The meeting started with President Jenny thanking Sadru Kabani for hosting the wonderful social event at his home the previous evening. She also indicated that she would be gone the next two weeks on a Rotary trip to Southeast Asia, along with Howard Johnson. Next week Jim Zidar will host our meeting next week and Kim Shrader will host our meeting the following week.
Pam Fehrman introduced visiting Rotarians and guests and Ryan Scharnhorst gave a great invocation, followed by the pledge.
Dean Pollock reported on the ongoing success toward reaching our club’s goal of raising $6,000 for Rotary First Harvest this year, in addition to having 150 volunteers for work parties. Last week the food basket auction, plus donations, raised $852.
Dean also discussed the opportunity for individuals and businesses to purchase $5 or $10 Rotary First Harvest Holiday cards to give as gifts. Each personalized card will provide a donation of food to local food banks. Cards were available following the meeting and will be available at future meetings.
Bob Bowen presented President Jenny with a flag from the White River Rotary Club of South Africa along with a photo with the president of their club and an Aids Angel pin representing the work that World Vision and Rotary Clubs are doing to address this epidemic in Africa.
Sergeant At Arms David Bolson conducted a survey of Rotarians to obtain their opinions on who is responsible for the mortgage crisis in America. Popular answers ranged from Irresponsible mortgage brokers, Fanny Mae & Freddie Mac management, and Irresponsible loan packagers such as commercial and investment banks. On the lighter side one opinion expressed was that the mortgage crisis could have been averted if all prospective borrowers had paid all cash for their homes.
David fined all members with a mortgage $1 and all members who had no mortgage $2 — just another tax based on the ability to pay!
New Members Proposed: Smith, Addison & Turner
Lee Smith is the president of CoachWorks International in Bellevue. She coaches executives on leadership. Lee's community involvements include Kindering Center and mentoring of graduate students at Seattle University and Seattle Pacific University, and her passion is leadership facilitation. She has already visited the BBRC several times and is ready to jump in. Lee lives in Woodinville, and her suggested classification is Executive Coaching.
Christine Addison is a security consultant at Sonitrol Pacific in Bellevue. Sonitorol Pacific protects their clients’ property and personnel with commercial building security systems and services, including verified intrusion alarms, keyless access control, video surveillance and fire monitoring. Chris lives in Bellevue with her husband, Tom, and two daughters, Rachel and Megan. She has visited the BBRC several times and has already participated in one of our community service projects. She has been involved in Girl Scouts since 1996 and is very active in the PTSA. Her talents include being a “volunteer barista,” and her suggested classification is Security Consultant.
Colleen Turner lives in Maple Valley with her husband, Steve, and commutes to Bellevue. She is the president of Cruise Holidays of Bellevue, and cruises are her business! She has served on the Renton Airport Advisory Committee and has been involved in the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. She also belongs to the Washington Pilot Association. Her hobbies include flying, skiing, and traveling, and she has a private pilot certificate with instrument rating. Colleen has lived in Rio de Janeiro. Her classification is Cruise Diva.
Chuck Kimbrough shared information about an afterschool tutoring program to help younger children with homework at Lake Hills Elementary School. Opportunities exist on all school days. For more information contact Chuck.
Friday Program:
"I-985 & Getting an Initiative Onto the Ballot," Tim Eyman
Kaj Pedersen introduced Initiative Activist Tim Eyman, who grew up in Yakima and graduated from WSU. Tim first got involved in the initiative process when voters said no to build the first $400 million Stadium in Seattle, but it was built anyway. This prompted him to get involved with the initiative process, and he has since sponsored numerous initiative measures in Washington.
The most recent initiative, which is appearing on the upcoming ballot, is Initiative 985 to Reduce Traffic Congestion. Tim outlined the initiative, which accomplishes the following goals:
• It prods the Legislature and Governor to implement the many recommendations made by State Auditor Brian Sonntag, resulting from the authority granted by I-900 to do performance audits of the state and local governments. (Tim indicated that, to date, 13 audits and 496 recommendations have identified prospective savings of $3.5 billion and, to date, the legislature has said no to adopt the recommendations.)
• It illustrates the public’s support for making reducing traffic congestion a top transportation priority
• It opens up carpool lanes to everyone during non-peak hours — it’s what other states do. Examples were Portland, Phoenix and the state of Tennessee.
• It requires local governments to synchronize traffic lights on heavily-traveled arterials and streets.
• It clears our accidents faster with expanded emergency roadside assistance.
• It uses a portion (15%) of sales tax revenue from the purchase of new and used vehicles for these policies — $128 million per year (0.5% of the state general fund)
• It removes the profit motive for red light cameras.
• It replaces the percentage spent on public art for transportation projects to instead go toward reducing congestion.
• It institutes critical taxpayer protections on future tolls — guarantees that tolls won’t be diverted to non-transportation spending, dedicating it instead to its project.
• It empowers the State Auditor to track revenues and expenditures, helping implement I-985’s reforms and reporting regularly to the public on its progress.
• It doesn’t take more revenue to implement but rather requires using existing revenues more efficiently.
Manure
Courtesy of Ernie Hayden
In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship, and it was also before the invention of commercial fertilizer, so large shipments of manure were common. It was shipped dry, because, in dry form, it weighed a lot less than when wet; but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles, you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the First time someone came below at night with a lantern ... BOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening.
After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.
Thus evolved the term S.H.I.T. (Ship High In Transport), which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.
You probably did not know the true history of this word. Neither did I. I always thought it was a golf term.