Vol. 65 No. 26 Notes from the Podium

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President's Time

This week was important for the 92-year-old woman who completed the Honolulu Marathon in 9 hours, 53 minutes and 16 seconds.  She ran her first marathon at 86.  Last year she had to drop out because of stomach cramps at 25 miles.  So for the past year she's run 30 to 50 miles a week to prepare for her victory.

A veteran Australian pilot owes his life to a huge pile of chicken manure.  While attempting to land his vintage 1910 aircraft it veered off the runway and rammed into a 20-ton heap of chicken droppings piled there. His comment; "there was a bit of give in it..."

LAST CALL FOR MOOSE MILK  Sign up now and bring something yummy to the 40th annual New Year's celebration of our Club.  It's Saturday, January 1 from 11 until 2 at the home of Chris & Chris Tyson, 1498 Sevilla Avenue or on the third tee of The Biltmore Golf Course if you prefer to come by golf cart!

HELP SELL BRUCE'S WINGS AT THE 60TH ANNUAL BEAUX ARTS FESTIVAL NEXT WEEKEND - January 8 & 9 at the University of Miami.  Details below.  Sign up to work, eat, sell, drink or just be with your Rotary friends. 

 

Happy Birthday this week to the New Year's crowd. Remember, Capricorn is practical, reserved, disciplined and pessimistic.  Best wishes to Terry Long on New Year's Day and Zoltan Pinter on the 5th. 

Yolanda Does $$$$

In the absence of the good Doctor and the Diva (out again at the same time ... hmm)
Yoli used an age-old technique for finding happy Rotarians today.  She bullied them into giving her money!  She subscribes to the theory that guilt is the gift that keeps on giving and so she dragged up Debbie Swain who had no money and a mouth full of food but she said she's happy to be on vacation!  Next was Lan Nghiem-Phu who was happy to be out of the house and glad to be back at Rotary.  Bob Downey is happy because the person who is looking at buying his boat is returning for the second time - from Canada.  Aaron Glasser said that Dick Golden sent him some jokes for today but his Norton Anti-Virus wouldn't let him open them!  Chris Morrision came up and just gave Yoli money to get off the hook and said nothing ... but then he changed his mind and had to tell us about meeting the Stanford Team at the Airport and what nice guys they all are.  Dan Scipione is just happy that 2010 is over. Jerry Santiero is happily looking forward to a great 2011. Gloria Burns is a not-happy Gator who is happy that her daughters school, FIU, pulled off their first bowl game.  GO PANTHERS!  Bonnie Blaire put the back table under special pressure to present a united front and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Yolanda rested on her laurels and said she's spending New Years with her 11 grandchildren.  Happiness paid in 2010 so keep smiling in 2011.

Working Rotarians - December 30, 2010

Greeter - Rodney & Katrina Langer

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Abe Horowitz & Carlos Bolado

Head Table - John Wallace

Open the Meeting - Dan Scipione

Invocation - Pastor Perry

Pledge - Greg Martini

Singer - Dan Scipione

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Gene Mariutto

Given to - Bonnie Blaire & Lan Nghiem-Phu

Pin Drawing Gift - Dan Scipione

Pin Drawing Winner - THE Donald Trombly

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns

50/50 Winner - THE Donald Trombly

Today's Program

Nathan Kast, Director Research and Technology
University of Miami Tissue Bank

The University of Miami Tissue Bank (UMTB) partnered with the Rotary Club of Miami in 1984, the same year that it first opened its state of the art tissue recovery facility at the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s building. UMTB is a self-sustaining, non-profit organization. Tissue from bone, kin, tendons, veins, arteries and corneas can be transplanted. Common surgeries involving tissue transplantation include dental implants (bone powder and dermis or dora), meniscus repair, spine surgery / spinal fusion, and knee reconstruction. Cartilage regeneration is currently being developed using cartilage tissue.

UMTB is the number 1 tissue bank in the world, providing tissue for transplants to over 1 million patients and saving over 10,000 lives. It is the only tissue bank with tissue recovery facilities. We can all help by registering to be donors with the Department of Motor Vehicles or online at http://www.donatelifeflorida.org/, telling family and friends, and inviting a speaker from UM to other organizations.

 NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM:  Captain Chris Scraba, United States Coast Guard on "Protecting our Borders"

Thought of the Week

by Bonnie Blaire

Many people look forward to the New Year

for a new start on their old habits!

                                                             Anonymous




:Have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve and a very Happy New Year to everyone.  May we all enjoy a prosperous 2011.  See you next year on January 6, same time, same place. 

Scene Scenes

ROOTS by Cholly Capps

A Little History of Your Rotary Club

When our Club was chartered in 1946, we met weekly at the Country Club of Coral Gables. It's where we always met until the Country Club was closed for business in 2008.

The first time our Club was displaced was back in 1966-67, due to a big remodeling, the meetings were held at the Holiday Inn for a few weeks and then at the "Beefster" Restaurant. When we returned to our regular quarters our meeting day was changed from Friday to Thursday to accommodate the Country Club.

The second time was after a disastrous fire on the 4th of July weekend, 1983. President Jack Powers came back to town from a fishing expedition to conduct his first weekly meeting and found himself without a meeting place. Meanwhile, an emergency team of Rotarians reacted immediately after the fire to locate a meeting place, the Danielson Gallery at The Biltmore Hotel. The Hotel wasn't even open yet, but there was an excellent French restaurant in that space called Le Biltmore. The operating team of Ann Teller and Rotarian Jean Sardo hosted us there for more than a year as the Country Club undertook restoration of our ballroom meeting space.

In 2002 the City gave a private company the management contract for the Country Club. Once again it was closed for a massive remodeling project. Club leaders scrambled to find a place that could handle our 180 member club. The hotels were too busy to dedicate their largest meeting space to us every week. The only viable location was just outside the Gables on S.W. 32nd Avenue, Renaissance at the Gables. We were at this location for 18 months before we again were restored to home ground.

So ... the Rotary Club of Coral Gables has spent 60 of the past 65 years meeting at the Country Club of Coral Gables. Who knows what the future may bring?

Vol. 65 No. 25 Notes from the Podium

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President’s Time

This week a fellow in Maine crashed into a light pole in the Wal-Mart parking lot and is suing for damages, claiming the pole was in a hazardous location.  He sustained $2,918.05 in damage to his truck by hitting the free standing pole and a Wal-Mart employee later confessed that this was not a “normal configured lot.”

Churches throughout the US are attaching GPS tracking devices to their nativity statues of the baby Jesus.  In past years there has been a nationwide spate of thefts of nativity statues by vandals, prompting the GPS installations. Apparently there’s been none attempted since a Catholic church in New Jersey announced the tracking. 

Moose Milk Countdown.  Be sure to sign up to attend our Club’s 40th Annual Moose Milk Party on January 1 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.  You’ll be home in time for the bowl games.  We’re being hosted this year by Chris & Chris Tyson at their home on the 3rd Tee of The Biltmore Golf Course.  If you’re coming by car the address is 1498 Sevilla Avenue.  Bring something you love to eat because everyone else will too.  You’re not a “real” Coral Gables Rotarian until you’ve milked the moose at least one time in your Rotary career.

Junior Orange Bowl Parade Band Ambassadors WANTED!  This year the parade has two out of state bands and eight locals.  We need 10 people to babysit the bands from the time they arrive at noon until the time they go into the chute.  The parade starts at 4 p.m. on Alhambra Circle and Ponce de Leon Blvd. It’s fun and you get a ring side seat for some great music!  January 2, 2011 at 11:45 a.m.  We’ll meet in front of LaPalma.

Beaux Arts Festival, Saturday & Sunday, January 8 & 9 at University of Miami.  Sign up now to help cook, serve or sell 5,000 of Bruce’s Special Chicken Wings. Proceeds go to our Club’s Foundation.  We need at least 20 Rotarians each day.  It’s great fun!  Bruce Kerestes has been aging his "secret sauce" for an entire year (ever since last year when the weather drove us out of business) so we're set to make this a really profitable weekend for our Club's Foundation.


Chance & Dance, a Speakeasy Casino Fundraiser is being presented by the Rotary Foundation of Coral Gables. This evening will provide a trip back to the era of Prohibition when bathtub gin and games of chance were all held behind locked doors. The music plays while ladies and gentlemen dance as they partake of the illegal liquid libations. Shhh! Speak easy when you ask to come in.

The proceeds from the event go to fund Habitat for Grandma, a Coral Gables Rotary sponsored program being undertaken in conjunction with CoralGables @HOME.  The goal of this partnership is to provide funding to underwrite memberships for low-income seniors at $100 a year, a price they can afford for a service they need. Second is to give all seniors, regardless of their income, the assistance they need to make changes in their homes and facilitate their ability to remain active, and involved in their community. Over time, a few neglected home maintenance jobs can add up to major issues. Since most seniors have lived in their homes for 40+ years, it’s not uncommon to find their homes in need of a fresh coat of paint; carpet and curtain cleaning; small repairs; organization needs and lawn and garden maintenance. Simply installing grab bars and hand rails can make a home safer and more livable for seniors with compromised mobility.

Capricorn natives are known to be practical, prudent,careful and pretty pessimistic ... say Happy Birthday this week to Derek Griffith on the 24th and THE Donald Trombly on Christmas Day!

Dan Scipione is celebrating nine years in Rotary this week.  Thanks for your years of Service Dan!

 Diva Does $$$$

Diva stood in for Dr. Randy today with the goal of out-raising the good Dr. Randy, making scholarshps Groh ... first up was Bill Quesenberry who was ecstatic over just how many toys you can buy for $300.  The money that we gave for the toys for the kids at The Lodge plus the toys that people brought made Christmas very merry for these abused children in need.  He read a letter from Kate Williams, the Executive Director of The Lodge, expressing their gratitude for our generosity.  Dick Golden told a Christmas joke about three guys at the pearly gates trying to get in by expressing all of their knowledge about the holiday with a punch line about Carols and underwear ... Chris Tyson was happy to have something to say ... he recited a poem that turned out to be the Alma Mater from his high school which he still remembers word for word.  Bob Downey was happy for the good service he received at the hospital but unhappy about the fact that he still has a blood clot.  Ana Fournaris was happy to wish everyone happiness and joy this holiday season.  Dan Scipione recited the Alma Mater from his high school, Lehman High (looks like Chris started something).  Luis Boue commented that since he barely graduated high school he couldn't remember his Alma Mater but he was happy that he sat all alone in the back of the room because the two best looking Rotarians sat next to him, Ana Fournaris and the Diva!  Felix Pardo was happy to see that Luis had finally gotten into the work release program and that his kids are here from Chicago and Boston and he'll get to see all the photos from their trip to Egypt and Istanbul.  Happiness pays so keep on smiling!

Working Rotarians - December 23, 2010

Greeter - Rodney Langer

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Bill Forshee

Head Table - John Wallace

Special Needs - Frank Sexton & Hadley Williams

Open the Meeting - Dick Golden

Invocation - Pastor Perry

Pledge - Gene Witherspoon

Singers - Bill Quesenberry, Arne Themmen & Dan Scipione

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - David Mitchell

Given to - Yolanda Woodbridge & Abe Horowitz

Pin Drawing Gift - Dan Scipione

Pin Drawing Winner - Diva

50/50 Collections - Gloria Burns

50/50 Winner - Frank Sexton

5 Way Test - Bill Beckham

Today's Program

Dick Anderson
“A Dolphin Football Stadium for the Future”

Dick Anderson started his NFL career in 1968, when he was named “Rookie of the Year”. He then went on to play through most of the next decade, and in 1978 he was elected a State Senator. The 2010 Dolphin team is 7 and 7, with most of the losses at home. This year the Dolphins lost nearly all of their close games, including last week against Buffalo (at home) where Dan Carpenter missed four field goal attempts, after an outstanding season record. However, the defense has played a great game this past year – key to a winning season. As an example, in 1972 when the Dolphins were undefeated, the defense only allowed 165 points from opponents, and the following year, only 150 points. Under a new defensive coach in1974, over 200 points were scored against the Dolphins.

The team’s new owner, Stephen Ross, a Miami Beach High School alumnus, has been very involved in the community. Last month’s bicycle ride raised $.5 million in its first year. Blood drives at games have been held – giving donors free tickets to future games. 1700 turkeys were given away for Thanksgiving. Other owners include the Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Venus and Serena Williams, and Marc Anthony.

Of the 31 stadiums in the country, 19 are new since 1995, and seven have had renovations exceeding $300 million. Superbowls are historically awarded to cities with new stadiums. After the Marlins leave, Sun Life stadium will had a removable canopy added, new football stadium seating and new lighting.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM: The UM Bone and Tissue Bank;  Gary Sisler, Rotary Club of Miami

Thought of the Week

by Bonnie Blaire

A Personal Shopping list for you to use this holiday season:

*  Ponder the simple and the wonderous

*  Rediscover your favorite things

*  Have a thankful heart

*  Give yourself a gift that brings you joy!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!

SCENE SCENES

Vol. 65 No. 24 Notes from the Podium

President's Time

This week a New York man rescued an elderly gentleman who had fallen onto the subway tracks because if the man was hit, the rescuer couldn't go to work and Sunday is the day he gets paid time and a half.  Prison officials in Tennessee reported that an inmate escaped by smearing himself in grease and squeezing between the 4 1/2" spaces between the bars of his cell.  The prisoner was 5'11 and weighed 165 lbs so that was no little feat.  And finally, a Spanish woman filed papers staking legal claim on the sun.  She says that she is now the "official owner" of  a star of spectral type G2, located in the center of our solar system 149,600,000 kilometers from earth.  She is looking to impose a reasonable fee for use of the sun's rays with the proceeds split between the Spanish government, the world's poor and of course herself. Hmmm.

Toy Drive Benefiting THE LODGE is moving right along.  Bill Quesenberry filled his suitcase again today and collected another $103 to go shopping for toys.  So all in all we gave nearly $400 cash to purchase toys for these abused children residing in the shelter.  That will give them a VERY Merry Christmas indeed.  Thanks to everyone for supporting Bill's efforts.  
  

COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECTS.  This Saturday is VA Bingo from 1 until 3 p.m. at Veteran's Hospital.  We're giving them a little Christmas party in addition to entertaining them for a couple of hours.  It's only two hours but it means the world the remaining members of the "Greatest Generation".  Join us.

Junior Orange Bowl Parade Band Ambassadors.  Every year Rotarians babysit the bands in the parade from the time they arrive at the staging area until the time they begin their march into the parade.  It's four hours and a lot of fun ... you get to preview some really great bands.  This year the parade is on Sunday, January 2.  Volunteers need to arrive at Noon.  You'll be done by 4 p.m.

BEAUX ARTS FESTIVAL - JANUARY 8 & 9, 2011.  We're gonna try one more time this year to make some money for our Foundation by selling Bruce's Wings.  Bruce Kerestes has been "aging" his secret sauce and as long as mother nature doesn't go "north" on us again this year, we should be able to sell 5,000 chicken wings over the two days of the festival.  Sign up to work.  Whatever your skill level, we can use the help.  You can cook, you can serve, you can be the carnival pitchman.  It's a great opportunity for FUN and FELLOWSHIP.  And after all, isn't that what Rotary is all about? 

MOOSE MILK COMETH ...

 GET YOUR PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP NOW!! Foundation Chair Rick Tonkinson is offering terrific end of the year discounts on Paul Harris.  Our club has 3,000 matching points available.  We lose at the end of the year.  That gives you two weeks to do the deal with Rick.  If you've already donated say, $400 and you need another $600 to get your Paul Harris, the club will kick in $300 and you kick in $300.  If you've never donated to the Annual Programs Fund, now's the time.  It's 50% off.  And in this economy who can ignore a 50% discount - on anything?  Especially on the good work that The Rotary Foundation does worldwide with this money.

On the cusp of the Archer and the Goat, people born this week are honest and straightforward, restless, pessimistic, ambitious, patient and disciplined.  Say Happy Birthday to Judy Pantoja on December 19 and Bob Downey on the 20th.

We have a few Rotary Anniversaries this week including Past Prez Chris Morrison with 27 years, Michael Jackson with 24 years, Bill "Digger" Martinez 14 years and PEE Walter Alvarez who has been in the club for nine years.  

CITY EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

 December, 2010

Margarita Berg, Assistant to the Chief of Police.  Margo was introduced by her boss, Chief Joe McNichols.  He praised her work ethic and the fact that she is a dedicated employee for the past 12 years.  But more than that he praised her for her hard work on behalf of the United Way.  She set up bake sales and other various fund raisers in order to raise money  within the Police Department.  Tireless in her efforts, she approached this job with the same dedication as she shows in her daily work for the Department.  Keep up the good work Margo!

Happy $$$

In the absence of our usual happy seekers, Past President Keith Phillips sought funds for scholarship from both happy and ecstatic Rotarians today including Dick Golden who told us how the angel got on top of the Christmas Tree.  Former CG Rotarian Mike Baird, visiting from Palo Alto wore his Stanford sweat shirt just for Chris Morrison.  Seems he lives right across the street from the practice field.  Walter Alvarez was happy to have brought his wife Annette with him today.  Margarita Tonkinson is happy to have a full house for the holidays.  Pat Morris had a great time ringing bells for the Salvation Army on Saturday at Publix.  He said everyone had a ton of fun and helped to close the SA's fundraising gap.  Chris Tyson is happy that we're all coming to his house for Moose Milk on New Year's Day but he requests that Randy Groh and Hadley Williams behave themselves (??).  PE Debbie Swain is happy to have her parents and her oldest son here for the holidays ... she too has a  full house.  Jane Durell (Debbie's Mom) is happy to be here with her daughter too ... she adivsed that Debbie is a twin and their next stop is Palm City to visit Debbie's other half.  Michael Kesti from Perrine, Cutler Ridge, Palmetto Bay Rotary Club is just happy to be here. Bill Beckham is happy to announce that his only daughter has been accepted to University of Georgia GO BULLDOGS! and finally, Fred Baddour wanted everyone to know that the only reason he's wearing red is because it's Christmas!   Happiness pays, so keep on smiling!!

 Working Rotarians - December 16, 2010

 Greeter - Rodney Langer

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Carlos Bolado & Abe Horowitz

Head Table - John Wallace

Special Needs - Ed Morris

Open the Meeting - Dick Golden

Invocation - Jim Hirschmann

Pledge - Phil Boswell

Singers - Bill Quesenberry, Dan Scipione

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Gene Mariutto

Given to - Gene Witherspoon and Jack Witty

Pin Drawing Gift - Dan Scipione

Pin Drawing Winner - Jack Witty

50/50 Collections - Gloria Burns

50/50 Winner -Dick Golden

5-Way Test - Margarita Tonkinson

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM
Rotary Music Award Winners from the 2010 Caroling Competition
Westminster Christian Middle School under the direction of Paul Whiting.

Westminster has appeared in the Caroling Competition every  year since 1990.  The middle and senior high choirs win every year because of the outstanding skill of their director.  This is the second year that the middle school won the Rotary Music Award.  To win the award the school needs to find a piece of music new to the competition.  It can be an original composition, a new setting of an old text or a long lost and forgotten carol.  This year they won the award for a new setting of the old carol, Silent Night. It was amazing but unfortunately we can't stream it to the blog.  If you missed it you can catch them again next year at the Competition.  

Thought of the Week

by Bonnie Blaire

"Somehow, not only for Christmas

But all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you."

                                                              John Greenleaf Whittier

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM:  Dick Anderson, "A Dolphin Football Stadium for the Future."

 Same time, 12:15, same place, same warm and friendly Rotarians.  See you then.

ROOTS by Cholly Capps

A Little History of Your Rotary Club

Women in our Roots! When Rotary was established in 1905 its rules for membership reflected society at that time. These rules changed significantly in 1987 with the admission of women to Rotary.

Actually changes in membership rules began in 1979 when a California Rotary Club challenged the then male only provision by admitting two women as members. Because the club was in violation of the Rotary International Constitution, its Charter was revoked. The club sued in the California courts. A series of decisions, appeals and reversals, in 1986, brought an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled in May, 1987 that a California state law requiring service clubs to admit women was not in violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. In response, the Rotary International Board of Directors immediately issued a policy statement allowing Rotary clubs in any U.S. state to invite qualified women into membership.

Our Club's resolution was already written at this point. It was approved by our Board in May, 1987 and the rest is history ... now we're celebrating the year of WOMEN ON TOP!

40th Annual Moose Milk January 1st

2011 - 2012 Board of Directors Elected

Since the proposed slate of officers and directors was uncontested, they were elected without the need for an election. Congratulations to our 2011 - 2012 Board!

Vol. 65 No. 23 Notes from the Podium

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President's Time
Things were kinda quiet this week...Momo a six pound Chihuahua is the first of it's breed to ever serve as a police dog - in Japan.  A 17-year old in Queens made $130,000 by selling kits to convert black iPhone 4's into white ones.  A New Zealand company is introducing $100,000 personal jetpacks.  You don't need a license, and you bypass TSA Scanners.  A fellow in Encino, California got stranded on a tine desert island off the coast when his inflatable raft sprang a leak.  He spent fice days there subsisting on plants and vitamins before he gave in a used his cell phone to call for help!  

TOY DRIVE STALLS, but Bill Quesenberry made sure to let us know that we can do better.  But it seems our group just doesn't want to shop.  Greg Martini asked Bill to just pass the plate and let those who want to give money do so.  Now Bill has to go shopping with $276 cash donated by our members for the children at the Lodge.  Thanks guys.  We've got one more week.  Bring something cute for an abused child to love.

BRUCE'S WINGS got the Vendor's Permit for Beaux Arts Festival at the University of Miami on January 8 & 9.  We're selling 5,000 chicken wings to raise money for our Foundation ... so we have some to spend on all the great projects in the pipeline.  BRUCE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS - 10 PER DAY.  It's fun, fellowship and a great festival to just hang out and meet people.  You'll eat and party well and have a ton of FUN so sign up to work.  In case you don't remember, we were frozen out of business last year so this time we've got to make up for lost revenue.  Ed.

Moose Milk is Coming.
January 1, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Hosted this year by Chris & Chris Tyson
1498 Sevilla Avenue (the 3rd tee of Biltmore Golf Course)
This is the 40th Anniversary of Moose Milk.  It's a tradition that was begun by the late Roger Mumm in 1972.  Everybody brings something good to eat.  The club provides the Moose and milks it for you!  Rumor has it that you're not a REAL Coral Gables Rotarian until you partake of the juice of the Moose.  It's a kid-friendly event - we have virgin moose juice for the kids.

This Saturday, December 11th 

Foundation By-Laws Revisions Approved

President-Elect Debbie Swain chaired the By Laws Committee for both Club and Foundation.  The revisions were posted to the membership 10 days ago, pursuant to the requirements in our By-Laws.  Debbie moved, and Walter Alvarez seconded the motion to approve the By-Laws as revised.  The motion passed by voice vote. Thanks to Debbie and her committee including Walter Alvarez, Hadley Williams, Carlos Bolado, Abe Horowitz and Sally B.

 Jovial and good humored, irresponsible and superficial ... does that sound like Ted Pappas?  That's Sagittarius.  December 12 is his birthday and he shares it with Bob Barker, Ed Koch and Edward G. Robinson ... quite a brotherhood! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TED!

Happy $$$

Dr. Randy made sure that they understood that using a mike makes money Groh.  Happy today was PE Debbie Swain who encouraged everyone to consider going to the Rotary International Convention in New Orleans May 21 to 25.  Walter Alvarez has promised us a tour of restaurants from which he guarantees we will never recover.  Chris Morrison is ecstatic because Stanford is playing in the Orange Bowl this year.  Obviously the OB Committee understands the prestige of having a school of this stature in their bowl game ...
Abe Horowitz is happy that his younger brother finally finished college, grad school and his doctorate and got a job.  He's Professor of Poly Sci at Dartmouth.  Apparently his brother got the brains and Abe got the good looks in the family!  Dr. Phil was boasting about our Interact Club at Coral Gables Senior High.  They made $800 at the Caroling Competition selling treats, they won an award for being the best boasters at the Interact District Convention too.  Dick Golden  said that the Sunday Dolphins game was better in their seats...it looked like they won!  Then he told a joke (he found it on this very blog) left over from Thanksgiving.  It was a turkey!  J Guarch  got to watch both of his football teams back to back and says there was an email notice sent out that school won't start on time if they go to the national championships.  Ted Pappas said nobody would be around for his birthday so he sang Happy Birthday today to himself!  Mayor Don was boasting with pride over the birth of his third granddaughter, Cecilia Slesnick, born three weeks ago.  JB Spence told of the events for him on December 7, 1941.  He was stationed in Key West.  They ordered them back to their ships but he never got the quarter back from the movie he didn't see.  Rick Tonkinson congratulated Sally B. on the successful completion of 24 years of the Caroling Competition.  He and Margarita really enjoyed it.  Frank Sexton was happy to announce that there is now another Francis Xavier Sexton on the planet.  This is number 4, born 89 years and 11 months after the first one.  Chris Tyson noted that Mayor Don will have been the longest serving Mayor ever and will retain that title because of term limits.  He said that there is also 18 people running against him this time ... 19 when Chris fills out his application.  Catarina Jimenez announced that they need only one more person to make the Costa Rica trip happen.  See her if you want to go and see our Rotary dollars at work.  The Donald Trombly (Trombly Moving & Storage) said they're going on a ten day vacation to the Swanee River Park and it's going to be a total veg.  Dr. Randy is happy that his daughter Ally is on her way home from FSU on the pain bus and he can't wait to see her.  Felix Pardo is happy that his wife, celebrating 50 years as a Pedro Pan refugee child, was invited by NPR's Story Core to contribute the stories of that experience to the chronicles that are preserved in the National Library of Congress.  Keep smiling.  Happiness pays!

Working Rotarians - December 9, 2010

Greeter - Deena Bell & Rolf Frankfurter

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Abe Horowitz & Carlos Bolado

Head Table - John Wallace

Special Needs - Frank Sexton

Open the Meeting - Dick Golden

Invocation - Jim Hirschmann

Pledge - Sally B.

Singers - Bill Quesenberry, Dan Scipione & Ted Pappas

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Diane Thurston

Given to - Greg Martini & Deena Bell

Pin Drawing Gift - Dan Scipione

Pin Drawing Winner - Richard DeWitt

5-Way Test - Pat Morris

This Week's Program

Rolando Aedo
Senior Vice President – Marketing and Tourism
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors’ Bureau

In 2009, Greater Miami and the beaches had nearly 12 million overnight visitors who spent $17 billion locally, generating $107 million in tourist taxes, and employing 102,500 in the hospitality industry, making us number 4 in the country for hotel occupancy and rates. In the first ten months of 2010, occupancy is up 8%, and revenues per room are up 11% over the same period in 2009. The number of overnight visitors is up 7% in September from last September, and convention development tax was up 17%. The most international visitors come from Canada, Brazil and Argentina, with Brazilians spending the most money here. The top cities for domestic visitors are New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Miami-Dade County is investing in infrastructure throughout the county. Some notable projects include the MIA South and North Terminals, the Rental Car Center, the Intermodal Center, the Museum Park, the Seaport tunnel, the New World Symphony Center, and the Marlins Ballpark.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM:  Bring your spouse, a guest or anyone who loves good music.  It's our Christmas Party and Westminster Christian School will be entertaining you with their Rotary Award Winning version of Silent Night and other wonderful music.  Don't miss it!!

 Thought for the Week

by Bonnie Blaire

"There are three stages of a man's life:  He believes in Santa Claus, 

he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, 

he is IS Santa Claus."

Unknown

Vol. 65 No. 22 Notes from the Podium

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President's Time
This Week in America, a Connecticut man convicted of killing a 14-year old boy on a bicycle is suing the boy's parents because the boy wasn't wearing a helmet. Although he's serving 10 years for running down the boy while driving 80 mph, he accuses the parents of "contributory negligence" and says his conviction has cuased him "great mental and emotional pain and suffering."

Oklahoma City has refused to host a franchise of the Lingerie Football League. The LFL fields teams of lingerie-clad models who play football before a largely male audience, a concept that the Mayor opposes for "too many reasons to list." LFL officials siad they thought they had applied to play in Oklahoma City, "not North Korea."

 TOY DRIVE FOR THE LODGE
Bill Quesenberry reminded us to practice playing Santa Claus for the needy children being housed by The Lodge, a non-profit organization that provides safe haven for victims of domestic violence.  These are children who for many reasons, have been pulled from their homes and are being housed at a private facility where they can be protected from whatever harm is threatening them. They're young and lost and scared.  Please bring unwrapped toys to the meetings on December 9 and December 16 so that we can help to make their Christmas merrier.

                                  Foundation Minute by Rick Tonkinson

 

This week Rick Tonkinson recognized Sally B. with a four sapphire Paul Harris Pin.  That means that collectively she has become a Paul Harris Fellow five times!  The goal she says "Diamonds!"  Give to The Rotary Foundation  - $100 a year, every year.  In no time you've got sapphires.  $2.00 a week really mounts up fast. 

Watch out for all those Sagittarius natives who celebrate birthdays this week.  They are jovial, good humored, freedom loving souls who tend to be a little irresponsible and superficial.  But they're a ton of fun!  Say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ron Robison tomorrow, Brad Forte, Diva Guttman and Trish Hoffman on December 6 and Pastor Perry on Pearl Harbor Day.  Celebrate responsibly and party hearty!

While on the subject of Celebrations - Happy Rotary Anniversary to Terry Biddulph, 20 years, Paolo Possenti, 15 years, Chief Jim Skinner, 13 years and newbie fashion model Zoltan Pinter for his first year of Service.  

HAPPY $$$$

Back at last, the good Doc showed up today in his Merry Christmas Hawaiian shirt with plenty of impetus to Groh scholarships ... he's be away for awhile. In typical Randy fashion he calculated that the Diva - celebrating her birthday on December 6th, must have been conceived during spring break.  That explains a lot!  Chris Morrison was blowing the Stanford horn again because they're ranked #4 in the country and it looks like they're going to the Fiesta Bowl.  (Maybe they'll play the `Noles).  Luis Boue was two times happy.  First because he's 30 years married and she deserves something for all these years and second because his daughter, a PROUD FSU graduate, GOT A JOB!!  Deena Bell is celebrating because today marks the her firm's second birthday and they're having a party at Citizen's Historic Bungalow next week.  Y'all come.  Joan Reitsma has been waiting for Randy's return so that she could present him with two checks for our scholarship fund.  One from her store, The Giving Tree, for $200 which represents our portion of what was sold during her opening week.  The second was from an organization that funds education, Thrivent, was for $500. She is also deeply grateful for Bonnie, Gloria and all of the people that have helped her since the great flood of 2009.  Rosendo Castillo spent Thanksgiving in sunny, cold California (34 at night - brrrr) where he celebrated his 40th Wedding Anniversary and the upcoming birth of his third grandchild.  Dick Golden finally got his "say" .... AWFUL ... truly awful joke.  It was decided there will be a new fine levied in our Club for BAD JOKES - $20.  And he loves the bad jokes so much he paid it!  Chris Tyson was watching national sports and came across the Harvard/Yale football game. Yale placed second.  It's a league with absolutely no paid athletes. Dan Scipione is happy that the Randy Shannon era is over!  Dick Golden returned to pay his $20.  Keep on laughing. Happiness PAYS!

Working Rotarians - December 2, 2010

Greeter - Rodney Langer

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Abe Horowitz & Carlos Bolado

Head Table Assignments - John Wallace

Special Needs - Frank Sexton

Invocation - Jim Hirschmann

Pledge - Hank Langston

Singers - Bill Quesenberry & Dan Scipione

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Bill Quesenberry

Given to - George Reeves & Aaron Glasser

Pin Drawing Gift - Abe Horowitz

Pin Drawing Winner - Jim Hirschmann

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns
Five Way Test - George Reeves

50/50 WINNER - BRUCE KERESTES

HE PULLED THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

FOR A TOTAL JACKPOT OF $490 TODAY!

"I GOT IT!!"

Today's Speaker

Javier Betancourt,
Deputy Director Miami Downtown Development Authority
"Downtown Miami - the Epicenter of the Americas"

Downtown Miami serves as the business and cultural center of Miami-Dade County. $13 billion of improvements have been made in just the past 3 years, and downtown condominiums are 85% occupied. The DDA was formed in 1965 as a quasi-independent agency with a 15 member board, funded by a ½ mill property tax assessment now generating approximately $5 million per year. The money is primarily spent on marketing and events.

Since good planning is the key to good development, a downtown master plan has been prepared, with a vision of making downtown Miami the epicenter of the Americas by 2025. The goals detailed in the master plan include enhancing our position as business and cultural epicenter, leveraging the waterfront, elevating the prominence of the “Grand Boulevards” (Brickell Avenue and Biscayne Boulevard), and creating great streets and community spaces. The next steps to implementation will include public participation.

More information is available at www.miamidda.com.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM:  Bill Talbert, President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau with an update on Travel & Tourism and the outlook for the coming tourist season.

 Thought of the Week

by Bonnie Blaire

"There are two kinds of people, those who do the work 

and those who take the credit.  

Try to be in the first group;  there is less competition there." 

                                                 

                                      Indira Gandhi

Join us next week, Thursday, Same time, 12:15.  

Same place.  Same great group!!

Scene Scenes

          Chris Tyson does it again!

Singing Rotarians!

Joan Gives Scholarship $$