Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Vol. 67 No. 12 Notes from the Podium

President's Time



Welcome once again to our Rotary meeting of September 20th. announcements:
President Walter asked us to take some Rotarygrams and bring them to our offices. It's good PR!
The Golf Ball Drop Tickets will be sold from now until November 29.Buy as many as your wallet will allow!
The Club Foundation approved $500 for the Caroling Competition
The Coastal Cleanup
went well.  President Walter was not happy that they were nine ladies and only two gentlemen. He hopes more people will attend our Community Service Projects.
September 22, 2012, Veterans Bingo, 1-3PM , V.A. Hospital
September 22, 2012, Diabetes Walk, Marlin Stadium, 7:30-9AM
October 4, 2012, International Meeting 5:30 PM, Andrea Covre’s Office.
October 5, 2012, Book Review with Author at Stanfill Funeral Home, 7-8PM.
October 6, 2012, American Heart Association Walk, FIU Campus, 8 AM.
October10, 2012, Scholarship Meeting, 5:30 , Tonkinson Financial.
October 12, 2012, Community Service Meeting, 6PM, Deena’s home.
October 28, 2012, Gables Bike Day, 10AM – 4PM, downtown Coral Gables (volunteers needed from 7am-6pm)
All of you are invited to participate in these event and remember:  they count as make-ups!
We then passed the hat for the Haiti-Benefit Project MediShare
Fundraising Minute
 
Gloria Burns, member of the Event Committee, told us that instead of one Fund Raiser we are  having four Wine Dinners during the year. The first one will be at Four Seasons. The cost is $125. Rodney Langer who is heading this Committee will explain more next week.  Four Seasons offered us a complementary wine or beer and flatbread on October 9 from 6 to 8 PM.  It will be a Membership social to which we can invite prospective Members.
 
Happy Birthday
George Corrigan        September 20
J. Guarch            September 22
Patrick Puton            September 23
Rick Tonkinson            September 25
 
Rotary Anniversaries
Andrea Covre        1 year on 9/22
Andrew Dixon        7 years on 9/22

   
Coral Gables Employee of the Month
Grethel Salas –Preez, Development Services, was the Employee of the Month of August. She has been with the city for 6 years and has been Employee of the Month once before. Her supervisor, Jane Tompkins, pointed out that Grethel is a great asset and has done a great job in particular by bringing new software into the Department, allowing it to provide better service, facilitating the timely delivery of building permits.

 
Introduction of Guests
 
Deena Bell Llewellyn introduced Andrea Fusero from the Brickell Club and Dayna Samra was a guest of Eddie Snow.       

 Happy Dollars

Abe Horowitz wished everyone a Happy New Year.  Chris Morrison was very happy that Stanford beat USC for the fourth year running.  Margarita Tonkinson was very happy to see Ron McGill who was Master of Ceremonies for last year’s  great event. Dick Golden told us that before he was married, he had a date and the lady told him he was a terrible lover. He asked her: how do you know that in 45 seconds? Trish Hoffman just returned from spending the summer in Washington D.C. and last week in Paris. She just took her parents to the airport.  They were babysitting her kids but when she found out Ron was the speaker, she came to the meeting! George Reeves announced that the U.S.S. Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that carried 100,000 sailors was to be decommissioned.  Perhaps Fred Baddour could bring the Enterprise to Kay West.  Debbie Swain invited us to an Afternoon with Nature presented by Citizens for a Better South Florida on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at Biscayne Nature Center (Crandon Park – Key Biscayne).

Today's Speaker

Honorary Rotarian Ron Magill, Zoo Miami Communications Director, began by pointing out that the sign in front of the Zoo was terrible.  Now the Zoo has a new sign that cost $800,000, is wonderfully big and visible from everywhere.  We were then shown some slides about baby animals growing up.  It is always wonderful to see Flamingo chicks turning from white to pink, going from ugly to beautiful (and pink) within a year.  Swans, he said, could be very dangerous if anyone went after their babies.  One man was even killed in Chicago by a mother Swan! 

The most beautiful wild ass born in captivity can be found in the Miami Zoo.  As Ron McGill has worked in the Miami for over 30 years, he has seen several generations of animals come and go.  Each type of animal has its peculiarities.  The Otter parents for example thrown their young into the water to sink or swim.  One of the slides then showed an Indian rhinoceros (female) who was sixteen months pregnant (the baby rhinoceros was very cute when born).  The hippopotamus baby was the size of a football. 

One of the interesting facts underscored during the talk was that mother Giraffes give birth standing up, letting the baby drop some six feet to the ground. 

Among the new things added to the Zoo is an aquatic playground for children.  The Zoo now has two mascots: Gigi the Giraffe and Kaz the Rhinoceros.  The director finished his talk speaking of the Amazon, where he spent two weeks observing river dolphins and piranhas.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the talk and very likely spent all afternoon laughing when they got back to work.

Next Week’s Program: The Dolphin Project, with Lincoln O’Berry


Working Rotarians –September 20, 2012
Greeter - Dick Golden
Registration - Steven Spann
Collections - Pat Morris
Head Table - Steven Spann
    Open the Meeting -Jack Witty       
Invocation - Margarita Tonkinson
Pledge - Serre Murphy
Singers - Bill Q,/Dan S.
Introduction of Visitors/Guests - Deena Bell
Pin Drawing Gift - Yoli Woodbridge
Winner - Ed Morris
De Witt Law Silver Dollars - Ron
Given to - Yoli Woodbridge/George Reeves  
50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns
Winner - Arnie Perry
 Four Way Test - Gene Witherspoon



Thought of the Week
by Tom Dixon

"Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends on the tides of the mind."
Alice Meynell



Did you know... Alice Christiana Gertrude Thompson Meynell was an English writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet.
Born: September 22, 1847
Died: November 27, 1922
 
September is New Generations Month! New Generations Month is the perfect time to promote your club’s or district’s youth activities. You’ll increase their impact and encourage continued collaboration among youth, young adults, and your club.  
Group Study Exchange - As the time quickly approaches for the arrival of the Inbound GSE Team from Rotary District 3080 (India), our Outbound Team has been chosen.
GSE is a group of young professional non-Rotarians between the ages of 25-40 who are led by a Rotarian. They embark on a month long exchange of vocational visits and fellowship.
This year’s Team will be heading to Northern India at the foothills of the Himalayas where they will be visiting our sister club in Chandigarh among others.
Team Members are Marissa Leichter-Miami-Brickell, Andrew Navratil- Coral Gables, Nadia Payan-Coral Gables, Kyle Mullan-Miami Shores.
Michael Mayer from the Rotary Club of the Upper Keys has been chosen.
 
 
Rotary Moments







 

Vol. 67 No. 11 Notes from the Podium

President's Time


Welcome once again to our Rotary meeting of September 13th. announcements:
President Walter asked us to take some Rotarygrams and bring them to our offices. It's good PR!
The Golf Ball Drop Tickets will be sold from now until November 29.
September 15, 2012, Coastal Cleanup at Matheson Hammock, 9:00 AM-12 Noon.  If you don’t have a club T-Shirt , ask Terry for one.
September 17, 2012, Club Foundation Meeting 5:00 PM, at John Martin’s
September 17, 2012, , Club Board Meeting, 5:30 PM, John Martin’s
September 22, 2012, Veterans Bingo, 1-3PM , V.A. Hospital
September 22, 2012, Diabetes Walk, Marlin Stadium, 7:30-9AM
All of you are invited to participate in these event and remember:  they count as make-ups!
We then passed the hat for the Haiti-Benefit Project MediShare

Happy Birthday
Ana Fournaris        September18
Rotary Anniversaries
Susan Guttmann        13 Years
Maria Pappas              1 Year (Honorary Member)         
 

  

 Happy Dollars

Randy started as follows: “Come here, give me money, say whatever you want!”  Martin Brody from the Ft. Lauderdale club was happy for the great international work his club is doing with water projects. They were able to raise a very respectable amount.  Dick Golden: his joke today was an old one about a little old lady in the subway that asked a man “are you Jewish?” “No.” the man replied, “I am Episcopalian.” “Are you sure?,” the lady asked a couple of times. The man was tired so he said after a while “Yes! I am Jewish.” “Well, you don’t look it,” replied the lady.  Everybody thought it was his best joke in six months!  PP Debbie Swain announced that the Citizens for South Florida are having an event in October. The tickets are $50 dollars and there will be lots of entertainment. Fred Baddour had mixed emotions: they found out that his wife Annette has an aggressive breast cancer but he is glad that with all the new advances in medicine she can be cured.  He asked all of the members to keep them in their prayers.  Randy Groh was happy that the Bird Center as able to raise $25,000 dollars and after that they had a party at his place in the Keys. We apologize if we missed anybody!
Today's Speaker


Jarbas Godoy, owner of “The Dog from Ipanema,” was our speaker today. He has contributed many of the changes that have occurred in the dog grooming industry over the last few decades.  Jarbas opened his first salon in Brazil in 1976. It was located in a fine boutique area in Salvador, Bahia. That was where Jarbas started to experiment with the way services were provided to pets.

Jarbas came to the United states and studied physiology at U.M. When he graduated, he didn’t like the way pets were treated at that time here.  So for the last 21 years, at his current salon, Jarbas has been able to provide services for dogs and cats in a compassionate environment.

He has conducted and organized educational seminars in Europe and South America, as well as many American cities.  His customers come from all over the U.S. at present.

He has many clients and gave us some examples of his techniques.  He especially underscored the fact that he never feeds his dogs left- over dog food.

Next Week’s Program: Miami Zoo Director and Honorary Rotarian Ron Magill




Working Rotarians –September 13, 2012
Greeter - Andrea Stone
Registration - Terry Long
Collections - George Reeves
Head Table - Steven Spann
    Open the Meeting -Jack Witty       
Invocation - Carlos Ruiz
Pledge - Steve Magenheimer
Singers - Bill Q,/Dan S.
Introduction of Visitors/Guests - Rodney Langer
Pin Drawing Gift - Yoli Woodbridge
Winner - David Mitchell
De Witt Law Silver Dollars - J. Guarch
Given to - Yoli Woodbridge/Felix Pardo  
50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns
Winner - Luis Boue
 Four Way Test - David Mitchell



Thought of the Week
by Sally Baumgartner

"Do what you love and love what you do and you'll be well paid for it."

       Dr. John De Martini







New Generations Month is the perfect time to promote your club’s or district’s youth activities. You’ll increase their impact and encourage continued collaboration among youth, young adults, and your club. 
Rotary Moments
          Terry Long and Keith Phillips                         Fred , Debbie, Abe and Vanessa           
           



      George Reeves, Jim Hirschman,                           Enjoying Fellowship Rick, Margarita
                   Terry Biddulph                                                           and Carlos
 


           Hard working Rotarians!                                         Fred Baddour, Ana Fournaris
                 Steve and Andrea                                                        and Dan Scipione

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Coastal Cleanup 2012

Miami-Dade 
Coastal Cleanup
Saturday, September 15th

In addition to hundreds of other volunteers, Miami Brickell Rotary, South Miami Rotary, Miami Rotary and the Miami Interact Club joined the throngs that showed up at Matheson Hammock Park on Saturday morning to clean up the trash that litters the mangroves after a summer of storms trashes the shoreline.

A dozen Coral Gables Rotarians and friends showed up looking for trash and treasures.  We stuffed 10 - 30 gallon garbage bags full of "little pieces of plastic" which seemed to be the bulk of the trash we found this year.  A few shoes, some cans and bottles but mostly those awful little pieces of trash that the turtles and other creatures think are food.  

Mailys Ooghe, our Rotary Youth Exchange student was on hand to help - and she was willing to go way back into the underbrush to get the bigger items that were stuck there.  The mosquitoes had a good time with her - fresh meat from France!  

President Walter was there, Liz Silverman (she brought some terrific "pickers" that we used to get the bags out of the roots) and two of her friends from the Miami Ski Club,  Rodney Langer, Carol Alexander and her daughter, Deena Bell-Llwellyn, Sally B., and Andrea Stone were also there slopping through the mud and muck to keep the bayfront pristine.  

Of course the real reason that we do this is so we can all go to Scotty's Landing for lunch and libations immediately after all our hard work!  It was a beautiful Saturday and we had a lot of fun doing something good for our community.  What more can you ask for? Service Above Self. 


Getting our marching orders
Exploring for trash
A lonely search ...
Mailys with Sally B.
Liz Silverman with pickers
President Walter's pretty  dirty
Mailys really got "into it".
Pretty sweaty crew!
Lovely breeze at the "After Party" at Scotty's
Really hungry
And thirsty!