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Formed
in 1974, the Rotary Club of North Bethesda,
MD., has a diverse membership of 50
business and professional men and women.
The club is part of Rotary International
with over one million members in 26,000
clubs in 175 countries. North Bethesda
Rotary meets each Friday morning at
Hamburger Hamlet in North Bethesda to
enjoy a hearty breakfast, camaraderie,
and to plan activities and fund-raisers
for Rotary causes and ideals. We invite
all interested individuals to come to
a meeting, see what Rotary is all about,
and learn how we contribute to the community.
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Jan. 27: Bill Kein - House Appropriations
Feb. 03: Michael Fonte - Update on Taiwan
Feb. 10: Kristin Panier- Rotary Amb. Scholar
Feb. 17: TBA
Feb. 24: Ms. Pi-Hsien Yu - Embassy of Singapore
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| William Klein - House Appropriations Committee |
| Jan. 27, 2011 |
Our breakfast speaker today is William (Bill) Klein, a
friend of Aaron Overton and the husband of Lori
Gillen, who was one of our speakers last year.
Bill joined the House of Congress’s Appropriations
Committee’s Surveys and Investigations (S&I) staff
last year. He is a team leader whose portfolio with the
S&I staff includes defense, homeland security, and intelligence
issues. Prior to this job, he spent over ten
years with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
(NCIS). His education includes a B/A degree in political science from George
Washington, and a M/A degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown
University.
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| Rachel Simko - Youth World |
| Jan. 26, 2011 |
Last week’s breakfast speaker was Ms. Rachel Simko, who has served as a missionary
and art teacher in Ecuador for the past year. Her talk was about the country
and her work in the capital city of Quito.
The country is roughly the size of
Colorado and sits astride the equator,
hence its name, and Quito is at an altitude
of 9,500 feet. It is a beautiful
country but impoverished, follows
traditions, speaks Spanish, and is Roman
Catholic. It schools are poorly
furnished, and our speaker uses her
own funds to buy supplies.
Rachel’s photographs displayed few
desks, one computer that does not work, and a Christmas tree for the holidays.
From her conversations, it was apparent that she has a deep affection for her students,
and they in turn for her. She was graduated from the Maryland Institute
College of Art, and has become proficient in Spanish. She welcomes the support
of churches and service clubs in the area.
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| Lobna "Luby" Ismail. - Cross Cultural Relations |
| Jan. 19, 2011 |
Last week’s meeting featured Ms. Lobna “Luby” Ismael, an American-born
Muslim of Egyptian descent who is the President of the “Connecting Cultures”
organization which is dedicated to helping people connect across cultures and
faiths. She presented an absorbing study
of “Cross Cultural” relations, beginning
with the idea that you must know your full
name as a tribute to your forebears.
Luby grew up near Gainesville, Florida,
and quickly learned that barriers exist to
human relations, with language the most
obvious, plus traditions, genders, religions,
and non-verbal actions. To illustrate,
she had two members of the club (Nick
Martinez and Kent Mason) stand facing each other about six feet apart, and then
asked each one to step toward the other. Each felt the other was in his face, and
became uncomfortable.
Hand gestures vary from country to country, the concept of time is either exact or
whenever, and eye contact can bring approval or confusion.
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| Lincoln Smith - Forest Gardening |
| Jan. 12, 2011 |
Lincoln Smith, a tall young man with a passion for protection of the environment,
spoke to the club last week on the subject of “Forest Gardening”, which is
based on ecosystems that are layered and polycultural. Roots grow in various
forms which has been found to help each other.
Lincoln cited the work of Dr. Norman
Borlaug as one of the outstanding men in
the forefront of the “green” movement.
Forty percent of the land in the world produces
our food, but today yields have increased,
providing more pounds per acre.
Oak trees provide acorns for flour, and
plants are adaptable for every type of soil.
What may be the most important development
is that a sense of moral pressure is
today been found in the way our forests
and fields perform.
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| Curtis E. Huff, Club Director - International Service Update |
| Jan. 05, 2011 |
Curtis Huff was last week’s breakfast speaker in his capacity
as the club’s Director of International Service for many
years (a duty he will be turning over to Jim Manley). He
presented an update on what he has been doing lately and in
particular his concentration on a school for girls in Kenya
and the two girls who have been awarded scholarships in a
private school. Our club has provided funds of $1,800 per
year for tuition and living expenses. They have responded
with good grades (all A’s and B’s) and have kept in touch
with a Rotary club in the area.
Curt feels that Kenya will benefit as a developing country,
and it is a good idea to work with these two girls, and a
value in building relationships there. He also went on to explain some of his duties
at the State Department, notably Fulbright scholarships and Leadership programs
by which visitors are invited to the U.S. for three week tours.
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| Gonzo Accame - Christmas Wishes |
| Dec. 29, 2011 |
Richard Bray led off our Holiday celebration
with his guitar and rousing singing
Jingle Bells, to be followed by members
recalling childhood memories of
holidays in years gone by. The idea was
set up by Gonzo Accame , who
came equipped with his professional camera and sound system.
Gonzo’s memory was the time he hid in a closet in order to see Santa Claus, fell
asleep, and woke up in his own bed where he assumed Santa had moved him.
Aaron Overton was next, and related that when he was a child in Alaska he received
one glove for Christmas, and the other one was a present on his birthday a
week later. Ellen Gillis remembered that her
brother got a BB gun, and used it to break a window
in the house next door. Dave Fitzwilliam
(who was living in Brazil) received a Lionel electric
train which had to be set up on a dining room
table. John Warden was in South Africa where it
was summer was stricken by an upset stomach,
and used watermelon as a cure.
Then there was Carmela Carr, who was from a
large family, unwrapped gifts one at a time, amid many jokes. Chuck Boteler
received a wrapped Christmas present in a Christmas eve ceremony, and when he
unwrapped it the next day, there was a notation on the wrapping “For a 6 to 8
year old girl.”
And so it went, with further anecdotes from Glenn Blong, Jim Manley, Ron
Sigelman, Joe Bunker and Bob Fangmeyer.
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| Annual Meeting - Election of Officers |
| Dec. 22, 2011 |
It may not have been legal, but the club managed last week to put together an acceptable
and approved slate of officers and directors who will take over next July
1. The following members were elected:
President: Gary Lett.
Vice President: Joe DiPietro,
President-Elect: Nick Martinez,
Secretary: Aaron Overton,
Treasurer: Steve Vaccarezza.
Directors: Carmela Carr, Gonzalo Accame, Claes Ryn, Brent Kynoch
Sergeant-At-Arms: Kevin Flynn
(Immediate Past President Jim Manley continues as a director)
Following the election, reports were made by Treasurer
Steve Vaccarezza (“We’re solvent to the tune of $10,000
less Holiday Brunch expenses”), Fund Raising Chairperson
Carmela Carr (“Auction and wine tasting will be held February
16 at a cost of $45 per person”), Vocational Director
Claes Ryn (“We should reach out to business leaders as well
as young people through Rotary Youth Leadership”), Curt
Huff (“We’re continuing support for two students in
Kenya”), and Director Ellen Gillis (“Dictionary project
moving well”).
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| Jay Davies- Rotay Curling Championship |
| Dec. 15, 2011 |
Last week’s breakfast program was put on by Jay Davies and Bob Pellitier (past President of Elkridge Rotary, past
member of Columbia-Patuxent Rotary, now member of
Wheaton Rotary) who related the history of the Curling
Championships to be held April 1 to April 6 at the National
Capital Curling Center in Laurel. Canada has won the
championship eight times, with Scotland taking the title
seven times and the U.S.A. twice. “Now that we have been
awarded this championship, we have to make it a success,”
he said, and followed with ways that Rotarians can help.
They can volunteer as drivers, purchase sponsorships, sign up as “friends, and
buy advertising spots throughout the championship site. They can even “make
up” at the Laurel Rotary Club on Wednesday, April 4, at the Sheraton Washington
North Hotel.
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| Louis P. Soloman - Your Story is Their Story |
| Dec. 08, 2011 |
Louis Solomon, who holds three degrees in including a
PhD, was our speaker and currently concentrates on a
new venture which he described by the title, “Your
Story is Their Story.” He maintains that everyone has
a story to be told and that now is the time to tell it. Start
with photographs or letters or memoirs of any kind, but
the important thing is to start now, spending time every
day to the effort, not just now and then. Our speaker
has a firm called “Life Echoes” and publishes books
with hard covers and acid-free paper which is put together by a company named
“Copy General” near Dulles Airport.
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| David O. Stewart - American Emperor |
| Dec. 01, 2011 |
David O. Stewart made his third visit to our club, this
time to talk about his latest book, American Emperor,
Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America. Burr had
been active in politics and served as vice-president under
Jefferson who dropped Burr from the ticket in 1804. Predictably,
animosity between the two men deepened.
Burr joined with General James Wilkinson
in an effort to separate the western part of
the United States, seize other territories to
form another nation presumably with Burr
at its head—all of which came to be
known as the “Burr Conspiracy.” In time, he became nearly delusional
about forming a nation in the west. He had been lass than
exemplary in his dealings, “a very ambitious man with lofty ambitions.”
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