Greeters John Smolke & Jim Owens
President Margie Burnett
President Margie Burnett called the meeting to order at 7:25 am. Jim Owens gave the Invocation, and John Smolke introduced visiting Rotarians and guests.
Margie Burnett recognized Jim Owens and John Smolke as Charter members of the BBRC. John has enjoyed meeting wonderful people all over the world, and Jim considers the BBRC "his family."
Jeff Cashman
Jeff Cashman, a new member of the Rotary Foundation Committee, spoke about the Rotary Foundation. Given that November is Rotary Foundation month, Jeff encouraged all BBRC members to make a contribution, saying that any amount would be appreciated. Jeff spoke about the many worthy projects in which Rotary Foundation is involved, including PolioPlus, Ambassadorial Scholarships, Group Study Exchange, and Rotary World Peace Fellowships.
Kim Shrader told us that a $100 donation to the Rotary Foundation would buy:
- 142 Rapid HIV tests
- 20 mosquito nets
- 4 cataract surgeries
- 5,000 doses of Vitamin A
- 166 polio vaccinations
- 5 flocks of chickens
To become a Sustaining Member of the Rotary Foundation, you need to contribute a minimum of $100/year. You become a Paul Harris Fellow once you contribute a total of $1,000. Norm Johnson told us that the Rotary Foundation Committee would start recognizing members on December 4 who have made a contribution or pledged to contribute to the Rotary Foundation.
Classiication Talk: Katherine De Stephano
Katherine De Stephano
Katherine De Stephano, classification "Outdoor Specialty Apparel," is the owner of a chain of Helly Hansen Gear stores in Washington, including one in Bellevue Square. Katherine is the youngest of eight children and graduated from the University of Puget Sound. She worked for the Limited Corp. for nine years before joining Helly Hansen, with whom she has been affiliated for 12 years.
Katherine enjoys tennis, waterskiing, snow skiing and cycling, and she does volunteer work for the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and the Snoqualmie Valley Track Club.
Student of the Month: Ilham Abdul Rahman
Student of the MonthIlham Abdul Rahman & Ryan Scharnhorst
Ryan Scharnhorst introduced our Student of the Month, Ilham Abdul Rahman, a senior from Sammamish High School and a remarkable young woman. Ilham has a very interesting background, as she has lived in Somalia, Pakistan, India, Charlotte, NC, and Issaquah. She has ten brothers and sisters and enjoys tutoring other students.
Ilham came to America when she was eight years old and truly believes she has a future here. She hopes to attend the University of Washington to study medicine and international affairs. One of her biggest goals is to educate the youth in her community about the value of education and world issues. Ilham's brother Hamza and his wife Zhuur, her sister Asyia, and her SHS counselor Jenny Brooks attended the BBRC meeting to cheer her on.
Tim Leahy
Elena Howell, Wendi Fischer & Chip Erickson
Tim Leahy took the floor and asked Elena Howell, Chip Erickson and Wendi Fischer to join him. Tim then asked for John and Steve to join the four of them. While everybody was asking "John and Steve who?" all of the Johns and Steves in attendance promptly went up to the front of the room — and there were a lot of them!
Tim then made his pitch to BBRC members to recruit new members: "We need more Elenas, Chips and Wendis." Although we already have enough Johns and Steves, they would also be welcome to join.
Johns and Steves, with an Elena, a Wendi & a Chip mixed in.
Paul Chapman
Paul Chapman then came up with his "male-decorated" Thanksgiving basket. (Editor's Note: Paul called it "male-decorated." I, frankly, would call it ugly.) Paul asked for donations to Operation Turkey Drop, which will hopefully buy 75 turkeys for Hope-Link and 75 turkeys for YMCA.
Paul later sent an email thanking the BBRC for donating $789 and thanking Chuck Kimbrough, Tim Moriarty, and Norm Johnson for handling the turkey pick-up and drop off on Monday morning.
Get Well Wishes for Bill Rambo
Margie welcomed Bob Moloney back from Hawaii, and Bob asked us to write our good wishes to Bill Rambo on a Get Well card that Bob was circulating. Bill is still in the hospital.
Wendi Fischer encouraged us to participate in the wonderful family visit to see the amazing display of holiday lights in the Willburton Bellevue Botanical Garden d'Lights. The lights tour is open for viewing from 5:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m, and we suggest that after you tour the lights, you drop in at the home of Howard and Judy Johnson (12824 SE 3rd), which is less than a mile from the Botanical Garden. Howard and Judy will be serving some good Rotary fellowship, hot cider, hot chocolate, and goodies from 6:30-9:00 p.m., so drop by anytime. Map from Botanical Garden to the Johnson Home.
A tip on parking: there is a $5 charge for parking right at the Botanical Garden itself, but just a few steps away, you can park for free and avoid the crowd. Free parking is available at the Wilburton Park site just to the east of the Botanical Garden. Even closer, and also for free, you can park in the Bellevue School District parking lot just across Main Street from the Botanical Garden. Access to the latter is found off of 120th Street, just south of and on the opposite side of the street from the Home Depot.
Again, join us for some Rotary fellowship right after you tour the Garden d'Lights. Don't miss the beautiful poinsettia tree made up of 12,500 LED lights and much more!
Jane Kuechle reminded us to pick up and distribute postcards on the Bellevue 5K.
Wendi Fischer reminded us of the upcoming Santa Breakfast at Glendale on December 18 for Rotarians and their families (weather permitting).
The annual BBRC "Golfing with the Elves" will be held on Thursday, December 24th, with a 9:00 AM tee time at Mt Si Golf Course. Greens fees will be $19 if you bring an unwrapped stuffed toy or non-perishable food items for the Mt Si Helping Hand Food Bank.
Take a break from the sound of the holiday with some fresh air and fellowship as we celebrate the Winter Solstice. Guests and family members are always welcomed.
RSVP to Norm Johnson.
Preserve Planet Earth Effort Gets Press
The Halloween Day clean-up at Berntsen Park earned an article in the Bellevue Reporter. Margie Burnett, Howard Johnson, Kevin and Judy Jewell, and Jenny Andrews participated in this event, which helped Jenny's son, Ben Lawry, earn his Eagle Scout badge.
- Ben Lawry takes on park project
Bellevue Reporter, Nov 05 2009
A group effort helped Bellevue resident, Ben Lawry, complete his Boy Scout Eagle project on Halloween. The senior at Issaquah High School took on a project of clearing dense brush at Issaquah's newly-acquired Berntsen Park and prepared the area for replanting with native plants. READ MORE
Jeanne Thorsen was a member of the International District Rotary Club from 1986-2000 before joining the BBRC. She recently attended the ID Club's 25th Anniversary Gala. Pictured: Former District Governor Jesse Tam (a charter member of the ID Club), Jeanne Thorsen, and Lilly Tam.
Proposed Member: Desiree Yuzawa
Desiree Yuzawa is a mortgage banker at The Legacy Group in Bellevue. She learned of the BBRC through our Adoption Party and has visited our club several times since then. She lives in Bellevue with her husband and a daughter. Her sponsor is Tamara Dean and her proposed classification is Mortgage Banker.
Contact Membership Committee Chair Chris Rasmussen with any questions or concerns regarding this application.
"What is a DUI? What if you were accused of this offence?" Joseph "Joe" Breidenbach, Rotarian and attorney
Joe Breidenbach
Bill Brooks gave a most unusual introduction to our speaker, Joe Breidenbach. After explaining that Joe is a fellow Rotarian and attorney who represents people who have been charged with committing criminal offenses, including Driving Under the Influence, Bill was interrupted by Cletus aka Curtis Cummings. Cletus, a farmer with a drinking problem, is a client of Joe's who was having problems locating the keys to his John Deere tractor. After spending a wild night drinking in Bellevue, he really needed to get back to Duvall. After a few minutes of banter, Joe suggested that Cletus look for his keys in his pants pocket, providing Cletus could find his pants, of course. He then wished Cletus the best of luck finding his way back to Duvall.
Bill Brooks & Cleatus
Joe gave us an eye-opening presentation, "I Walk the Line," about DUI and the science of DUI investigations. Joe began his presentation by telling us that there was once a "Sweet Sixteen Test" to determine if a person was under the influence. Although he went through the 16 tests very quickly, he spoke specifically about the stupidity of the tapping and gripping tests. He really did wonder if one tapped more quickly or slowly while drunk or if one were stronger or weaker while drunk.
Michel Carter & Joe Breidenbach
Of the 16 tests, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined the following three to be the most accurate in deciding whether someone is intoxicated:
- Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) - 77% accurate ("Nystagmus" means involuntary jerking or twitching of the eyes)
- Walk and Turn - 68% accurate
- One Leg Stand - 65% accurate
Unfortunately for Michel Carter, Margie selected him to be the volunteer to take the Walk and Turn test administered by Joe. According to Joe, there are eight clues associated with this test:
- Can't keep balance while listening to instructions
- Starts before the instructions are finished
- Stops while walking
- Does not touch heel to toe
- Steps off the line
- Uses arms to balance
- Improper turn
- Incorrect number of steps
Joe Breidenbach & President Margie Burnett
Joe asked the BBRC to judge how many of these clues Michel exhibited and if he passed the test or not. After some discussion, we agreed that he couldn't keep his balance while listening to instructions; he started before the instructions were finished; he stopped while walking; he stepped off the line; and he used his arms to balance. What were we to think? Did Michel attend the BBRC meeting while intoxicated or was it just the after effects of too much drinking at the Rock Bottom Brewery the night before?
Joe told us that if the suspect exhibits two or more clues on the test or fails to complete it, an officer can classify the suspect as having a Blood Alcohol Content of over 0.10.
Michel, you're busted! Welcome to the BBRC — the best darn club in the world!
Although Joe didn't have the time to finish his presentation, it was clear that he didn't think highly of the sobriety tests administered by law enforcement officers. In case you need him, his phone number is 1-888-DUIJOE and his website is DUIJOE.com. DUIJOE will fight for you!
Courtesy of Wally Mahoney
An oldie, but goodie
A young woman named Margie received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. Margie tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else she could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.
Finally, Margie was fed up and she yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. Margie shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. Margie, in desperation, threw up her hand, grabbed the bird and put him In the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.
Fearing that she'd hurt the parrot, Margie quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto Margie's outstretched arms And said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."
Margie was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As she was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"
