Friday 31 May 2013

May 31 - The regular meeting of the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020 for the week beginning May 31.



















Dear Fellow Rotarians, visitors and guests!

WELCOME TO OUR E-CLUB!

Thank you for stopping by our club meeting!  We hope you will enjoy your visit.

Our E-Club banner is shown at left!  Please send us a virtual copy of your club banner and we will send you a copy of our new club banner in exchange.  We will also display your club banner proudly on our meeting website. 

Although our E-club has Provisional status at this time, we hope you will find the content of our meeting enlightening and will give us the benefit of your opinion on the content.

June is Rotary Fellowships month.  What Rotary fellowships are you interested in?


Visiting Rotarians.  Click this link to Apply for a Make-up.  We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active MembersClick to sign in.  
Happy Hour Hangout.  We are adjusting the time of our Happy Hour Hangout to Saturday mornings - early enough so that you can join before your day gets away from you.
We meet for a live chat and sometimes business discussion.  If you are interested in dropping by, please click the link below.  Morning coffee is on the house!  (Your house, that is...)  Hope to see you there!
Please note:  Now, attending our HHH will earn you a make-up!
The link to the Happy Hour Hangout for Saturday is at the bottom of this meeting. 

Interested in joining us? Click the link Membership Application and Information.

Our Provisional President, Kitty, would now like to welcome you to this week's meeting.  Please listen in...




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ROTARY E-CLUB OF THE CARIBBEAN, 7020

 

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ABCs OF ROTARY (Cliff Dochterman)

Cliff Dochterman
RI President, 1992-93

Functional Literacy Program

It has been estimated that a billion people - one-quarter of the world's population - are unable to read.  Illiteracy of adults and children is a global concern in both highly industrialized nations and in developing countries.  The number of adult illiterates in the world is increasing by 25 million each year!  In the United States, one-quarter of the entire population is considered functionally illiterate.

The tragedy of illiteracy is that those who cannot read lose personal independence and become victims of unscrupulous manipulation, poverty and the loss of human feelings which give meaning to life.  illiteracy is demeaning.  It is a major obstacle for economic, political, social and personal development. Illiteracy is a barrier to international understanding, cooperation, and peace in the world.

Literacy education was considered a program priority by Rotary's original Health, Hunger, and Humanity Committee in 1978.  An early 3-H grant led to the preparation of an excellent source book on the issues of literacy in the world.  the Rotary-sponsored publication, The Right to Read, was edited by Rotarian Eve Malmquist, a past district governor from Linkoping, Sweden, and a recognized authority on reading and educational research.  The book was the forerunner of a major Rotary program emphasis on literacy promotion.

In 1985, the RI Board declared a ten-year emphasis on literacy education.  In 1992, the board extended the emphasis until the year 2000.  Many Rotary clubs are thoughtfully surveying the needs of their community for literacy training.  Some clubs provide basic books for teaching reading.  Others establish and support reading and language clinics, provide volunteer tutorial assistance and purchase reading materials.  Rotarians can play a vitally important part in their community and in developing countries by promoting projects to open opportunities which come from the ability to read.

International Conventions

Each May or June, Rotary International holds a worldwide convention "to stimulate inspire and inform all Rotarians at an international level."  The convention, which may not be held in the same country for more than two consecutive years, is the annual meeting to conduct the business of the association.  The planning process usually begins about four or five years in advance.

The RI Board determines a general location and invites cities to make proposals.  The conventions are truly international events which 15,000 to 20,000 Rotarians and guests attend.  All members should plan to participate in a Rotary International convention to discover the real internationality of Rotary.  It is an experience you'll never forget.

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SPEAKER - How to green the desert and reverse climate change


Desertification of the world's grasslands, Allan Savory suggests, is the immediate cause of poverty, social breakdown, violence, cultural genocide -- and a significent contribution to climate change.

In the 1960s, while working in Africa on the interrelated problems of increasing poverty and disappearing wildlife, Savory made a significant breakthrough in understanding the degradation and desertification of grassland ecosystems. After decades of study and collaboration, thousands of managers of land, livestock and wildlife on five continents today follow the methodology he calls "Holistic Management."

In 1992, Savory and his wife, Jody Butterfield, formed the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe, a learning site for people all over Africa. In 2010, the Centre won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge for its work in reversing desertification.

In that same year he and his wife, with others, founded the Savory Institute in Boulder, Colorado, to promote large-scale restoration of the world's grasslands.

    "Allan's message is vital to the restoration of the world's grasslands -- a long-ignored component of the earth's lungs."
Click this link to view the video. (20 minutes) Click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.

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Venison for dinner again? Oh deer!

A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy.

I tried to catch some fog but I mist.

They told me I had Type-A blood but it was a Type-O.


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ROTARIANS HONORED AT THE WHITE HOUSE

In early April, 12 U.S. Rotarians were honored at the White House  as Champions of Change for their efforts to improve communities locally and around the world.

RI General Secretary John Hewko and RI President Sakuji Tanaka during a reception in the National Press Club 4 April.

As part of the daylong event, more than 160 Rotarians attended a morning round of briefings by government officials on topics including polio eradication, health, violence prevention, and the environment.

“It is a great honor to see these dedicated Rotary members recognized by the U.S. White House as Champions of Change for their work to improve the lives of people around the world,” said RI President Sakuji Tanaka.

Tanaka said the honorees exemplify how Rotary brings people together to solve problems that are too large for one person to tackle.

“Alone, we look at the problems of our community and our world and we feel helpless,” he said. “But together, we are powerful. And through Rotary, we have the power to change our communities and communities throughout the world -- now and into the future. We have the ability to build the world we dream of: one that is healthier, happier, and with hope for better things to come.”

RI General Secretary John Hewko said the 12 Rotarians represent what Rotary is all about: “committed volunteers working together to improve communities not just in the United States but throughout the world.”

He said that Rotary is an early and continuing example of organizations that are neither government institutions nor private businesses, that increasingly are joining together to address the world’s most pressing problems. He noted how Rotary’s partnership with other organizations has nearly eradicated polio worldwide.

“When we defeat polio -- and, yes, we will defeat this disease -- we will prove that there is nothing we cannot accomplish for the good of humanity by working together,” he said.
Champions of Change

The 12 Rotarians honored as Champions of Change are:

    Tom Barnes, a member of the Rotary Club of Marion-East Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- Barnes leads a project that has provided new shoes to more than 3,500 children from low-income families across the state.

    Bob Dietrick, a member of the Rotary Club of Franklin At Breakfast, Tennessee -- Dietrick is the driving force behind Operation Starfish, a club project that provides clean water and sanitation to low-income residents in the region who would otherwise have to rely on contaminated shallow wells.

    John Germ, a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tennessee -- Germ is a leader in fund development for Rotary’s polio eradication campaign, recently coordinating an effort that raised more than $228 million in response to $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He also leads projects to assist mentally and physically challenged children and adults in Tennessee.

    Peggy Halderman, a member of the Rotary Club of Golden, Colorado -- Halderman five years ago launched Golden Backpack, a program that provides food every weekend to more than 520 underprivileged schoolchildren in the Golden community.

    Nancy Sanford Hughes, a member of the Rotary Club of Eugene Southtowne, Oregon -- Hughes helped establish Stove Team International, a program that manufactures and distributes small, portable, and safe stoves to needy families in Central America. The program is now supported by Rotary clubs throughout the United States, Mexico, and Central America.

    Walter Hughes Jr., a member of the Rotary Club of Rocky Mount, Virginia -- Hughes leads a multinational Rotary partnership that is helping to eradicate guinea worm disease in Ghana and South Sudan through the implementation of clean water projects.

    Ann Lee Hussey, a member of the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise, Maine -- Hussey has made her life’s work the eradication of polio and the alleviation of suffering of people with polio. A polio survivor herself, she has led numerous Rotary volunteer teams to India, Nigeria, and other countries to immunize children and provide assistance to people disabled by polio.

    Jeremiah Lowney Jr., a member of the Rotary Club of Norwich, Connecticut -- Lowney led the effort to establish the Haitian Health Foundation, now the primary health care provider in southwestern Haiti, delivering live-saving services to a quarter million people in 104 rural villages.

    Douglas McNeil, a member of the Rotary Club of Los Gatos Morning, California -- McNeil leads area Rotary members in programs that mentor and inspire young people, such as the Rotary Earth Day Project. He also helped establish Lighting for Literacy, which provides low-cost solar lighting systems for communities without electricity, promoting more at-home reading, a key tool in increasing literacy rates.

    Harriett Schloer, a member of the Rotary Club of Bend High Desert, Oregon -- Schloer in 1999 enlisted Rotary support to launch the Shots for Tots program, which provides free routine immunizations to any area schoolchildren, insured or not, through age 18. Deschutes County now has one of the highest immunization rates in the state.

    Bonnie Sirower, a member of the Rotary Club of Paterson, New Jersey -- Sirower organized and coordinated Rotary relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which devastated the region in October. As a result, truckloads of critically needed relief supplies were sent from Rotary clubs to communities along the East Coast.

    Neli Vazquez-Rowland, a member of the Rotary Club of Chicago -- Vazquez-Rowland and her husband in 1994 established Safe Haven, a comprehensive program that helps thousands of people dealing with homelessness, hunger, addiction, chronic unemployment, and other issues.

“The commitment of these individuals to service reflects that of our worldwide membership of 1.2 million men and women, all of whom deserve to share in this recognition,” Tanaka said.

“Rotary is a way for good people to step forward and work for a better world. And it is a way for all of us, around the world, to transcend race, religion, nation, and politics -- to come together to give help to the people who need it.”


There are two links you can click to read more about these Rotarians and the Service Above Self.

Click this link for the Champions of Change page.

Click this link to read more about these Rotarians.  Click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.

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RESPONSIBILITY PROJECT

A little thing - but who needs to be the leader?  Do the right thing!





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SPEAKER - How we found the giant squid




A specialist in bioluminescence, Edith Widder helps design and invent new submersible instruments and equipment to study bioluminescence and enable unobtrusive observation of deep-sea environments.

Her innovative tools for exploration have produced footage of rare and wonderful bioluminescent displays and never-before-seen denizens of the deep, including, most recently, the first video ever recorded of the giant squid, Architeuthis, in its natural habitat.

In 2005, she founded the Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA), which is dedicated to protecting aquatic ecosystems and the species they sustain through the development of innovative technologies and science-based conservation action.

In an effort to protect and revitalize the ocean she loves, she has been focusing on developing tools for finding and tracking pollution -- a major threat to all of our water ecosystems and ultimately to human health. She was awarded a MacArthur "genius" grant in 2006.

In 2012, Widder was among the team that filmed the giant squid (Architeuthis) for the first time in its home ocean.

Quotes by Edith Widder
   “In the ocean, [bioluminescence] is the rule rather than the exception.”
    “It's a little-appreciated fact that most of the animals in our ocean make light.”
     “Exploration is the engine that drives innovation. Innovation drives economic growth. So let's all go exploring.”

Click this link to view the video. (8 minutes)  Click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.

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For the Rotary year, 2013-14, here is the Rotary International Theme and Ron Burton will become the Rotary International President.


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ROTARY IN THE US VIRGIN ISLANDS (How we serve -  in 30 seconds)




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OUR E-CLUB BUTTERFLY STORYBOOK 

Our successful Butterfly Storybook has been uploaded in French as well.

There are still some translations required before we actually print the book, but the stories can be read in French at this point by clicking the link below:


http://issuu.com/rotary7020/docs/e-book_for_printer_fr















Here is the English version of the Storybook.
http://issuu.com/rotary7020/docs/butterfly_e-storybook_2013



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ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS


Rotary Fellowships are autonomous, international groups of Rotarians, Rotarian spouses, and
Rotaractors who join together to:


  • Share a common interest in worthwhile recreational activities (sports, hobbies, etc.)
  • Further their vocational development through acquaintance with others of the same profession
  • Make new friends around the world
  • Explore new opportunities for service
  • Have fun and enhance their Rotary experience


How can you get involved?

Consider joining a Rotary Fellowship that addresses your interest. To get started
View complete list of Rotary Fellowships.  Click this link.

Consult the Rotary Fellowship Directory to get in touch with group(s) you're interested in.
View a list of Suggested Rotary Fellowships and offer to help organize a prospective fellowship.

You might even consider organizing a new Rotary Fellowship.

Forming a new Rotary Fellowship takes a lot of work, but as Rotarians who have established a group will attest, the effort is worthwhile. Before submitting a proposal, plan to develop a strong network of prospective members in at least three countries. You can start by posting your idea on the list of Suggested Rotary Fellowships.

While Rotary Fellowships operate independently of Rotary International, they must receive official recognition from RI’s Board of Directors and operate in accordance with Rotary policy. If you are interested in organizing a prospective Rotary Fellowship, please contact RI staff for guidance.

I wonder if anyone has considered a Rotary Fellowship of E-club members?

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OUR DISTRICT NEWSLETTER FOR JUNE



Click this link to read our June District 7020 newsletter.









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TO END OUR MEETING

To end our meeting, please recite aloud (on your honour!) the Rotary Four-Way Test of the things we think, say, and do.  

Felix Stubbs, who will be our District Governor in 2015-16, leads us.  Shown below, PADG Felix Stubbs was officially announced as Rotary District 7020 District Governor Nominee 2015-2016 at our recent District 7020 Conference in Tortola!  The Bahamian Rotarians arrived all decked out with very fashionable shirts!  







1.  Is it the TRUTH?
2.  Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3.  Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4.  Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
















...and official close of meeting




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Thank you for stopping by our E-club meeting!   We wish you well in the next week in all that you do for Rotary!

The meeting has now come to an end.  Please do have a safe and happy week!  If you have enjoyed our E-club meeting, please leave a comment below.

Rotary cheers!

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Visiting Rotarians.  Click this link to Apply for a Make-up.  We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active Members.  Click to sign in.  
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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT - Saturday, June 1

Please join our Happy Hour Hangout, June 1, 2013 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time.

Click the link below just before the meeting time.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/198740865

Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1 (636) 277-0130
Access Code: 198-740-865
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 198-740-865


HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT - Wednesday, June 5

Please join our Happy Hour Hangout, Wednesday evening, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. Atlantic/Eastern Time.

Click the link below just before the meeting time.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/538279569

Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1 (312) 878-3081
Access Code: 538-279-569
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 538-279-569





Friday 24 May 2013

May 24 - Welcome to the regular meeting of the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020 for the week beginning May 24



















Dear Fellow Rotarians, visitors and guests!

WELCOME TO OUR E-CLUB!

Thank you for stopping by our club meeting!  We hope you will enjoy your visit.

Our E-Club banner is shown at left!  Please send us a virtual copy of your club banner and we will send you a copy of our new club banner in exchange.  We will also display your club banner proudly on our meeting website. 

Although our E-club has Provisional status at this time, we hope you will find the content of our meeting enlightening and will give us the benefit of your opinion on the content.

The month of May is passing so quickly!  Then we look forward to June and Rotary Fellowships month. 





Visiting Rotarians.  Click this link to Apply for a Make-up.  We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active MembersClick here to sign in.  
Happy Hour Hangout.  We are adjusting the time of our Happy Hour Hangout to Saturday mornings - early enough so that you can join before your day gets away from you.
We meet for a live chat and sometimes business discussion.  If you are interested in dropping by, please click the link below.  Morning coffee is on the house!  (Your house, that is...)  Hope to see you there!
Please note:  Now, attending our HHH will earn you a make-up!
The link to the Happy Hour Hangout for Saturday is at the bottom of this meeting. 

Interested in joining us? Click the link Membership Application and Information.

Our Provisional President, Kitty, would now like to welcome you to this week's meeting.  Please listen in...





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ROTARY E-CLUB OF THE CARIBBEAN, 7020

 

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ABCs OF ROTARY (Cliff Dochterman)

Cliff Dochterman
RI President, 1992-93

World Community Service

World Community Service is the Rotary program by which a club or district in one country provides humanitarian assistance to a club in another country.  Typically, the aid goes to a developing community where the Rotary project will help raise the standard of living and the quality of life.  the ultimate object of World Community Service is to build goodwill and understanding among people of the world.

One important way to find a club in some other part of the world which needs help on a worthy project is to use the WCS Projects Exchange, a list of dozens of worthy activities in developing areas.  The exchange list is maintained in the RI Secretariat in Evanston and is readily available upon request.  It outlines projects, provides estimated costs and gives names of the appropriate contacts.

Clubs which need assistance, or are seeking another club to help with a humanitarian project, such as building a clinic, school, hospital, community water well, library or other beneficial activity  may register their needs.  Clubs seeking a desirable World Community Service project may easily review the list of needs registered in the Projects Exchange.  Thus, the exchange provides a practical way to link needs with resources.

Every Rotary club is urged to undertake a new World Community Service project each year.  The WCS Projects Exchange list is an excellent tool to find a real need, a project description and cooperating club in a developing area.  the job then is to "go to work" to complete the project, and at the same time build bridges of friendship and world understanding.

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A VIDEO OF CLIFF DOCHTERMAN

Past RI President, Cliff Dochterman is an inspiring and delightful speaker!  This video is about 28 minutes in length - well worth your listening!

Please listen and then stay to enjoy the rest of the meeting as well.  There's a great deal of excellent information included in the rest of the meeting!


On March 29, 2013, Rotary International President (1992-1993) keynote speaker Cliff Dochterman treated the Petaluma Rotary Club at its 90-year anniversary to stories of wit, charm and heart-warming gifts of service.




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SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS START WITH THE RIGHT QUESTIONS


There are many slums around Nairobi. The people living in them don’t have access to many of the things we have. It would be nice to help them.

The key to successful projects, whether they address water and sanitation such as the one above, or one of the other areas of focus, is to get community input and ask the local community what they need.
That was the thought behind a project carried out by one U.S. Rotary club from a “very friendly district,” according to Geeta Manek, governor of District 9200, which includes Kenya. Some members of the club had volunteered at a community center in the Mukuru slums. They found that the slums had no toilets or showers, and they wanted to fix that. So they made a grant of $2,000 available to build two of each.

Some time later, one of the club members traveled to Kenya and decided to check on the project. The toilets and showers had no handles, and they were sitting unused. Manek got an exasperated call and was asked to go check it out.

“The knobs were not on because there was no money for connecting the water from the main line,” Manek says, “and there was no place to get rid of the used water. The knobs would have been stolen.

So we had to come up with extra money to supply water and to put a caretaker there. The problem was that a feasibility study was not done. Nobody had gone and checked out, What are we going to do before and after the project?”

This is not an uncommon phenomenon, says Ted Rose, a California native who has lived in Colima, Mexico, for 28 years. A member of the Rotary Club of Colima, he frequently speaks to clubs and districts about how to avert such problems.

“I’ve been a Rotary volunteer around the world and helped a lot of clubs be successful with grants. In the process, I’ve made every possible mistake a guy can make. I’ve also seen a lot of other people’s mistakes.”

Why projects fail 

As an example, he cites a young woman, the daughter of a California Rotarian, who had volunteered at an orphanage in Guatemala. After she came home, her father’s club decided to build the orphanage a carpentry workshop, so the children could learn a valuable trade. A good idea – in theory.

But after four years (and thousands of dollars), some of the Rotarians went to see the project and found that the tools had been stolen and the shop was standing empty. The children at the orphanage could not remember it ever having been used.

What went wrong?

Something simple: No one had asked the orphanage if it needed, or wanted, a carpentry shop. Rose says this lack of support from recipients is one of the main reasons projects fail. If it wasn’t their idea, or their money, why should they care?

The realization that these conversations must happen may seem straightforward, but it has been long in coming. It is also part of a larger trend in thinking about how assistance and aid are distributed around the world.

The last few years have seen a debate over whether aid itself is even a good idea. Economists Dambisa Moyo, author of Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa, and William Easterly, author of The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good, say that the trillion or so dollars poured into Africa since 1960 have not been effective. Each year, the continent loses about $148 billion (about 25 percent of the GDP of African states) to corruption, yet some African countries get more than half their budgets from aid.

To what end?

There is a big difference between that large-scale aid and the smaller grants and projects of individual Rotary clubs. But the change in thinking is relevant to both.

In the past, people thought poverty was a simple lack of money or things. Fixing poverty meant adding money and things. But it’s not that easy.

Ask, investigate, repeat

Economists such as Harvard’s Michael Kremer are calling for “smart aid,” which targets specific issues and rigorously measures results. Other people, such as Emeka Okafor, a New York City-based entrepreneur and director of TED-Africa, have pushed for aid that bypasses government coffers and instead invests in civil society and social institutions.

The terminology these days is more about investment, trade, growth, results, and accountability than it used to be. Even Bono and Bob Geldof have started investment funds.

The “appropriate technology” movement, which once held that supplying people with the right machines was all that was needed for development, has given way to a market-driven approach led by Paul Polak and the “social entrepreneurs” who look for unmet demands, then create products to sell that will meet those demands. They help people, make money, and everyone feels some ownership over the result.

All these changes boil down to one thing: asking people what they need instead of telling them.

It means treating them like partners. It also reflects a shift of focus from alleviating poverty as an abstract idea to the messy reality of helping people who don’t have much money. Unless you know a certain part of the world intimately, the chances of you knowing how to solve its problems are small.

The solution? Ask. Investigate. Repeat.

Change is happening on both ends. District 9200 is a Future Vision pilot district. Kaushik Manek, Geeta Manek’s husband and a past governor of the same district, says that all projects now must include a feasibility study, and will be examined by auditing and monitoring teams. “We want sustainable projects, not handouts,” he says. “We want projects that last five to seven years.”

Qualities of a successful project

A little further south, in Arusha, Tanzania, another past district governor, Amir Somji, noted that because Arusha is a tourist city, Rotarians there see a lot of dubious project proposals.

“People come here to travel, and they see poverty,” Somji says. “Fair enough. But it is a bad project when they say, ‘Please help this village there.’ Then it is not our choice. It’s the choice of people from outside.

You don’t want the project to be thrust upon you. You want a project that you are also passionate about.”

Rose lists several qualities that help projects succeed:
  • Training and education, because if people don’t understand the project, it’s much more likely to fail. 
  • Maintenance. 
  • And local knowledge, whether that means working with an area Rotary club or another organization with a long track record there. 

“That way if any bad stuff was going to show up, it would have already shown up,” he says. “One of the projects I work on in Mexico has been there for 27 years.” Rotary International conventions and project fairs are good places to find host partners.

But the most important aspects are the ownership, the partnership, and the communication.

To achieve those, approach with more questions than answers.
  • Ask the people what their community needs. 
  • Then ask what they think is the best way to meet that need. 
  • And then ask if that’s what the project will accomplish. 

Beginning with that attitude is the best way to ensure the effort will serve the greatest number of people for as long as possible.


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HOW POLIO CHANGED MY LIFE

A truly inspiring story!
Posted on February 7, 2013

Pulmão de Aço (Iron Lung), published this year in Brazil, tells the story of Eliana Zagui, a polio survivor who has lived for decades in a hospital in Brazil.

By Eliana Zagui, author of Pulmão de Aço (Iron Lung)

Before it was eradicated through the effort of massive immunization campaigns in 1989, poliomyelitis was prevalent in Brazil. The lack of vaccine and poor sanitation in small towns resulted in thousands of victims a year.

Avoiding polio was often a matter of luck.  In January 1976, at the age of two, my luck ran out.

I woke up with a fever and weak lower limbs. Although my parents were used to my recurrent episodes of sore throat, they brought me to the nearest city of Jaboticabal for medical treatment.

The next day, lacking a diagnosis, I was sent to Ribeirão Preto, a larger city with better medical facilities. By the time the doctors came to the conclusion that I had contracted polio, the virus had already started its devastating muscular paralysis process.

We lived in Guariba near São Paulo, more than 180 miles from the major polio treatment center in Brazil. Getting to the ‘Hospital das Clínicas’ in São Paulo was a struggle. But after several hours, we received a ride from a charitable individual.

By that time, I was already paralyzed from my neck down, and my breathing was restricted by the paralysis of my diaphragm.

I was placed in an iron lung a number of times in an attempt to reverse the respiratory failure, but eventually the doctors concluded the battle was lost. I was tracheotomized and connected to an artificial respirator. More than 36 years later, I still depend on the artificial respirator to breathe.

I have lived the rest of my life at the same ‘Hospital das Clínicas.’

Out of  hundreds of children admitted to the hospital in the ‘60s and ‘70s, seven of us formed a family, and developed bonds with the doctors and nurses who looked after us. Five of our family died in the ‘80s, and now only Paulo Henrique Machado and I remain. We still share a room in the Intensive Care Unit.

It was in that room that Paulo and I learned how to read and write. While Paulo has limited hand movements, I can only move my neck and head. Everything I can do with some autonomy has to be done with my mouth. That includes my paintings, which are sold around the world through an association.

The story of how Paulo and I survived polio and how, for decades, we have lived almost completely paralyzed at Hospital das Clínicas is told in the book Pulmão de Aço (Iron Lung), published this year in Brazil by Belaletra Editora

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Here are some photos I've located of Eliana.




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SPEAKER - Unleash your inner artist

Young-ha Kim wishes that his eighth grade teacher, rather than chiding him for a poorly-executed drawing with a sweeping backstory, had told him, “Well, Young-ha, you may not be good at drawing but you have a talent for storytelling.” Without encouragement, he took the long road toward becoming a writer.

Young-ha Kim published his debut novel, I Have the Right to Destroy Myself, in 1996. It won the esteemed Munhak-dongne prize, and was translated into French two years later. Followed by English and German translations, the book garnered Kim international recognition. Kim has since published five novels -- including The Empire of Light and Your Republic Is Calling You -- plus four collections of short stories.

Kim’s latest book, Black Flower, was sparked by a random conversation on a trans-Pacific flight. It tells the story of 1,033 Korean immigrants who found themselves sold into indentured servitude in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula in 1905. Publisher's Weekly wrote of the novel in October of 2012, “Spare and beautiful, Kim’s novel offers a look at the roots of the little-known tribulations of the Korean diaspora in Mexico.”

Kim’s work mixes high and low genres and focuses on the issue of: what does it mean to be Korean in a globalized, quickly-changing world? His novels have served as a source of inspiration for Korean filmmakers -- two have already been adapted for the big screen with the film version of a third on its way.

Until 2008, Kim was a professor in the Drama School at Korean National University of Arts -- a post he left in 2008 to focus exclusively on writing.

    "Kim Young-ha is a celebrated South Korean author whose 1996 debut novel about a suicide consultant earned him his nation’s most coveted literary award, the Munhak-dongne prize. His genre-crossing style and penetrating voice have generated tons of international buzz. "
--The Beijinger


Click this link to view the video. You may want to turn your sound down, since this has English sub-titles.  Then, click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.


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OUR BUTTERFLY STORYBOOK BOOK

Our successful Butterfly Storybook has been uploaded in French as well.

There are still some translations required before we actually print the book, but the stories can be read in French at this point by clicking the link below:


http://issuu.com/rotary7020/docs/e-book_for_printer_fr















Here is the English version of the Storybook.
http://issuu.com/rotary7020/docs/butterfly_e-storybook_2013




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TO END OUR MEETING

To end our meeting, please recite aloud (on your honour!) the Rotary Four-Way Test of the things we think, say, and do.  

Kenan Kern, who is the Regional Rotary Foundation Co-ordinator for Zone 34, leads us.





1.  Is it the TRUTH?
2.  Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3.  Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4.  Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
















...and official close of meeting




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Thank you for stopping by our E-club meeting!   We wish you well in the next week in all that you do for Rotary!

The meeting has now come to an end.  Please do have a safe and happy week!  If you have enjoyed our E-club meeting, please leave a comment below.

Rotary cheers!

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ATTENDANCE VERIFICATION
Visiting Rotarians.  Click this link to Apply for a Make-up.  We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active Members.  Click here to sign in.  

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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT  #1- Please join us on Saturday!  (our regular time)

Please join our Happy Hour Hangout,  Saturday morning May 25, 2013 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time.

Click the link below just before the  meeting time at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning.


Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1 (805) 309-0010
Access Code: 744-623-304
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 744-623-304

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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT  #2- Please join us on Wednesday evening!  (a second HHH)

A Second Happy Hour Hangout.  A second HHH  is scheduled this week only just to see how many would find the week-day get-together more convenient.
  • If enough members find it more convenient, we can add this as a regular part of our program.  
  • We wish to find the best solution that will be "Fair to all concerned."

So, please join our Second Happy Hour Hangout on Wednesday, at 7:00 p.m. Atlantic/Eastern time if that time is more convenient for you.

Click the link below just before the meeting time on Wednesday.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/810671153

Use your microphone and speakers (VoIP) - a headset is recommended.  Or, call in using your telephone.

Dial +1 (213) 289-0016
Access Code: 810-671-153
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting


Meeting ID: 810-671-153

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ROTARY REFERENCES

Mission of the Rotary Foundation
 http://www.rotary.org/en/Aboutus/therotaryfoundation/pages/ridefault.aspx 

Programs of the Rotary Foundation
 http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/TheRotaryFoundation/Programs/Pages/ridefault.aspx

Financing the Rotary Foundation
 http://www.rotary.org/en/Contribute/Pages/ridefault.aspx 

Polio Eradication Campaign
 http://www.rotary.org/en/SERVICEANDFELLOWSHIP/ Pages/ridefault.aspx

Educational Programs
http://www.rotary.org/EN/Studentsandyouth/educationalprograms/RotaryCentersfor InternationalStudies/pages/ridefault.aspx 

Rotary Grants                                              
http://www.rotary.org/grants 

Club Foundation Committee Manual
http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/226e_en.pdf 

TRF Quick Reference Guide
http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/219en.pdf 

Rotary Foundation 2011-2012 Annual Report
http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/187en09.pdf

The District Rotary Foundation Committee Manual for Non-Pilot Districts http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/300en.pdf

For Current Information
Contact.center@rotary.org

Manual of Procedure 2010 http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/035en_full.pdf 



Thursday 16 May 2013

May 17 - The Regular Meeting of the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020 for the week beginning May 17



















Dear Fellow Rotarians, visitors and guests!

WELCOME TO OUR E-CLUB!

Thank you for stopping by our club meeting!  We hope you will enjoy your visit.

Our E-Club banner is shown at left!  Please send us a virtual copy of your club banner and we will send you a copy of our new club banner in exchange.  We will also display your club banner proudly on our meeting website. 

Although our E-club has Provisional status at this time, we hope you will find the content of our meeting enlightening and will give us the benefit of your opinion on the content.

May has arrived at Rotary.  We are at the Rotary District Conference in BVI.

The Rotary District Conference in Tortola is very exciting.  There is lots of news to report, and I wish that I could that right now - but it will have to wait.

For all our members, there will be news upcoming regarding the ways that we can move forward to become a very successful E-Club - and I will be following up individually with each one of our club members.  So, please watch for that exciting information!

In the meantime, please enjoy the meeting.  Information on how to apply for a make-up is displayed here and also at the end of the meeting so that you don't have to scroll back.

Visiting Rotarians.  Click this link to Apply for a Make-up.  We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active MembersClick here to sign in.  
Happy Hour Hangout.  Our Happy Hour Hangout is held on Saturday mornings - early enough so that you can join before your day gets away from you.
We meet for a live chat and sometimes business discussion.  If you are interested in dropping by, please click the link below.  Morning coffee is on the house!  (Your house, that is...)  Hope to see you there!
Please note:  Now, attending our HHH will earn you a make-up!
The Happy Hour Hangout has been cancelled for this week because we are attending the District 7020 Conference in Tortola. 
Interested in joining us? Click the link Membership Application and Information.

Our Provisional President, Kitty, would now like to welcome you to this week's meeting.  Please listen in...




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ROTARY E-CLUB OF THE CARIBBEAN, 7020

 

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ABCs OF ROTARY (Cliff Dochterman)

Cliff Dochterman
RI President, 1992-93

Youth Exchange

Rotary Youth Exchange is one of Rotary's most popular programs to promote international understanding and develop lifelong friendships.

It began in 1927 with the Rotary Club of Nice, France.  In 1939, an extensive Youth Exchange was created between California and Latin America.  Since then, the program has expanded around the world.  In recent years, more than 7,000 young people have participated annually in Rotary-sponsored exchange programs.

The values of Youth Exchange are experienced not only by the high school-age students involved but also by the host families, sponsoring clubs, receiving high schools and the entire community.  Youth Exchange participants usually provide their fellow students in their host schools with excellent opportunities to learn about customs, languages, traditions and family life in another country.

Youth Exchange offers young people interesting opportunities and rich experiences to see another part of the world.  Students usually spend a full academic year abroad, although some clubs and districts sponsor short-term exchanges of several weeks or months.

Approximately 36 per cent of Rotary Youth Exchange students are hosted or sent by the clubs in the United States and Canada.  European countries account for about 40 per cent, and 12 per cent come from Australia and New Zealand.

Asian clubs sponsor 5 per cent, and 7 per cent come from Latin American countries.  Over 70 per cent of all Rotary districts participate in Youth Exchange activities.

Youth Exchange is a highly recommended program for all Rotary clubs as a practical activity for the enhancement of international understanding and goodwill.

No Personal Privileges

Frequently, friends ask whether Rotarians receive special business benefits from their Rotary membership.  Should Rotarians expect a special discount or some preferential service just because they are dealing with a fellow Rotarian?

The answer is clearly "no."  The Rotary Manual of Procedure expressly states the Rotary position on this matter.  The policy, originally approved by the RI Board of Directors in 1933, is that in business and professional relations "a Rotarian should not expect, and far less should he ask for, more consideration or advantages from a fellow Rotarian than the latter would give to any other business or professional associate with whom he has business relations."

On the other hand, if new or increased business comes as the natural result of friendship created in Rotary, it is the same normal development which takes place outside of Rotary as well as inside, so it is not an infringement on the ethics of Rotary membership.

It is important to remember that the primary purpose of Rotary membership is to provide each member with a unique opportunity to serve others, and membership is not intended as a means for personal profit or special privileges.

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BEST FRIENDS

Dog and Lion Cub



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SIX AREAS OF FOCUS for Rotary International 


• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Economic and community development

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LESSONS IN SUSTAINABILITY

Years ago, Marilyn Fitzgerald learned valuable lessons about sustainability from an impoverished rice farmer in Indonesia.

Fitzgerald, a past-president of the Rotary Club of Traverse City, Michigan, USA, was visiting a community to which her club was sending money to enable the children to attend school. But the farmer she encountered didn’t want money; he wanted a water buffalo.

The events that followed became the subject of her recently published book, “If I Had a Water Buffalo,” and have shaped her thinking about sustainability, a key principle of The Rotary Foundation’s new grant model. Fitzgerald now shares those lessons with Rotary clubs she visits, which recently included the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse, in Illinois, USA.

Water buffalo, piglets, hens

Fitzgerald relates how she persuaded her family to give her money as a Christmas gift so she could buy the farmer a water buffalo. The result was that he was able to triple his crop yield, increase his income, and therefore send his children to school.

The next year, women in the village wanted 20 piglets to raise, breed, and sell. Then the children wanted hens so they could make and sell an egg snack popular in the area. Eventually, many community members increased their self-sufficiency.

“For less than US$1,200, they were [able to send] their own children to school,” Fitzgerald says. By contrast, “I was up to a $72,000 budget on the school project. I had never even asked them what they wanted.”

The most important thing any Rotarian can do to make a project sustainable, she says, is to listen. The local community has to be involved in all stages of a project, from identifying a need to coming up with a solution to implementing that solution.

“At the end of the day, they have to feel good about themselves,” Fitzgerald says. “They need to feel so good about themselves that they can go on with the effort themselves.”

She defines sustainability as the ability of a project to continue once the donations end.

“A lot of people tell me a project is sustainable because they have long-term donors or they have all these clubs involved,” she says. “But that’s not true. If the donors walk away, what happens to the project?”

Fitzgerald, a clinical psychologist, is a board member of the Rotary Action Group for Microcredit and serves as microcredit adviser and economic and community development coordinator for District 6290. She says she likes microfinance projects because a well-run program lets the beneficiaries come up with their own business plan, while Rotarians provide the capital and act as mentors.

What they really wanted was cell phones

During her Evanston appearance, Fitzgerald relayed another story, about visiting a village to pursue a sanitation project for her club, only to discover that the villagers really wanted cell phones.

“I thought, no way is my club going to go for cell phones.” But when she probed further, she discovered that the villagers wanted the phones so they could relay business decisions – such as what color fabric is really selling well – to their markets more than a day’s journey from the village.

“If we provide cell phones and [villagers] increase their income, then they can buy these other things,” says Fitzgerald. “We absolutely have to talk to our beneficiaries and ask them what they want. We need to educate them about the possibilities, then let them determine the solution that’s right for them.”

She says she used to believe that any charity was better than none, but she no longer feels that way.

“I believe we can cause great harm when we build programs that people become dependent on,” she says. “Charity robs people of choice, voice, and dignity.”

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VIDEO - What is Sustainability?

Click this link to view the video.  Click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.












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SPEAKER - Every Kid Needs a Champion  (7 minutes)



Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

Rita F. Pierson has spent her entire life in or around the classroom, having followed both her parents and grandparents into a career as an educator.


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Rita F. Pierson, a professional educator since 1972, has taught elementary school, junior high and special education. She’s been a counselor, a testing coordinator and an assistant principal.  In each of these roles, she’s brought a special energy to the role -- a desire to get to know her students, show them how much they matter and support them in their growth, even if it’s modest.

For the past decade, Pierson has conducted professional development workshops and seminars for thousands of educators. Focusing on the students who are too often under-served, she lectures on topics like “Helping Under-Resourced Learners,”“Meeting the Educational Needs of African American Boys" and "Engage and Graduate your Secondary Students: Preventing Dropouts."

    "Parents make decisions for their children based on what they know, what they feel will make them safe. And it is not our place [as educators] to say what they do is 'wrong.' It's our place to say maybe we can add a set of rules that they don't know about."

--Rita Pierson




Click this link to view the video.  Click your browser's BACK button to return to the video.

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SPEAKER - ELECTRONIC TATTOOS (6 minutes)




What if Andy Warhol had it wrong, and instead of being famous for 15 minutes, we’re only anonymous for that long?

In this short talk, Juan Enriquez looks at the surprisingly permanent effects of digital sharing on our personal privacy. He shares insight from the ancient Greeks to help us deal with our new “digital tattoos.”

A broad thinker who studies the intersection of science, business and society, Juan Enriquez has a talent for bridging disciplines to build a coherent look ahead.

Enriquez was the founding director of the Harvard Business School Life Sciences Project, and has published widely on topics from the technical (global nucleotide data flow) to the sociological (gene research and national competitiveness), and was a member of Celera Genomics founder Craig Venter's marine-based team to collect genetic data from the world's oceans.

Formerly CEO of Mexico City's Urban Development Corporation and chief of staff for Mexico's secretary of state, Enriquez played a role in reforming Mexico's domestic policy and helped negotiate a cease-fire with Zapatista rebels. He is a Managing Director at Excel Medical Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm, and the chair and CEO of Biotechonomy, a research and investment firm helping to fund new genomics firms. The Untied States of America looks at the forces threatening America's future as a unified country.
    "Juan Enriquez will change your view of change itself."
--Nicholas Negroponte
    "“Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from ‘The Jetsons’ in our house. And all we’ve got is a Roomba.”"

--Juan Enriquez


Click this link to view this thought-provoking video.  Click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.

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ROTARY WINS AN AWARD



At left - RI President-elect Ron Burton and wife, Jetta, Foundation Trustee Chair Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, Past RI President Luis Vicente Giay, RI President Sakuji Tanaka, RI General Secretary John Hewko, and Celia Elena Cruz de Giay at the awards banquet. 

Rotary has received a silver Edison Award in recognition of the Future Vision Plan, the new grant model that enhances the scope, impact, and sustainability of humanitarian and educational projects funded by The Rotary Foundation.

Since 1987, the Edison Awards have recognized innovative new products, services and business leaders in the United States. The awards symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Edison. Winners represent active contributors to the cause of innovation in the world.

RI President Sakuji Tanaka accepted the award during the annual Edison Awards gala held 25 April in Chicago, the city where Rotary was founded in 1905. The Future Vision Plan received top honors among funding models competing in the Lifestyle and Social Impact category. Nominee ballots were judged by a panel of more than 3,000, including members of seven associations that represent a wide range of industries and disciplines.

“This Edison Award recognizes and validates Rotary’s innovative approach to humanitarian service, as we constantly strive to improve lives and communities by addressing the world’s most pressing problems,” says Tanaka. “It is a great honor to accept such a prestigious award on behalf of Rotary’s global membership of 1.2 million men and women.”

The Edison Award coincides with the successful completion of a three-year pilot in which 100 Rotary districts in more than 70 countries tested Rotary’s new grant model.

The Future Vision Plan simplifies Rotary’s grant process, and focuses Rotarian service efforts where they will have the greatest impact. The model is innovative in combining Rotary’s volunteer base and a global reach with local resources to support sustainable, high-impact results in communities all over the world. The model funds more than US$100 million in service projects annually.

The new grant model will be implemented 1 July for Rotary clubs worldwide.

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AMAZING GEOGRAPHY LESSON



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WASRAG - Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group


... A small child takes my hand, and with a big smile, leads me over to her new toilet block. I am visiting a rural school near Dodoma in Tanzania. Before Rotarians got involved, this primary school sent the school children, all 800 of them, out to the edge of the field to defecate.  And, with no source of water and no soap, hand washing was out of the question.

But will these new toilets last?  Who will maintain them? Who replaces the soap? Will the teachers teach hand washing in the future? What is the best technology to propose? Ensuring a lasting project is often a complex challenge.

Rotarians are making a difference, helping to improve access to water, sanitation, and hygiene education (WASH), one of The Rotary Foundation’s six areas of focus.  Wasrag, Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group, supports Rotary Clubs and Districts in their work, by providing help with education, technical advice, networking, and funding.

Don’t miss one of the most exciting events in this year’s Rotary calendar!

The World Water Summit, held immediately before the RI convention on Friday, June 21., has a great agenda that will appeal to everyone interested in WASH. Poor (or no) sanitation is emerging as the most critical barrier to improving life for millions of people. And yet it is so often ignored. Hence this year’s focus on sanitation.

WWSV features some of the world’s foremost experts on sanitation and hygiene, including:

• Jack Sim, President, World Toilet Organization, Singapore
• Dr. Kamal Kar, Founder, Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), Kolkata, India
• Caterina Fonseca, WASH Cost Project Director, IRC, The Hague

NEW THIS YEAR!

Take part in the first Wasrag Speed Project Fair, an innovative approach to sharing project opportunities!  Register Now! For information or to register go to: www.wasrag.org

Rotarians the world-over strive to improve the quality of life for those less fortunate. Yet today 1.1 billion people - 15% of the planet’s population, uses no form of sanitation. In developing regions almost half the population – 2.5 billion – still lack access to improved sanitation.

Access to safe water has improved dramatically but there is so much more to do. We recognize that access to water is the first step in improving the quality of life.  But it will only be sustainable if it is accompanied by improved sanitation, and hygiene education to sustain better hygiene practices.

Join your fellow Rotarians, Friday June 21, in Lisbon, to improve your skills, make new friends, and share your knowledge and experiences.  For more information see: www.wasrag.org




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TO END OUR MEETING

To end our meeting, please recite aloud (on your honour!) the Rotary Four-Way Test of the things we think, say, and do.  

Roger White from St. Thomas, USVI, leads us.





1.  Is it the TRUTH?
2.  Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3.  Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4.  Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
















...and official close of meeting



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Thank you for stopping by our E-club meeting!   We wish you well in the next week in all that you do for Rotary!

The meeting has now come to an end.  Please do have a safe and happy week!  If you have enjoyed our E-club meeting, please leave a comment below.

Rotary cheers!

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Visiting Rotarians.  Click this link to Apply for a Make-up.  We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active Members.  Click here to sign in.  

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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT

Apologies!

Our HHH has been postponed and rescheduled because of our District Conference this week.  Join us next week.