The Flywheel

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Meeting of July 27th

Lost (& Future) Stories of the UC Berkeley-Richmond Field Station

Scott Shackleton, Assistant Dean for the College of Engineering at U.C. Berkeley, will talk about the past, present and future of the U.C. Richmond Field Station (RFS).

This unique piece of property has played an interesting role in local and state history. With the announcement that the RFS is the preferred site for the Second Campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL), the RFS is sure to be a significant catalyst in the further development of Richmond’s south shoreline.

Meeting of Friday, July 20th

Welcome, Invocation, Thought for the Day

Rotarians respectfully saluted the flag and devotedly took a moment of silence for peace on earth. Visiting Rotarians

Rotarians with Guests

Connie Tritt brought two guests, Reinhold Ziegler and Laurie Rolfe from Synergy California Inc. Their company develops and installs wind and solar systems and designs green architecture.

Announcements

    A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Rotary Conference

    Nov. 2-4, 2012

    WHY ALL ROADS LEADS TO ROTARY
    Meritage Resort Hotel
    Napa Valley
    Learn more.

  • President Jim Young, announced a vacancy on the Board and welcomed all Rotarians to attend the next Board meeting (closed to public) on Thursday, July 26th.
  • Jonathon Lawlis and Alan Blavins have accepted positions on our board.
  • All were reminded of the District Conference bash on November 2 through November 4th. Herb Cole encouraged everyone who could possibly make it to attend.
  • There was recognition for National Indian Day and the positive work done by Rotary in eradicating polio and day man landed on the moon.
  • President Young (playfully we think) threatened to start enforcing fines for those who arrive late to lunch.
  • Liliane Koziol, President elect, was recognized for her tireless work with International House at UC Berkeley.

Recognitions

Joseph Bagley lead the group in recognitions. Doris Mitchell celebrated her birthday. Alan Baer celebrated 21 years of marriage.

Happy and Sad Dollars

Tom Butt recognized Sid Chauvin for taking care of his home and various pets while he was away.

On this day, the anniversary of the first landing of a man on the moon, Nick Despota recounted the day, 43 years ago, he excitedly told his grandmother about this astounding fact. She shook her head—"Non è vero, Nicky"—and in her broken English explained that the moon only looks close but it is really "far far far away." Nick had a happy dollar for the dance of science and skepticism.

Jim Young appreciated that in telling the story, Nick allowed his Chicago-Italian accent to shine.

Sid Chauvin was happy to welcome his great grandchild to the world and is looking forward to welcoming his grandchild in a couple of days.

Doris Mitchell was happy to celebrate her daughter's 3rd birthday soon.

Norm's Nonsense

At his annual checkup, Joe was given an excellent bill of health. "It must run in your family," commented the doctor. "How old was your dad when he died?"
"What makes you think he's dead?" asked Joe. "He's 90 and still going strong."
"Aha! And how long did your grandfather live?"
"What makes you think he's dead, Doc? He's 106 and getting married to a 22-year-old next week," Joe informed him.
"At his age!" exclaimed the doctor. "Why does he want to marry such a young woman?"
Joe replied, "And what makes you think he wants to?"

PROGRAM

A Cleaner Energy Alternative

Tom Butt reviewed the economics and logistics of the Marin Clean Energy (MCE) Program. Despite years of opposition and attempts to erect financial barrier by PG&E, the program is moving forward on schedule, offering a cleaner energy alternative to residents of Richmond by 2013.

Tom explained that residents have the responsiblity to opt out if they don't want energy provided through MCE (currently, the rates are marginally higher than PGE's, but are expected to drop). Residents will receive mulitple notices allowing them to opt out if they wish.

To lean more about the Marin Clean Energy Program, how it gets its electrical power, its rate structure and benefits, visit their website.

-Doris Mitchell, Rotating Editor