This week’s editor

This week’s photos.
Professor Herbert Ellison and President Phil Salvatori












This week’s photographer



Jim Everist, 2 yrs
Morris Kremen, 2 yrs
Corr Pearce, 2 yrs
Craig Groshart, 1 yr (this time!)
John Hillock, 1 yr
Ercan Turkarslan, 1 yr
MARCH ANNIVERSARIES
Howard Johnson, 21 yrs
Norm Johnson, 19 yrs
Jan Nestler, 18 yrs
Lynne Gauthier, 15 yrs
Sadru Kabani, 13 yrs
Jenny Andrews, 11 yrs
Jane Kuechle, 11 yrs
Jeanne Thorsen, 6 yrs
MARCH BIRTHDAYS

THIS FRIDAY
"Multi Lingual Education for Field Workers in SE Asia," Anne Thomas. Anne is a graduate of Bellevue Christian who, 31 years ago, was chosen as Student of the Year at BCS and spoke to Bellevue Rotary. She first went overseas to do education work in Papua New Guinea at age 17 and continues teaching literacy overseas with programs aimed at MLE (mult-lingual education, better known as mother tongue literacy or bilingual education (indigenous language with national language) in Asia. This program will update her experiences.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“Each time history repeats itself, the price goes up.” ~ Author Unknown

Opening Bell
Cyril Faulkner gave the Invocation and led the Pledge. Rick McManus introduced visiting Rotarians and guests. including Nancy Keenholts-Dalton (University), Frank Young and Margaret Dolan (Bellevue Noon), Ray Brook and David Bobanick (Mercer Island), Dick Spady (Bellevue Sunrise), plus a few others that we fail to mention because the editor was distracted with a pending wardrobe malfunction.
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Walk-A-Thon
A rather eager group of walkers was almost let off the leash to start a lap or two about the room, but common sense seem to rear its ugly head and they pretty much stayed together in a pack, as it was explained that it is now time to enroll yourself, family, neighbors and co-workers in the 2nd Annual BBRC 7K-Walk-A-Thon, to be held on April 26th. The 2008 “Rotary Walks” brochures are now available for registration. You may also register online at www.rotarywalks.net.

Service Above Self Day
Ron “Tool Belt" Healey announced the BBRC work party to be an indoor event at the Elder and Adult Day Services in Bellevue on March 29th, from 8:00 AM to Noon. Located at 11283 NE 21st Place, this was the site of the BBRC’s very first work party 22 years ago. Tasks will involve interior painting, framing and setting a new door. We will also power wash the roof and siding and, if the weather co-operates, do some landscaping. Donuts and coffee will be served. Contract Ron Healey.

King County Community Forums
Dick Spady, Bellevue Sunrise Rotary, made a call for members to get involved with the need for volunteer Citizen Councilors in King County. Lunch sacks from Dick’s Drive-In explained the program for citizen involvement to provide meaningful feedback to our elected officials. Join online at: www.CountyWideCommunityForums.org.

2008 Retreat
The Gig Harbor Retreat is only two weeks away and there are multiple reasons for attending. From our 2009-2010 District Governor-Elect the following top five were presented:

#5: The location of Gig Harbor is known.

#4: It beats cleaning the house.

#3: Norm said I had to.

#2: The District requested my presence to keep Brian Evison, Steve Lingenbrink and John DeWater out of jail.

#1: To be forewarned is to be forearmed. I want to know what you might do to me before you consider doing it.

Those of you planning on attending the retreat must call the Inn at Gig Harbor to reserve your rooms if you have not already done so. If you fail to do this, you may end up sleeping in the parking lot or sharing a suite with the Jenny Look-A-Like. Gig Harbor Inn, 800-795-9980 or 253-858-1111.

Rotary First Harvest
Howard Johnson presented David Bobanick a check in the amount of $2,900 from the BBRC to support the work of Rotary First Harvest.

David thanked the club and also thanked Tom Smith for helping RFH with a strategy process that resulted in new process that landed two new activities, leveraged Rotary funding commitments and greater community involvement. He mentioned that this was the time of year for the Feinstein Challenge for matching donations. Your direct donation to the RFH will be matched in part by the Feinstein Foundation.

Howard also mentioned that the fourth Saturday work party is scheduled for Food Lifeline in Shoreline next weekend, but also mentioned that a work party is also held the first Saturday of the month at the new state-of-the-art facility in Kent.

Contact
Howard Johnson for times and directions.

Rotary One-Year Minute: Turkarslan & Hillock
“This has been the best year of my life!” exclaimed Ercan as he was amazed at the things that got done when people get together for the common good. He now as 120 new friends in the BBRC and the potential for 1.2 million new contacts with Rotarians worldwide. “This has been the best year, but I expect them to get even better.”

John Hillock reflected on his first year as a member of the BBRC with the memory of his five-year-old trying to make the first ever Walk-A-Thon a race rather than a walk. He was exhausted. The second half of this first year was spent with a broken pallet (upper and lower) and taking nourishment with a straw. John likes Rotary because it is a power antidote to the negativity of the daily news and the pressures of fatherhood, as well as those of being a small business owner.

Oh, Beep!
The mature nature of today’s reading by David Bolson from the works of Robert Ludlum was deemed not suitable for the ears of juvenile, so the passage from the tome donated for the annual BBRC book drive opened, “Oh, beep, oh, beep, oh, beep!”

And the total from today's donations: 342 books! That brings our total to over 500 for this year. A special thanks to Yolla at HopeLink for helping place "Donated by the BBRC" stickers in each of the books, and arranging to have them placed in the bookshelves. Thanks to the Teel, Johnson, Allington, Barnes, and Salvatori families and all of the other great BBRC members who donated today. Just one week left!
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Friday Program
"Contemporary Political Leadership in Russia," Professor Herb Ellison, Professor Emeritus of History and International Studies, University of Washington

Jim Gordon introduced Herbert J. Ellison, Professor Emeritus of Russian History and International Studies at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies and the History Department at the University of Washington. He is also Founding Director of Eurasia Policy Studies at The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR). Most recently, Professor Ellison was the Executive Producer of Yeltsin, a PBS documentary film sponsored in part by NBR.

A specialist on the history and politics of Russia, the Soviet Union, and the CIS, as well as an expert on the international relations of East Asia, Professor Ellison received his BA and MA degrees from the University of Washington, and his PhD degree from the University of London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies. In 1993 he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Grant.

Professor Ellison has served as Director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies of the University of Washington, and the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C.). He was also a Trustee of the National Council for Soviet and East European Research, Vice President of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Russian Research Center at Harvard University.

Professor Ellison was Chairman of the Board of Directors at the International Research and Exchanges Board, Washington, D.C., which manages educational and developmental exchanges with Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. He has also served as a consultant to the Department of State and to the foreign affairs committees of the U.S. Congress. An accomplished scholar and published author, he has lectured widely at universities and research institutes in the United States, Europe, and East Asia.

Professor Ellison talked at length about the historic fall of Communism in the former Soviet Union and the important roles played by Presidents Gorbachev, Yeltsin and Putin in the establishment of a Russian system of democracy. He feels that it was Yeltsin that provided the impetus for Gorbachev to initiate Perestroika and dismantle the socialistic communism state. Putin has gone on to leverage the natural resources of Russia to develop a world class economy in ten years.

President Phil Salavatori, the democratically elected leader of the free BBRC presented Professor Ellison with a gift certificate to signify that 750 pounds of fresh produce have been donated to local food banks on his behalf.

Web Fun

How To Buy Happiness
Contributed by Ernie Hayden: “Here’s an article that notes that the best way to buy happiness is to give money and your time to charities ... kind of like the Rotary way.”
From The Lab
How To Buy Happiness
Elizabeth Corcoran, 03.20.08, 7:00 PM ET

Bad news for the luxury goods market: Spending money on tchochkes doesn't make you happier, but giving money away just might.

That conclusion, in a study published Thursday in the journal Science, flies in the face of what most people--and, certainly, advertisers--typically believe.

* * * * *
World’s Easiest Quiz
Courtesy of Wally Mahoney

(Passing requires 4 correct answers)

1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?


Remember, you need 4 correct answers to pass.

Check your answers below.
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ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years

2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador

3) From which animal do we get catgut? Sheep and Horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert

8) What color is a purple finch? Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?
Orange (of course)


What do you mean, you failed?

Me, too.

















VOL 20, NO 36, MARCH 25, 2008

IN THIS ISSUE: