us change the world. Let’s seize them together and get ready to open doors to achieving greater things. And as we open these doors to new ideas, our minds and our hearts also open. Remember that everything we do in Rotary opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere.
“I have no fear of the future,” Winston Churchill once said. “Let us go forward into its mysteries, let us tear aside the veils which hide it from our eyes, and let us move onward with confidence and courage.”
Churchill used the phrase “let us go forward together” in some of his most famous speeches. He had no other choice but to look forward as he led his war-battered nation with courage.
Each generation inherits its own share of challenges; we are living through ours, never once stopping in the face of this challenge. In a year when people were unable to meet, families stayed secluded, and businesses struggled to flourish, we still managed to go forward together in many areas. Through Rotary Foundation grants, clubs and districts brought creative solutions to their pandemic-hit communities. Since March 2020, the Foundation has awarded over $34 million in grants to initiatives related to COVID-19.
The demand for our global grants was high. They were so popular that we had to make adjustments to grant funding policy that will begin 1 July in a prudent effort to balance demand with resources, so that more districts can participate.
This year, The Rotary Foundation took bold steps forward, breaking new ground: The Foundation expanded its reach with recognition of the environment as an area of focus and awarded our first Programs of Scale grant to a Rotarian-led program that aims to greatly reduce malaria for severely affected communities in Zambia.
Even though our polio immunization activities paused for a few months in 2020 because of the pandemic, they began to resume in midyear. We also were finally able to celebrate a huge step forward in our journey together to a polio-free world: the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration that the African region is now free of wild poliovirus.
And the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation signed an agreement with us to fully fund the establishment of a Rotary Peace Center in the Middle East and North African region. This welcome development gives Rotary the opportunity to make a tangible contribution to an area where lasting peace has been so elusive.
Our accomplishments are a reminder that Rotary is a great force for good everywhere and that you are the reason we did not stop. At this writing, we’ve raised more than $282 million, putting us on track to reach our $410 million fundraising goal. The great work we have done this year, and the work we will do next year and in the years ahead, is all thanks to your support. On behalf of The Rotary Foundation Trustees, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping the Foundation — one of our greatest gifts to the world — thriving.
Rotary members in Italy apply expertise to assist in COVID-19 vaccinations
“We Stop COVID” initiative draws on volunteers’ diverse skills to support vaccination campaign in Italy’s Verona region
by Ryan Hyland
Riccardo De Paola knew that as Italy’s supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses increased, more people would be needed to administer the shots and staff vaccination sites. He started contacting medical directors in the Verona region about how Rotary clubs could be ready to help — and began mobilizing a volunteer force that has since become a critical government partner.
De Paola, a past governor of Rotary District 2060 (Italy), says the dozen medical directors he talked to in late 2020 all echoed the same refrain: They desperately needed volunteer help to get vaccination sites up and running. De Paola coordinated with the current district governor, Diego Vianello, to recruit volunteers from the region’s 91 Rotary clubs.
“Our members work in so many professions, with deep and diverse expertise. We wanted our volunteers to use their skills in the best way possible,” says De Paola, a founding member of the Rotary Club of Marco Polo Passport D2060, which was chartered in July 2020 with the specific purpose of carrying out coronavirus-related service.
Rotary District 2060 (Italy) created a COVID-19 task force and coordinated hundreds of members to volunteer and use their expertise at dozens of vaccination sites. “We Stop COVID” campaign has been adopted by other Italy Rotary districts.
Within a week of the initial call for volunteers in January 2021, more than 150 Rotarians and Rotaractors had stepped forward. The group included several current and retired doctors, nurses, and paramedics. The volunteers were vaccinated and trained in specific health protocols, which vary from city to city.
Some volunteers had to purchase insurance to be able to administer the vaccine. A task force De Paola and Vianello set up worked with insurance brokers to obtain coverage for four retired doctors at a cost of about $300 each. The task force also established a group of volunteer lawyers to review agreements between various municipalities and the volunteers, providing legal support as needed.
“We even had a member who was a professional notary who could notarize the insurance papers and documents,” De Paola adds. “We weren’t just providing volunteers, we were providing our organization, our resources, our experience, and our reliability.”
Our members work in so many professions, with deep and diverse expertise. We wanted our volunteers to use their skills in the best way possible.
Riccardo De Paola
Rotary member
Members typically teamed up in groups of four to work a morning or afternoon shift, logging patient names in a database, coordinating with other volunteers and, if they were qualified, administering shots.
Impressed with how quickly and efficiently the Rotary members had mobilized, medical authorities in Verona put the Rotary district in charge of all COVID-19 vaccine volunteer activities in the region, including scheduling patients, assigning shifts, and reporting data.
De Paola says the sanitary director for the city of Treviso credited Rotary with making it possible to increase the number of vaccinations and lauded Rotary members for helping officials reach an incredibly important goal.
The task force’s volunteer roster has grown to more than 700 people, representing more than 25,000 of hours worked that's worth over $1 million, and more than 300,000 people in the region have been vaccinated as a result, De Paola says. Those numbers are expected to increase sharply when Italy ends its current lockdown, which was triggered by a deadly spike in COVID-19 cases in early February.
These efforts have been adopted by all Rotary districts in Italy. Inspired by Rotary’s “End Polio Now” campaign, De Paola and Vianello call their initiative “We Stop COVID.” All volunteers at the vaccination sites, including nonmembers, wear “We Stop COVID” badges and pins with Rotary branding.
Vianello says Rotary’s involvement in this historic effort has greatly increased the public’s awareness of the organization.
“‘We Stop COVID’ has been a great boost for us. Communities are seeing the impact Rotary is having,” he says. “Our clubs have a new energy.”
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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