After the Pledge of Allegiance, Mary O. led the Club in singing God Bless America. Mike Steffenson provided the invocation.

 

Vice President Kelly Giovanine announced visitors. Emily Thompson and Samantha Lake from Bethany for Children and Families were guests of J. C. Millman. Mark Carlson, Blaze Restoration, was a guest of Gary Francque. Nathan Sondgeroth, Trinity Foundation, was a guest of Glen Medhus.

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There was a moment of silence for Rotarian, Jon Christiansen, who passed away on Monday morning, August 14. Jon joined Rotary in March, 1973. You could count on him to be in attendance unless he was in Naples, Florida, where he spent his winters and attended the local Rotary Club meetings. Jon is survived by his wife of over 55 years, Heidi, and his daughter, Kimber Frieden. You can read his obituary here. A celebration of life will be held for friends and relatives at Short Hills Country Club, East Moline, on Sunday, Aug. 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Memorials may be made to Moline Booster Club, 2728 41st St., Moline, IL 61265, in the name of Jon L. Christiansen to benefit Moline High School Athletics.

 

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Duane Swenson and his wife Peg also joined us this week. Swens received his Paul Harris Plus 3 award. The Paul Harris Plus 3 is rewarded to anyone who has given $4,000 to the Rotary Foundation.

 

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Gary Francque introduced Halenka, our new exchange student from Belgium. Halenka lives with her parents and her older sister. She enjoys sewing, reading and watching television. She would like to be a fashion designer. Halenka thanked the club for the opportunity and said it was a dream come true. Halenka’s first host family is Mike Drymiller and his wife Mary Bunte.

 

Patrick and Barbara Van Nevel joined us this week to welcome Halenka. Patrick is the Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Moline. Patrick welcomed Halenka and then spoke briefly about Belgium. He said it’s a small country but is prosperous because of its relationship with other countries and openness to other cultures.

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Dennis Kelly reminded everyone to sign the yellow for the golf outing. He needs a count of who will be able to golf and who will be able to attend the lunch. We are currently behind schedule on getting the forms signed.

 

Sergeant-at-Arms, Jodie Corey Behrens, asked if anyone had an announcement. Galen Starkweather noted that there was an article in the Quad City Times regarding his company, Valley Vending, and their micro-marketing services. You can read the article here.

 

Mike Drymiller took the opportunity to thank Swens for his involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Mike’s daughter was an outbound exchange student several years ago. Swens and Peg chaperoned the annual youth exchange trip to the east and west coast for 13 years.

 

Ann Neumann shared News of the Day. Thanks to Ann for agreeing to take on this weekly task.

 

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Jim Rabchuk introduced last week’s speaker, Dr. Esteban Araya, PhD. Jim threw us all off by introducing Dr. Araya as a professor who uses AM radio to find alien beings. The truth is that he uses AM radio to explore star formation. Maybe we can learn more about alien beings the next time, Jim.

 

Dr. Araya spoke to the club about the solar eclipse that will occur on August 21. He described what an eclipse is and showed examples of eclipses at various stages.

 

He also stressed the importance of safe viewing and demonstrated a number of ways to view safely. It’s important to protect your eyes and to help kids observe safely.

 

In the Quad Cities, we will see a 93% eclipse. It will begin at 11:48 AM; the sun will be 93% eclipsed at 1:14 PM; and it will end at 2:38 PM.  At the beginning of the eclipse, it will get cooler, shadows will become sharper and animals will begin changing their behavior.

Scientists are encouraging people to watch the eclipse since there will not be another one cross the United States until April 8, 2024. Many towns and cities are trying their best to prepare but huge crowds are expected. Dr. Araya said to plan ahead so you aren’t stuck in traffic and end up missing it.  

 

Dr. Araya noted that there are rumors and misinformation during events like this. If you are old enough, you have survived the end of the world a number of times. He stated that it’s important to share the power of science with kids based on evidence.

 

Lastly, he said “Please look up – it’s beautiful.”

 

Note: The eclipse will occur towards the end of Monday’s meeting. A limited number of viewing glasses will be available. 

 

 

After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, my new doctor said I was doing "fairly well" for my age. A little concerned, I asked him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"

 

Then he asked, "Do you smoke tobacco or drink beer or wine? Do you eat steaks and barbecued ribs? Do you spend time in the sun playing golf, sailing, or bicycling?"

 

I said no to all.

 

He looked at me and asked, "Then why do you want to live to be 80?"