Friday Program:
The Non-Speaker

Dr. Mark Roth was to speak on cancer and trauma research but ended up being sick himself, so no program for this week.

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Preliminaries

President Jimmy Z called the meeting to order. Mike Dunlop delivered the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, while Norm Johnson greeted visiting guests and Rotarians, which included former members Mike Hyodo, back briefly in the United States and soon to return to Kenya, and John Mix, in the area for the weekend and soon to return to the Sovereign Nation of Idaho.

John Martinka announced that the container with the computers which his team will be distributing and setting up in Turkey has arrived in Turkey. The team is preparing to leave very soon.

Retreat Recap

Phil Salvatori shared the Rotary International motto for next year, “Rotary Shares,” and announced that the BBRC would have its own club theme for the coming year, “Focus on Youth.”

Phil’s real reason for getting up was to give President Zidar a hard time. It seems as though our President won the trophy for the shortest drive during the golf tournament preceding the Retreat and then did everything in his power to leave the trophy behind at the Inn at Port Hadlock. Eagle Eye Phil, however, retrieved the trophy and re-presented it to President Z. It is quite likely that the trophy will never be seen again.

Rotary Walks! Update

Hal Teel and Margie Burnett announced that 10% of BBRC members have signed up for the Rotary Walks!, mostly using the web site. As Hal described it, we have “ignition,” having so far raised $2,000, and now we need “lift-off.”

Margie, as she promised, awarded Starbucks certificates to the first five people to sign up: Morris Kremen, Ernie Hayden, Cyril Faulkner, Norm Johnson and Hal Teel.

BBRC House Band Makes a Big Comeback

The Brothers Three suddenly swelled to the Brothers Five when Chip Erickson, Chris Monger, Tom Smith, John DeWater and Andrew Face came up to play. In a superb take-off from the Johnny Cash standard “I Walk the Line,” the house band had the joint jumpin’, particularly after Jim Owens laid in with his soulful harmonica.

So good was the band that the crowd demanded an encore and the band accommodated by playing a number to the tune of the theme from the old “Welcome Back, Kotter” series. This was for the benefit of John Mix, who was invited not to play but just to strut his stuff, which he did. Life on the Palouse has not diminished his sense of humor.

Lyrics by Chip Erickson I used to stand outside of QFC And watch the shoppers try to avoid me But we have a new fundraiser now you see The raffle's gone, for the Walk A Thon We'll start and end at Bellevue City Hall It's only 5K so you won't hit the wall The BBRC will be standing tall When we're all on the Walk A Thon So mark your calendar for April 28 It starts at 9AM so don't be late We need our whole club to participate Avoid a fine, and Walk The Line!

GSE Team Ready to Go

Sayoko Kuwahara has her outbound GSE team whipped into shape and ready to rock and roll. Hoo-ah! They will be guests of District 2770 in Saitama Prefecture, a bedroom community of greater Tokyo. Sayoko will be leading the five-woman team from the Seattle area.

Alice Ikeda is a TV producer and three-time Emmy award winner with her own production company, Rabbithole Productions, Inc. Alice is second-generation Japanese. She is looking forward to revisiting her ancestry on this trip. Alice spent 16 months in Japan as a college exchange student.

Michelle Fugiel is Program Assistant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where she provides support for the Executive Office. Michelle spent two years in Japan teaching English.

Kelly Guy is Prevention and Family Support Manager for Casey Family Programs. She is responsible for the department’s budget and operations. Kelly had a Japanese godmother who helped raise her.

Lindsey Lemm is a Senior Branch Office Administrator for Edward Jones and is an aspiring financial adviser. She works for a Rotarian in the Ballard club. Lindsey has participated in many international services projects.

As Sayoko analyzed her team, she discovered that all are first-born children in their families except Lindsey. According to Sayoko, first-born children follow instructions and are over-achievers, but when something goes wrong, they do not always react well. Thus, the need for a second child.

Thanks to Larry Gill, who took some excellent photographs of the outbound team, and John Armenia, who is working with the inbound team from Japan. The Team will leave on April 28, but both the inbound and outbound teams will be at the BBRC on April 20.

Email From John Mix

To the BBRC:

Thanks for the warm welcome last Friday! It does my heart good to visit you good Rotarians when possible. You haven’t lost the perfect touch you’ve perfected over the years!

To Don Chandler: Pampa Pond is brimful with the spring run-off and the fishermen are out in droves (er, well, okay, there were two of them and one was asleep!). That pond is a joy to travelers to see its azure blue color in the midst of the Eastern Washington scablands.

To Dick Brown: I had my clothing packed away in your “Clothier” bag. Just like old times.

To Norm Johnson, Colly Radford and Jim Owens: Congratulations for your perseverance (there are others who chipped in as well) to make the Water Spray Park project a reality.

To Jim Zidar: For nearing completion of a banner year as your president, kudos to you!

To the Gang headed for Turkey on behalf of Computers for the World: What a great experience you’ll have and what a special gift you’ll leave behind.

To the Brothers: It was fun joining you Friday morning. Your music brought back wonderful memories of BBRC bands of the past. I do think you may be the best band of the last 21 years! Don’t forget the talent right under your noses: Mary Bell is a virtuoso flautist (and she can play the flute, too!). You need to add her to the crew, if for no other reason than gender equality. (Back in 1996, Mary joined a motley crew of musicians to play the Vandal Fight Song on the occasion of the visit by the President of the University of Idaho. A fellow from Sammamish High faculty in charge of instrumental music, Gary—and a Vandal grad—was the lead playing the tuba. It was the funniest musical memory I have. You shoulda been there!)

As for me, I’m busy in my new surroundings on the Palouse. Involved in chartering a new breakfast Rotary Club, which will draw members from both Moscow and Pullman and points beyond. It will charter some time in mid-May. It will take some nurturing to make it a mirror of the BBRC, but we can always try.

Thanks again for your hospitality and good luck for the BBRC Hike for Healthy Kids on April 28! Bellevue is lucky to have you!

Best Rotary regards,
John Mix

We Come as Strangers & We Leave as Friends

The GSE Team from Rotary District 2770 from the Saitama/Tokyo area has arrived. Welcoming events, ceremonies, dinners, and orientation workshops greeted the five Rotary International Group Study Exchange Team (GSE) members upon their arrival March 28th. Team Leader Emoto-san, Emi (Emiko), Hiro (Naohio), Sushi (Atsushi), and Yuko met many their host families and Rotary GSE Zone Coordinators at the Welcoming Dinner held at the O’Asian Restaurant that hosted by Assunta Ng, publisher of the Northwest Asian Weekly, a Seattle-4 Rotarian and organized by Jay Prince, a Seattle-4 member and the Seattle Area Zone Coordinator. A GSE Committee Orientation was held the afternoon of the 29th at the Mayflower Hotel.

The Group Study Exchange Program of the Rotary Foundation is an educational program that promotes international understanding through organized travel and personal contacts supported by vocational exchanges and personal contact including the hosting of GSE Team members in the homes of Rotary members. GSE travel grants support teams of business and profession men and women around the world (ages 25-40). GSE Team members for District 2770 members will be hosted by Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club and Rotary Club of Bellevue members beginning April 18th during their fourth week of their exchange experience. They will be hosted by BBRC President Jim Zidar and members Tim Leahy and John Armenia; and Bellevue Rotary Club President John Baldwin and members Margaret Doman and Peter Kirov.

GSE Team members must be in the early stages of their careers or professions and seek to gain a maximum value from the vocational education as well as cultural value of the program. Therefore, the vocational study sessions that GSE Team will experience during their tour with Eastside businesses and government are a major feature of the program. An essential element of GSE is the opportunity for team members to study their vocations as practiced here in the United States, Bellevue/Redmond, and the State of Washington as we connect and collaborate with businesses and professions around the world.

Hold these dates: BBRC members will be able to meet the members of GSE Team 2770 at our April 20th meeting where they are the program. BBRC members are invited to attend an April 23rd (7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) Karaoke dinner and party at Mamasan Japanese Restaurant at 131 106th Ave in Bellevue. Registration information will be in next week’s Reveille and on the website. And, members are invited to attend the Farewell Dinner where we will be saying “bon voyage” on the evening of April 24th (6:30 to 8:30) at City University to both Sayoko’s RI District 5030 GSE Team and our new friends on the RI District 2770 Team.

• • •

District 2770 team from Japan

Naohiro Emoto(Team Leader) - Classification: Certified public tax accountant - Omiya R.C.

I was born in 1964 in Saitama city. After I graduated from university I became a teacher of tax-law and accounting at both a regular college and a technical college, and I am now running the certified public tax accountant’s corporation in Saitama city. My work involves things like tax planning and making tax returns for my clients. I also conduct lectures for people engaged in various occupations and write books about tax law and accounting.

Apart from my profession, my hobbies are playing golf and visiting hot springs (Onsen). Hot springs are good for our health and relaxation, so I recommend that you come to Japan and try one. I live with my parents, wife, and two daughters, who are 13 and 11 years old.

I visited District 7300 Pennsylvania as a GSE team member 6 years ago. I experienced the wonderful Rotary program. After I came back to Japan, I became a member of the Omiya Rotary Club immediately. As a Rotarian, I try hard to be involved in youth exchange program. So far I have hosted more than 10 students.

Atsushi Oba

I was born in Ishikawa Prefecture. Now I live in Saitama city of Saitama Prefecture, which is north of Tokyo. I’m now 30 years old. I’ve been working for NISSAN DIESEL MOTOR CO., LTD. since 1999.

Our company is one of the truck assembly factories, and our section purchases lots of truck parts. I take charge of imported axle from DIAMLER,MERRITOR and S&T, and transmissions from ARRISON, FULLER, and ZF and other parts, TM cables, Rods, and U-bolts, for example.

My hobbies are cycling, camping, out door sports, traveling and playing with dogs. I’m very interested in cycling, hiking and camping in natural parks because, though I can also experience wonderful nature in Japan, but the scale is small. But in America it is greater and wilder than in Japan.

What I want to study during my stay are the different policies between America and Japan. For example, nowadays we need to get lots of parts not only from domestic markets, but also from foreign countries, because of our capital alliance with VOLVO.

So, I would like to make use of other company information (how to negotiate, what their thoughts are or how to deal with other countries) to procure parts from a global viewpoint.

Place that I want to visit: Boeing, Paccar, Microsoft, Starbucks and other company of purchasing department. Our company is No. 4 truck sales share in Japan. So if I can, I would like to visit manufactures not only No. 1 market share company but also under No. 2 market share companies.

Emiko Ozawa

Work with property taxes.

Hobbies: Visiting museums and galleries ( I am interested in art like pictures, sculptures, photos, and products of good design) Watching movies and dramas, I like "Full House" too. I've been studying a kind of self-defense art every Sunday for the past 4 years. I am a second-degree black belt.

Interests - Urban design: I'd like to see how to structure a city and how people are conscious of it. I think there is a relation between city structure and environment, and I want to understand that effect on the environment. Digital government: I hear the State of Washington has a first-rate digital government. I work at the city hall and it is necessary to know about things like this. I'd also like to visit public institutions like libraries and schools. I want to understand the relationship between local governments and people. If there is the chance, I want to hear a town meeting.

Masahiro Yoshida

I am 28 years old.

I live in Kawaguchi city in Saitama prefecture, but I was born and raised in Sendai city in Miyagi prefecture. That’s where my parents and my elder brother live.

My hobbies are playing soccer, snowboarding, shopping, watching movie, naps, and many others.

I have been working for Gohdoh Accounting Firm as an account and tax consultant for the past 2 years.

For that reason, I am strongly interested in and would like to become more familiar with American accounting standards, especially tax avoidance and auditing.

Concerning the e-file that Japan has recently been focusing on, I would like to know the procedure involved in carrying on the e-file, because it is quite complicated in Japan.

Yuko Hasunuma

I was born in Honjo in Saitama, which is north of Tokyo, and I grew up in Saitama, as well. There are four members in my family-my parents, older sister, and myself.

I studied economics and bookkeeping at junior college, and I have been working in the business section of Daiwa Securities in Omiya, Saitama.

I like traveling abroad. It is very exciting to meet new people and to try different kinds of food in the places I visit. I also like karaoke, and eating good food. I’d like to know more about the vibrant atmosphere of the financial sector in the United States, and experience the operation of security firms in different countries through this GSE program. I’d also like to exchange ideas with many people of different ages, occupations, and cultures. Moreover, I want to be successful in my career in the future and also improve my knowledge by getting views and ideas from different people. My favorite proverb is “Seeing is believing.” So, I’d like to know about a lot of things through this GSE program.

I’m interested in visiting or seeing companies and places like: security companies (Goldman Sachs Group, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan, Chase, Morgan Stanley, etc.), Boeing Factory, lakes, Pioneer Square, the Space Needle, Safeco Field, and Bento Box.

Web Fun

Life is Short—Enjoy It!

• Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

• Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

• Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

• Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

• If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

• If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it

• It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

• Never buy a car you can't push.

• Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

• Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

• The second mouse gets the cheese.

• When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

• Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

• You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

• Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

• We could learn a lot from crayons–some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

• A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.