NEXT MEETING: March 28, 2014

The Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program

Leah McIntosh, HICAP Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator Contra Costa Country. HICAP (the Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program) provides free and objective information and counseling about Medicare. Their volunteer counselors help understand clients’ specific rights and health care options.

 

MEETING OF MARCH 21

Last week the Club met at the Chevron Refinery for lunch and a tour of the plant. Unfortunately our scheduled scribe was not present and did not find a substitute.

Sorry, we have no Announcements or Program Notes this week.

 
 

MEETING OF

Welcome

Announcements

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM


NEXT MEETING: March 21, 2014

Visit to the Chevron Refinery
We will meet at Chevron, not at the Richmond Country Club

The Club will visit the Chevron Richmond Refinery on Friday for lunch and a tour of the plant. Be sure to bring a photo ID. Only those members who registered for the visit will be admitted.

Please see first Announcement item, below, for directions.

Please note that the event is from 12:00 to 2:00 PM.

MEETING OF March 14, 2014

Welcome

President Liliane Koziol called the meeting to order at the Richmond Country Club. Herb Cole led the pledge of allegiance and Stoney Stonework asked for a moment of silence for freedom, peace, and justice on earth. Sid Chauvin offered this thought for the day: The chief cause of failure is trading what you want most for what you want now.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

  • Pam Gray, Rotary District 5160 Governor-Elect, and her husband, Brian, were visiting from Paradise, CA (just east of Chico).
  • Jeff Mulvihill is a (now regular) visiting Rotarian from the Redding Rotary Club.
  • Fred Collignon was visiting from the Berkeley Rotary Club.
  • Sid Chauvin had three guests: his wife, Zelpha; his son-in-law’s mother, Marcia Yanagi (visiting from Hawaii), and his grandson, Zachary Johnson (quite a bit cuter than Sid).
  • Jim Young’s guest was Sean Krogh, an entrepreneur working in Point Richmond.

Announcements

  • Richmond Rotary will NOT meet at the Richmond Country Club on March 21 but, instead, will enjoy lunch and a tour at the Chevron Richmond Refinery. Be sure to enter through the Main Gate, as follows. Driving in a southerly direction on the Richmond Parkway away from the Richmond Country Club towards Point Richmond, bear to the right onto “Chevron Way” just BEFORE you go under I-580 and into Point Richmond. Continue in a westward direction on Chevron Way until you come to the Main Gate, where the Guard will provide further information. Thank you, Heather Kulp!
  • Visiting Rotary District 5160 Governor-Elect, Pam Gray, said the annual District Conference will take place this year in Reno, NV, over the Halloween weekend. More information to follow.
  • Pam Gray also reminded everyone about the three Rotary District Assemblies (half-day training seminars) coming up in March, April, and May. Each one is the same (8:00am to 2:00pm on a Saturday) so you only need to attend one based on your schedule availability. Besides great information and camaraderie, there’s food and coffee. And it’s all at no cost. Dates and locations are as follows: Central Assembly, Butte College, Oroville, March 22; North Assembly, Shasta College, Redding, April 5; South Assembly, Solano College, Vallejo, May 3. Look for a broadcast email with registration links being sent to all District Rotarians (or check for information on the District 5160 web site).
  • Nikki Basas is the Salesian High School junior who recently won the Richmond Rotary Club 4-Way Test speech contest. She will compete against the El Cerrito Rotary Club speech contest winner in the BARSHEEP area runoff on Thursday, April 3, during the regular weekly noon meeting of the El Cerrito Rotary Club, which meets at the Mira Vista Golf & Country Club. Let’s be sure to have a strong showing of Richmond Rotarians at that meeting to support Nikki.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

An old Irish toast…

May you have food and raiment,
A soft pillow for your head,
May you be forty years in heaven
Before the devil knows you’re dead!

PROGRAM

Connie Tritt introduced Charles Anderson as program speaker. Charles, who lives locally, has had an interesting career trajectory that began in information technology but is now settled where his true passions lie – in professional photography for the last 12 years as well as continued extracurricular involvement in theater arts and music.

He might even have a future in stand-up comedy. When encouraged to use the microphone during this Rotary presentation, he fumbled at first with the mic and then said, “Well, the only difference between me and a ham is that I can’t be cured.”

Charles went on to tell us how technology is really pushing fast into video production by the increasing use of small, radio-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) equipped with precision cameras. This development is allowing small businesses like his to dramatically increase capabilities to deliver high-quality photo and video services at a low cost.

He brought a couple of UAVs with him but couldn’t be goaded into lighting one up in the dining room. He did show us a couple of videos from low-level flight sessions he has done and they were truly stunning in terms of stability, beauty from a birds-eye viewpoint, and precision maneuverability.

An important accessory in this work is what are called “FPV Goggles” (FPV = first person view), which have tiny video screens inside the goggles that enable the wearer to remotely steer the UAV and operate the camera.

There are a lot of technological improvements that still need to be made, like increasing the range of remote radio control (currently a few hundred meters) and the life of power batteries (currently less than 20 minutes flight time). And, of course, the regulators still need to write the rules to make UAVs fully viable for commercial use. But the future looks bright. Charles has seen estimates that this business sector will soon be generating more than $80 billion per year.

Just think of all the applications, from tourism to large-scale real estate sales to land management to forestry consulting to environmental surveys, etc. etc.


- Tom Waller, Rotating Scribe

NEXT MEETING: March 14, 2014

To Air is Human – Video Production in the age of the Drone

Charles Anderson and his company, Epicycle Media, produce video for businesses. One of the most exciting technologies developing right now is the use of UAVs – unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for video production. While the FAA is working on regulations to govern the commercial use of UAVs, Epicycle Media is ramping up to be ready for full-scale production services. Charles promises that his presentation will be fascinating and fun, and he’ll have some very interesting props. (Pun intended.)

MEETING OF March 7, 2014

Welcome

President, Lilliane Koziol called the meeting to order at 12:30 P.M. She introduced the speaker theme “What is Life Without Adventure,” including guests. Jeff Mulvihill led the pledge of allegiance and Herb Cole the invocation.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Jeff Mulvihill, our perennial guest from Redding Rotary Club. We also welcomed Tim Chambers, Beatriz Portillo, Patricia Torres, Peter Hall, Giselle Carino and Nikki Basas, all of Salesians High School.

Announcements

•  On March 30th opportunity to raise $1,000.00 at Golden Gate Fields. Need volunteers.
•  Field Trip for March 21st meeting at Chevron Refinery, where we’ll combine a tour of the plant with our regular meeting.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

This man went to his Rabbi and said, “I’m very troubled by my son. He went away and he came back a Christian.”
The Rabbi said, “You know, it’s funny you say that. My son, too, left home and came back a Christian.”
They decided to pray about it, and God said, “You know, it’s funny you say that…”

PROGRAM

Today Richmond Rotarians became both judges and audience for the Rotary 4-Way Speech Contest. The competitors were Salesian High School students Peter Hall, Giselle Carino and Nikki Basas. Each delivered a 5-7 minute speech applying the ideas and principles of the Rotary 4-Way Test to the theme: “What’s Life Without Adventure?”

Tom Waller introduced the process and the 5 judges: David Brown, Alan Blavins, Herb Cole, Jeff Mulvihill and Linda Young (wife of Jim Young). After each student spoke the judges left the room to deliberate. In their absence the other visiting members of the Interact Club spoke about their programs and projects.

The judges returned and Tom Waller announced the results and presented prizes. The second runner-up was Peter Hall. The first runner-up was Giselle Carino. The winning speaker was Nikki Basas. Congratulations to all!


- Lesa McIntosh, Rotating Scribe

NEXT MEETING: March 7, 2014

Rotary's 4-Way Test Speech Contest

Some students from the Salesian High School Interact Club will compete in the Annual Rotary 4-Way Test Speech Contest. Each competitor will deliver a 5-7 minute speech applying the ideas and principles of the Rotary 4-Way Test to this year’s topic theme: “What’s Life Without Adventure?” The speeches will be done during the Club’s normal speaker-program time and will be judged according to established District criteria. The Club winner will go on to participate in area-wide competition, which leads up to Rotary District 5160 finals in Vallejo on May 3.

MEETING OF February 28, 2014

Welcome

On a rainy Richmond day, Prez Liliane called the meeting to order. Mike Winter led us with the Pledge and Herb Cole offered a prayer for Peace, Freedom and Justice.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

We had a plethora of guests: Banu Dadlani and Fred Collignon-Berkeley; Jeff Mulvihill- a regular visitor; Carol Robinson, Jaima Rascon and Doug Millar-San Pablo; Dick McCloskey-El Sobrante. Rotarians with guests: Liliane’s husband Ken and our speaker’s wife Gita Parthosaratly; Pam Jones’ guests were Yasmin and Cyrus Kotval.

Announcements

  • Pam Jones announced that our District Grant in India has been approved and we will be sending a $3,000 check that is part of a $170,000 Global Grant Project in Tamil Nadu which will provide basis school needs, separate toilets with running water, school furniture, computers, lab equipment and books
  • Golden Gate Fields volunteers are needed for March 30 from 10am-4pm. Lynn Martin who coordinated last year said it was a “Blast” and we raised money too! We need 10 volunteers.
  • Alan Blavins and Pam Jones announced a project we are doing with Kiwanis a Fishing Derby on May 31 from 9-12 at the San Pablo Reservoir. We will need adult chaperones…whether you can fish or not.
  • Henry Moe and Tom Waller announced that next week (3/7) program will be a 4 Way Test Speech contest involving some Salesian High School students.  Three volunteer judges are Herb Cole, David Brown and Jeff Mulvihill. Anyone else want to volunteer?

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

Now, you take my wife, please …
– Henny Youngman said: “My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.”
– He also said: “Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.”
– “I’ve had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me, and the second one didn’t.” (Anonymous)

PROGRAM

Prez Liliane introduced our very distinguished speaker Hon. N. Parthasarathi, Consul General of India based in San Francisco. A career diplomat has served as Consul General and Ambassador to many countries. A diplomat by day, Mr. Parthasarathi spends his off hours as a fiction writer. He has written 3 books “Reluctant Assassin,” “Silk Empress,” and “Legend of Ayodya Princess in Korea.”  He philosophy is that everyone should have a passion and purpose. His passion is writing fiction as a way to tell a story and possibly address social issues such as cultural conflicts or domestic violence.  Unlike writing non-fiction, fiction writer can stretch the truth about real life situation.  You do not have to rely on only the facts. You can create conflicts and then resolve them and ignore all the rules.


- The Menehune “Rotating Editor”