The Flywheel
Archive issue

NEXT MEETING: October 5, 2012

A Visit from the District Governor

District Governor Laura Day returns to Richmond Rotary to give us her view of the Rotary World.

As a no-cost extra Laura will also demonstrate the arcane and nearly forgotten art of toga-tying (not to be confused with tie-dying). Evidently both the attire and its proper display are de rigueur for attendance at the District Conference in Napa Nov. 2nd to 4th.

More on that below.

MEETING OF September 28, 2012

Welcome

President Jim Young repeated his  “R” word opening. The Pledge of Allegiance was initiated by Dan Sanders. Stoney offered an invocation.

Rotarians with Guests

Joshua Surowitz introduced his guest Judy Herman, a voice-over actor.

Sunshine Report

A reminder: A celebration of Don Hardison’s life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, Friday, Oct. 12th at 2 PM.
• Hank Covell reported that John Nicol is too weak to come to meetings but is as sharp as a tack so give him a call.

Announcements

• Board Members we will meet al La Revolucion Restaurant (Hilltop) before next Friday’s regular meeting, from 10:30 to 11:30, and then go on to the Richmond Country Club.
• Jim wants absolutely everyone to attend the Club Assembly, Oct. 12th. Once again, the meeting will take place at a different venue: the Social Hall of Arlington Community Church. It will start and end one half hour early, as determined by the BoD: 11:30 AM to 1 PM. Lunch will be catered by La Strada.

Location:
Arlington Community Church, Social Hall
52 Arlington Ave.
Kensington

There is parking across from the church. The location meets ADA accessibility standards. It is also a lot closer to Berkeley and South Campus than the RCC for those going to Don Hardison’s Celebration of Life and you may need the extra time to find parking and/or walk.
• One of the budgeted projects for this year is a Richmond Tree Planting project. Felix Hunzinker has agreed to head up the newly created ad hoc Tree Project Committee. Thank you, Felix.
We had a very productive meeting last week. Representatives from the  Richmond Trees Group and the ‘Solano Play’ who have already made major  improvements in the park. We are looking at a work day in early November for tree planting at the Solano Play Lot. If we receive an acceptable proposal, Richmond Rotary may ‘adopt-a-park’.  Details provided as they become available.
• Oct 28th, Halloween Fun Day at Solano Play Lot & Nov. 3rd. Tree Planting, details TBA
• Jim was delighted to report that Michelle Itagaki has agreed to be our new Program Chair and is already using her many talents and connections to continue building our speaker program. So keep those referrals coming into Michelle.
• East Bay Rotaract is having a fund raiser lunch at Marica Restaurant, 5301 College Ave., Oakland, Saturday & Sunday. Septembar 29th-30th.Their goal is to raise $1000 for the Blue Girls Academy in Debre Markos, Ethiopia. The academy is a school for teenaged girls who were orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS.
• EC Rotary wants you to know that their Wine Tasting Fund Raisers is Sunday Oct. 21st 2:30 – 5:30 at the MVCC.
• District Foundation Fund Raising event,  ‘Rotary Day at the Races’ at Golden Gate Field, Nov. 17th at $35/person with 10% of the gate going to the Rotary Foundation. If 12 members go a bunch of cool stuff happens.

The District Conference will be held in Napa Nov. 2nd to 4th. (Click “Learn More” link on right.)

Besides the much discussed Hospitality Night/Toga Party Friday night the following ‘A List speakers will be addressing the Conference:

• RI Director John Blount, Past District Governor, District 5130, Member of RI International teams including New Models, Rotary Action Groups & three PR President nominating committees.
• Sunni McPeak, President and CEO, California Emerging Technology Fund;   Former Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. Past CC County Supervisor; and speaker at Richmond Rotary meetings.
• James Denham – General Manager, The Wine Steward, Pleasanton CA & Wine Expert
• Charlie Bamforth, Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis & Beer Expert. (Come on, its Napa for Pete’s Sake!)
• Rotarian Al Jubitz Member Arch Klumph Society Peace Maker.
• The legendary  Cliff Dochterman, and many more notables.

• Stoney, our Christmas Party chairman, confirmed the Party’s date of December 15th. It will be at the RGCC. Price to be determined.

Special Events

Interact Coordinator Henry Moe introduced the new co-Presidents of the Salesian HS Interact Club who both attended Camp Royal last year. They produced a short Power Point program about the Camp Royal experience: confidence building exercises that make up the core of the camp experience. They thanked the club mightily for the opportunity and for the new confidence it helped them develop as Interact Leaders

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

• Josh Genser happy dollars for a second chance (round) to experience his Scotch Tasing event. Nov 17th. $200 per head..
• I, Alan Blavins, had happy dollars for making a hole-in-one at MVCC on September 16th.
• Stoney had happy dollars for his grand daughters 7th birthday.
• Herb Cole had happy dollars for meeting with Glen Daggs. ( he will return!)
• John Wilson had happy dollars for his car making it there & back.
• Sid Chauvin had happy dollars for his daughters birthday AND sad dollars because she lost her wallet at Disneyland.
• Michelle Itagaki had sad dollars for finding out their vintage aircraft needed much more engine repair.

Norm’s Nonsense

More Ponderisms:
– If you’re going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
– If a book about failures doesn’t sell, is it a success?
– The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement

PROGRAM

Burning Man for Beginners

Jim Young welcomed our very own Burning Person, or ‘Burner’ as they are sometimes called, Michelle Itagaki, to shed a little dark, fire & light on Burning Man for the uninitiatesd.
Michelle is no beginner, last year was her fifth visit.

A brief history… The annual event now known as Burning Man began as a bonfire ritual on the summer solstice in 1986 when Larry Harvey, Jerry James, and a few friends met on Baker Beach in San Francisco and burned a 9-foot wooden man as well as a smaller wooden dog. Harvey has described his inspiration for burning these effigies as a spontaneous act of “radical self-expression.”

Today Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event begins on the last Monday in August, and ends on the first Monday in September, which coincides with the American Labor Day holiday.

The 2012 Burning Man Festival took place between August 27 and September 3. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening.

The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, art, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance. Burning Man is organized by Black Rock City, LLC.

In 2010, 51,515 people attended Burning Man. 2011 attendance was capped at 50,000 participants and the event sold out on July 24.

In April 2011, Larry Harvey announced that the organization had begun the process of transitioning management of the festival over to a new non-profit called the “Burning Man Project”. Michelle gave us the rules and regulations to survive the week. They are:

• Leave no trace
• No Commerce
• If it wasn’t made by your body, don’t put it in the potty.( very important for the 7000 porta-pottys, emptied twice daily)
• Mutant vehicles and bicycles are your only transportation.
• Radical self reliance
• Participate
• Respect each other.

Black Rock, Burning Man’s location, becomes the third largest city in Nevada, It has it’s own bank, airport, kids’ camp, police force. People get married here and there is a temple for all that is burnt on the last day.
After all that dust and smoke, participants get to experience a true American event:a 9 hour traffic jam home.

– Alan Blavins Apprentice Scribe