Welcome to this Week’s BBRC Report! Straight from the Glendale Country Club venue where today’s buzz was about the Olympics and Michael Phelps, the swimmer. This reporter is very concerned, though Phil Salvatori thinks that buttoning the top button of this polo shirt is the same as wearing a tie! Phil!!! How can you think like that???

Opening Bell

At 7:30 AM, Jenny opened the meeting with a clang on a green bronze Asian bell. Yes, the beloved BBRC bell is still out at the engravers adding Phil’s name as past president.

The Invocation and pledge were by Jeanne Thorsen — a runner herself — who expressed awe at the Olympic athletes and the fact that Michael Phelps eats 12,000 calories a day!

Phil Salvatori introduced our visiting Rotarians and guests.

Our New Exchange Student, Cristóbal Baladrón of Chile

Morris Kremen introduced our new Rotary Exchange Student, Cristóbal Baladrón from Chile. Cristobal will be attending Bellevue High School, and Morris asked the members of the club to help Cristobal meet some students from BHS this summer before school starts. Of course, if you have opportunities to invite Cristobal to join you and your family for outings, sporting events, etc., please keep him in mind and contact Morris.

Drum Roll Please ... Important Speakers Coming!

President Jenny announced that in light of the political season we are in the middle of — and thanks to Chuck Kimbrough — Dino Rossi will be speaking to the club on Friday, September 19th and Governor Gregoire will be speaking to us on October 10th.

Don’t forget to tell your friends and potential members about this opportunity! This is very exciting and a way to show how that the BBRC IS the best darn Rotary Club in the World!!

Who's On the Membership Committee?

We all need to thank John DeWater for reminding us that ALL OF US are on the Membership Development Committee! (Duh!)

The Rotary Academy — Sign Up Now!

Jenny Andrews announced that the Rotary Academy is looking for students. The Rotary Academy is an eight-month correspondence course of Rotary information to help you gain in-depth knowledge of the operations and procedures of Rotary. Course topics include Rotary Basics, Membership, Public Relations, Service Projects, Foundation, and District Policies and Procedures. You also are expected to write an essay on a Rotary topic of your own choice.

The registration deadline for the 2008-2009 course is September 1, 2008. For more information and/or to register, go to the Rotary Academy page on the District website.

The Rotary Academy kickoff is:

September 10, 2008, 7:00-8:00 PM
Mercer Island Community Center
8236 SE 24th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Phone: 206-275-7609

As a reminder, several members of the BBRC have completed the Rotary Academy and found it to be a pretty comprehensive way to learn about Rotary quickly and easily.

First-Ever District 5030 After Hours Social, August 28

The lovely Elena Howell took a moment to tell us about the first-ever District 5030 After Hours Social to be held at Maplewood Golf Course from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM on Thursday, August 28th. Yes, there will be beer, food, and it can count as a Make-Up! However, it is also important to know that the BBRC is co-sponsoring the event with the District.

To sign up, click here. RSVPs are required, as space is limited!

The Passing of ... the Vest?

Our friend, Chipster Erickson, has been the Chairman of the Preserve Planet Earth Committee for several years now. He has led us through tree plantings, 405 clean-ups, and other good things for the environment. Well, Chip announced that he is moving the Chair to Bob Crosby.

Actually, Chip couldn’t just make the announcement. Instead he offered drama! Chip started up the ol’ 8-track and began to play the music from the Masters Golf Classic, and during this time, where all the eyes teared up, Chip helped Bob don the orange highway vest and a hard hat! Wow, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house! (Not!)

Bob did announce, after he donned the gear, that the first event for the Committee this Rotary year will be a road cleaning along I-405 on September 6th, at 9:00 AM. Meet up at the SE 8th Park and Ride. Bob also noted that he is so excited to see Husky and Cougar alumni wearing Oregon State Orange for these events!

By the way, did you know that the music Chip played and that CBS uses during the Master’s Tournament coverage was originally written by Dave Loggins in 1981? The music was re-released by Leeds Music/Patchwork Music ASCAP in 1996 by Don Cherry.

Kids Fest Part — A Party for Special Kids

President-elect Margie Burnett announced plans for a really special party to be hosted by the BBRC. The party will be a chance to bring together foster kids who are available for adoption with families who have been cleared to adopt a child.

Margie heard about this idea with Rotary Clubs in Texas and noted that with these events state-wide, adoption rates increased dramatically.

The party is scheduled for Saturday, October 4th, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and the location is still to be determined. Margie is looking for volunteers to help set up and take down the facilities. Please let Margie know of your interest in volunteering.

World's Worst Music Brings in Bucks

Surgeon at Arms, David Bolson, took the floor by first kidnapping ... er ... I mean borrowing Steve Peters’ daughter, the charming Ms. Gabrielle Ann Peters, a 6th grader at Odle Middle School.

David tried to get Gabrielle to be his puppet but she realized that cooperating with the SAA could have negative repercussions on her return to middle school, so she behaved herself and went back to her seat.

David then announced that he has noted more angst at BBRC and brought up the world famous (and vestless) Chip Erickson and his guitar. David had Chip sing some of the worst songs ever made to the club until we donated enough money to make Chip and David stop.

Ouch!

Chip started with the obnoxious song “Brand New Key” by singing it in a high-pitched, scratchy voice. Wow, the bucks started flowing right away! But it didn’t end there ...

Chip started singing the Barney Song! More money flowed!

Finally, the end arrived with Chip’s rendition of "It’s A Small World," and everyone sang along. Scary, but true.

David Bolson literally placed a Stack O’ Money back on Sayoko’s desk, to be counted after this “fund” raiser!

I wonder how many potential new members were scared away?

New Members Proposed: Anderton, Hines & Scharnhorst

Jeff Anderton is President of Ascent Technology Services (Kirkland), which provides IT/network support for small business and engineering/IT staffing service. He lives in Kenmore with his wife Judie Krey and two children, Will and Zoe. His interests include golf and camping. He has attended BBRC meetings for two months already and is ready to become a member. He is sponsored by Rourke O’Brien and Sayoko Kuwahara. The proposed classification is IT Consulting.

Lorenzo Hines, Jr., has been visiting our club for a few months and attended the Rotating the Wheels party, too. He has served our King County as Public Sector CFO and Chief Administrative Officer. He lives in Issaquah with his wife Nancy and two children, Lauren and Kristen. Lorenzo is also a singer, songwriter, and musician, with the ability to play various instruments. His classification will be Financial Management, and his sponsors are Corr Pearce and Jim Owens.

Ryan Scharnhorst is a young, passionate professional, who stated that his overall goal of joining the BBRC is to “give back to the community, volunteer, and make the world a better place.” He works for Sagemark Wealth Management in Kirkland, and he lives in Issaquah with his wife Jodene and daughter Anya. Ryan's hobbies include golf, running and water-skiing. The proposed classification is Independent Financial Planner. He is sponsored by John Martinka and Rourke O’Brien.

In accordance with our by-laws, if you have any comments on these candidates for membership, please contact John DeWater, Director of Membership.

Clothing Donations for TreeHouse

Madeline Gauthier is assisting TreeHouse in the collection of NEW clothing for school-aged children who are in foster care. The State provides only $300 per year for clothing for a foster child. If you contribute one new item of clothing, it would make a world of difference to a kid who is starting the new school year.

If you would like to help with this project, please bring a new item of clothing or pair of shoes to this Friday's meeting. Contact Madeline Gauthier for more information.

Friday Program

“Strong Kids, Strong Teens,” Mary Jones, MS, RD, CD, Clinical Dietician/Nutritionist

Jane Kuechle introduced today’s speaker, Ms. Mary Jones. Mary is a clinical dietician and nutritionist for Children's Hospital and also provides oversight for the grant-funded “Strong Kids, Strong Teens” program at the YMCA, which focuses on obese children and teens.

Mary, a Bastyr University graduate, raised some key points, aided by numerous questions from the floor, which included the following:

The definition of “Obese” has not changed since its original establishment in the 1980’s. Essentially you are obese if your body mass index (BMI) exceeds 24.9 for adults.

Obesity in children correlates over time with increased TV watching, computer games, reduction on active lifestyle for children. Also, there is a relationship to when the US began financial subsidies for corn which as led to increased crops and now high-fructose corn syrup in much of the food we eat.

Childhood obesity tends to be a key issue for African American, Latino and Native American ethnic groups.

Mary noted that if you can attack obesity when children are 3 to 5 years old, then there is a chance of long-term success. However, if the child is obese at 8 to 10 years old, there is a much greater chance that they will be obese in adulthood.

Some University of Washington research in the Seattle area has shown an inverse relationship between home value and obesity rates. So, if you live in a more expensive house, the likelihood of having obese children is reduced.

Obesity has consequences — immediate and long term. The immediate consequences include low self esteem, body image disturbances, depression, sleep apnea, orthopedic complications and early puberty. The long term consequences can be Type 2 Diabetes, knee and joint problems.

Mary noted that the current trend has a very sad outcome. This may be the first generation where the children do not outlive the parents, i.e., they won’t live past their parents' deaths, due to the complications of obesity.

The food industry is not helping — 90% of TV commercials seen by children are food-related. The industry tends to increase the appeal of food for children by placing cartoon characters on the packaging and/or placing the food at child-eye level in the grocery stores.

In the 1970’s 70% of families ate together. Now, only 30% of families eat together. Therefore, we eat less nutritious foods.

Children’s Hospital has put together a program called Partner with Parents & Family to reduce obesity. The program realizes that obesity is not just a children’s problem but is also a family problem. The program has put together a simple brochure called “Small Steps to Health — 75210” where the numbers mean the following:

7 = Eat breakfast every day
5 = Helpings of fruit and vegetables every day
2 = Less than two hours of computer, TV per day
1 = Be active for more than 1 hour per day
0 = Cut down on soda and sugar-sweetened beverages

Mary also spoke briefly about the Strong Kids, Strong Teens Program that has been funded by a grant for five years. This program is jointly run by Children’s Hospital and the YMCA. The program is focused on 8–11-year-olds and 12–14-year-olds in two separate groups. The program lasts 12 weeks, with meetings of children and parents twice each week. You must be referred by a doctor and the parent must be with the child to help the parent realize that the modeling applies to all affected family members. There are 11 programs in King and Snohomish County YMCAs. Unfortunately, the Federal Grant is in jeopardy even though it has been successful.

The primary message from Mary is that attacking the childhood obesity epidemic involves all parties. We need to link efforts across the different sectors such as healthcare, schools, offices, day care, parks/playgrounds, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. to get us to realize that how and what we eat is important to our lives and to our social systems. In conclusion, you, as a role model can influence many!

Jenny thanked Mary and presented her with a pin and a contribution to RotaCare.

Mary's presentation is available for
download in two formats:

Powerpoint | PDF

Web Fun

Irish Technology
Courtesy of Wally Mahoney

After having dug to a depth of 10 meters last year, Scottish scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Scots, in the weeks that followed, English scientists dug to a depth of 20 meters, and shortly after, headlines in the English newspapers read: "English archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the Scots."

One week later, The Kerrymen, a southwest Irish newsletter, reported the following: "After digging as deep as 30 meters ina peat bog near Tralee, self-taught archaeologist Paddy O'Droll reported that he found absolutely nothing. Paddy has therefore concluded that 300 years ago Ireland had already gone wireless."