Friday 7 June 2013

June 7 - The regular meeting of the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020 for the week beginning June 7



















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!  

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 for Attendance Record.  
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 links to the Happy Hour Hangouts for Saturday and Wednesday are 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

Concern for the Aging

One area of special emphasis for Rotary clubs focuses on providing "new opportunities for the aging."  In 1990, the RI Board of Directors urged Rotarians to identify new projects serving the elderly that emphasizes intergenerational activities and the integration of seniors into society and the workplace.  The following year, the board called for an approach that stressed service "with" the elderly as well as "for" them.

With the substantial upswing in the worldwide population of older personsl, their needs for special attention have greatly multiplied.  As citizens grow older, it becomes increasingly important for them to retain their personal independence and to remain in control of their own lives to the extent this is possible.

Many Rotary clubs are seeking ways to serve the older persons of their community who face problems of deteriorating health, loneliness, poor nutrition, transportation difficulties, inability to do customary chores, loss of family associations, reduced recreational opportunities, inadequate housing and limited information about available social agencies for emergency assistance.

Some clubs have initiated a valuable community service to assist older person in retirement planning and adjustment by organizing and sharing the wealth of information available within the club's membership.  Other clubs have developed foster grandparent programs and other intergenerational activities that allow seniors to use their experience and knowledge to help young people.  Rotarians often can provide services which seniors can no longer do for themselves.

The greatest need of aging individuals is frequently a mere expresion of real caring and concern by thoughtful friends.  All Rotarians should seriously consider how they and their clubs may actively participate in programs for the aging.  It is one area of community service in which there is a growing possibility that each of us may some day be on the receiving end.

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SPEAKER - Cameron Herold: Let's raise kids to be entrepreneurs

Bored in school, failing classes, at odds with peers: This child might be an entrepreneur, says Cameron Herold.

In his talk, he makes the case for parenting and education that helps would-be entrepreneurs flourish -- as kids and as adults. (Filmed at TEDxEdmonton.)


An entrepreneur since childhood, Cameron Herold wants parents and teachers to recognize -- and foster -- entrepreneurial talent in kids.

Why you should listen to him:

For 20 years, Cameron Herold has been coaching entrepreneurs on five continents, helping them build their companies. He started BackPocket COO to coach and mentor young, fun companies -- and help them make their dreams happen.

Herold was a leading force behind one of the most successful new business ventures of the last decade, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

He was Chief Operating Officer for nearly seven years. Prior to that, he was VP of Corporate Development at Ubarter.com.

"Start building a network of fellow entrepreneurs that understand your passion and don’t make you feel guilty about always chasing it."
--Cameron Herold

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


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A little thought can change the world around you!  Don't be afraid to  make a difference!

A posting discovered on Facebook...


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Problem: In areas of Asia and Africa where rice-growing farmers depend on rain-fed agriculture, rice productivity is low and unstable due to stresses such as flooding, drought and poor soils. 

  • Flooding regularly afflicts over 6million hectares in South Asia and as much as one-third of the rain-fed lowland rice-growing areas in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Neither newer rice varieties nor farmers’ traditional varieties are able to survive prolonged submergence under water. 
  • There’s a need for new rice varieties that can withstand a range of environmental stresses.

Innovation: Harness the knowledge of leading global, regional and national agricultural researchers and combine it with local know-how to develop and distribute submergence-tolerant rice to small farmers.
  • Through Stress Tolerant Rice for Africa and Asia (STRASA), the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) partners with researchers at the Africa Rice Center, an African research organization, and national scientists in poor countries, creating submergence-tolerant rice varieties that can “hold its breath” underwater.
  • STRASA developed improved varieties through identifying and using traits that allow rice to make better use of oxygen even while submerged—coping with this stress that can devastate crops.

Impact: STRASA’s innovative partnerships are developing new varieties for rice farmers in two continents with very different conditions.

  • More than 1.1 million farmers in India are using STRASA’s “scuba rice,” which can survive 20 days of submergence. This new variety has saved entire crops from being wiped out.
  • The government of India has been instrumental in getting new varieties to poor farmers, and African governments are being increasingly proactive.
  • In the next six years, STRASA predicts that over 20 million farmers will be planting scuba rice and other stress-resistant varieties in South Asia and Africa.
Below is a time-lapse video showing flood tolerance in rice.  



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SPEAKER - Gever Tulley

5 dangerous things you should let your kids do

At TED U, Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School, spells out 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do -- and why a little danger is good for both kids and grownups.


The founder of the Tinkering School, Gever Tulley likes to build things with kids.

Gever Tulley writes the best Twitters:

  • Just landed my paraglider in an empty field behind Santa 8arbara. ...
  • Making amazing tshirts with a laser cutter at the maker faire in Austin. ...
  • Washing fruit, putting sheets on bunkbeds, and grinding up aluminum foil in a cheap blender ...
  • Updating the school blog, trying to figure out how many cubic feet of air are in a 5 gallon cylinder at 200 PSI. ...
  • Trying to figure out if the tinker kids are going to be able to get molten iron from magnetite sand ...

A software engineer, Gever Tulley is the co-founder of the Tinkering School, a week-long camp where lucky kids get to play with their very own power tools.

He's interested in helping kids learn how to build, solve problems, use new materials and hack old ones for new purposes. He's also a certified paragliding instructor.

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


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ROTARY'S AREAS OF FOCUS



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TURNING TEARS TO LAUGHTER - a little polio history

On New Year's Day in 1986, Rotary publicly announced to a global audience that it had embarked on the most ambitious humanitarian program in the service organization's 80-year history:  the immunization of all the world's children against polio.

The occasion for the announcement was the famed Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, U.S.A., part of the annual Tournament of Roses, in which scores of floats bedecked with flowers flow past thousands of people.  Cameras telecast the spectacle to 125 million viewers in the United States and around the world.

Rotary's parade entry was neither the largest nor most expensive of the more than 100 units in the 1986 Rose Parade.  But no float surpassed it in terms of the response it evoked among viewers.  they saw and spontaneously acclaimed its message:  Rotary was launching an all-out, global war on the dreaded disease of poliomyelitis, a disease that was then killing or crippling 1,000 people a day.  "Good luck, Rotary!" "Keep up the good work!" cheered spectators along the parade route.

The float depicted an abandoned wheelchair, symbolic of Rotary's quest for a world in which no child would be disabled by polio.  Rotary Youth Exchange students in national dress danced around a tree set in a garden of flowers.  Atop the tree flew a banner bearing the date 2005, the centennial year of Rotary's founding as well as the target date for a polio-free world.  A "Stop Polio" symbol, a red circle with a diagonal slash across the word polio, symbolized the float's theme, Turning Tears to Laughter.

The dream of a polio-free world caught the imagination of millions that morning.  But only a few knew the story behind the courageous, young African man who was riding aboard the float.  POn legs paralyzed by polio but supported by braces, he stood throughout the three-hour parade, smiling and waving, acknowledging the cheers of the crowd and thanking Rotary for giving him a new lease on life.

Twenty years earlier, 12-month-old Wilborn Chuvala had been infected with polio as the virus swept through the town of Karonga, Malawi, in southern Africa.  The child, who was just learning to walk, was left paralyzed from the waist down.  For the next 14 years, Wilborn endured life as a "crawler," able to move about only on calloused hands and knees.

In 1981, his uncle read about an orthopaedic clinic and rehabilitation center in the capital, Lilongwe, and urged his nephew to go.  with a small bag of food and US$15 given to him by his uncle, the 15-year-old set out alone for the clinic, 270 miles away, travelling first by boat and bus, then by crawling and hitchkhiking.  Once there, Wilborn came under the care of Rotarians who were sharing their surgical skills as volunteers with Rotary's Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) program.  Among them was Dr. Joseph Serra, of Stockton, California, U.S.A., a 50-year-old orthopaedic surgeon.  Serra operated on Wilborn's kneed and hip and extended his Achilles tendons, enabling the teenager to stand upright, supported by braces, for the first time in his life.  Wilborn later wrote to Serra:  "You will be so pleased, as am I, that I walk without a crutch.  I walk with a cane now.  I walk like a gentleman."

Anticipating the public announcement of its polio immunization program, Rotary invited Wilborn Chuvala to travel to Pasadena and ride on Rotary's parade float.  With help from British Airways, Wilborn made the long flight from Malawi to California, there to symbolize the hope that this global program of polio immunization would spare millions of children with disabilities such as his.

Serra, whose friendship with Wilborn had grown during each of his six volunteer tours of duty at the Lilongwe clinic, rode with the young man on the float.  Joe and his wife, Dorothy, funded Wilborn's high school and college training.  Today, the young man teaches mathematics and English in Karonga.  He is married and has two children, who are named, not surprising, Joe and Dorothy.

Wilborn Chuvala is one of more than 10 million people who today struggle with the effects of polio, historically the world's greatest cause of disability.  Before the discovery of polio vaccines, polio killed or paralyzed 600,000 people, mostly children, each year.  Wilborn's experience is one of both triumph and tragedy; triumph in that his will to surmount enormous obstacles to become a contributing member of society, tragedy in that he ahd millions of other polio victims during the past half century would have been spared death or disability if the world's health systems had been able to deliver a few drops of vaccine, vaccine that costs only pennies a dose.

On that New Year's Day in 1986, Rotary's commitment was clear, hopes were high, and resolve was growing.  Brilliant scientific work had created polio vaccines, giving health providers the basic tools needed to interrupt the transmission of the poliovirus.  Only a few months earlier, the success of new strategies in the Americas had led the Pan American Heath Organization to adopt a goal of polio eradication for the entire Western Hemisphere.

Rotarians had successfully forged new program policies that had opened the door to co-operative action on a global scale.  The goal seemed entirely reasonable:  Marshal financial resources, create partnership, and harness the business know-how and volunteer muscle of Rotarians to public health systems worldwide to deliver oral polio vaccine to every child, everywhere, and at the right time.  Achieve this, and the wild poliovirus would disappear.

The new program was named PolioPlus:  polio to signify the program's principal focus and plus to express Rotary's conviction that a targeted attack on polio would also help to achieve the broader objective of raising immunization rates against other infectious diseases in developing countries, where each year 100 million children were born and millions were dying because of desperately low levels of immunization.

Although the goal was clear, no one could have anticipated the full extent of the task that lay before Rotary and its partners over the next 20 years in their quest for a polio-free world.  Rotary faced the twin challenges of conducting a fundraising effort unprecedented in scope and a massive educational program to build the support of its members.

Among leaders in public health, the program sparked debate about competing approaches to combating vaccine-preventable diseases.  Program planners faced the enormous challenge of informing millions of parents, many with little or no previous contact with health providers, about the value of immunization.  for virologists and epidemiologists, the creation of a global laboratory network was essential to a surveillance system on which success depended.

Added to these challenges, and only dimly foreseen, were the setbacks that would result from wars, economic downturns, and the continuing frailty and even collapse of public health infrastructures in some countries.  And already beginning to darken the horizon were newly emerging, high-burden diseases - most notably, HIV/AIDS, and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and malaria - that were to compete for public health resources.

Clearly, if polio was to become, after smallpox, the second disease to be eradicated from the planet, these challenges had to be met.

Conquering Polio
Herbert A. Pigman

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HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS THAT HAPPY PEOPLE DO -  (A repeat for those who may  have missed it)

By Chiara Fucarino

There are two types of people in the world: those who choose to be happy, and those who choose to be unhappy.

Contrary to popular belief, happiness doesn’t come from fame, fortune, other people, or material possessions. Rather, it comes from within.

The richest person in the world could be miserable while a homeless person could be right outside, walking around with a spring in every step.

Happy people are happy because they make themselves happy. They maintain a positive outlook on life and remain at peace with themselves.

The question is: how do they do that?

It’s quite simple. Happy people have good habits that enhance their lives. They do things differently. Ask any happy person, and they will tell you that they …

1. Don’t hold grudges.
Happy people understand that it’s better to forgive and forget than to let their negative feelings crowd out their positive feelings. Holding a grudge has a lot of detrimental effects on your wellbeing, including increased depression, anxiety, and stress. Why let anyone who has wronged you have power over you? If you let go of all your grudges, you’ll gain a clear conscience and enough energy to enjoy the good things in life.

2. Treat everyone with kindness.
Did you know that it has been scientifically proven that being kind makes you happier? Every time you perform a selfless act, your brain produces serotonin, a hormone that eases tension and lifts your spirits. Not only that, but treating people with love, dignity, and respect also allows you to build stronger relationships.

3. See problems as challenges.
The word “problem” is never part of a happy person’s vocabulary. A problem is viewed as a drawback, a struggle, or an unstable situation while a challenge is viewed as something positive like an opportunity, a task, or a dare. Whenever you face an obstacle, try looking at it as a challenge.

4. Express gratitude for what they already have.
There’s a popular saying that goes something like this: “The happiest people don’t have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.” You will have a deeper sense of contentment if you count your blessings instead of yearning for what you don’t have.

5. Dream big.
People who get into the habit of dreaming big are more likely to accomplish their goals than those who don’t. If you dare to dream big, your mind will put itself in a focused and positive state.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Happy people ask themselves, “Will this problem matter a year from now?” They understand that life’s too short to get worked up over trivial situations. Letting things roll off your back will definitely put you at ease to enjoy the more important things in life.

7. Speak well of others.
Being nice feels better than being mean. As fun as gossiping is, it usually leaves you feeling guilty and resentful. Saying nice things about other people encourages you to think positive, non-judgmental thoughts.

8. Never make excuses.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Happy people don’t make excuses or blame others for their own failures in life. Instead, they own up to their mistakes and, by doing so, they proactively try to change for the better.

9. Get absorbed into the present.
Happy people don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future. They savor the present. They let themselves get immersed in whatever they’re doing at the moment. Stop and smell the roses.

10. Wake up at the same time every morning.
Have you noticed that a lot of successful people tend to be early risers? Waking up at the same time every morning stabilizes your circadian rhythm, increases productivity, and puts you in a calm and centered state.

11. Avoid social comparison.
Everyone works at his own pace, so why compare yourself to others? If you think you’re better than someone else, you gain an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you think someone else is better than you, you end up feeling bad about yourself. You’ll be happier if you focus on your own progress and praise others on theirs.

12. Choose friends wisely.
Misery loves company. That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with optimistic people who will encourage you to achieve your goals. The more positive energy you have around you, the better you will feel about yourself.

13. Never seek approval from others.
Happy people don’t care what others think of them. They follow their own hearts without letting naysayers discourage them. They understand that it’s impossible to please everyone. Listen to what people have to say, but never seek anyone’s approval but your own.

14. Take the time to listen.
Talk less; listen more. Listening keeps your mind open to others’ wisdoms and outlooks on the world. The more intensely you listen, the quieter your mind gets, and the more content you feel.

15. Nurture social relationships.
A lonely person is a miserable person. Happy people understand how important it is to have strong, healthy relationships. Always take the time to see and talk to your family, friends, or significant other.

16. Meditate.
Meditating silences your mind and helps you find inner peace. You don’t have to be a zen master to pull it off. Happy people know how to silence their minds anywhere and anytime they need to calm their nerves.

17. Eat well.
Junk food makes you sluggish, and it’s difficult to be happy when you’re in that kind of state. Everything you eat directly affects your body’s ability to produce hormones, which will dictate your moods, energy, and mental focus. Be sure to eat foods that will keep your mind and body in good shape.

18. Exercise.
Studies have shown that exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft does. Exercising also boosts your Self Improvement and gives you a higher sense of self-accomplishment.

19. Live minimally.
Happy people rarely keep clutter around the house because they know that extra belongings weigh them down and make them feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Some studies have concluded that Europeans are a lot happier than Americans are, which is interesting because they live in smaller homes, drive simpler cars, and own fewer items.

20. Tell the truth.
Lying stresses you out, corrodes your Self Improvement, and makes you unlikeable. The truth will set you free. Being honest improves your mental health and builds others’ trust in you. Always be truthful, and never apologize for it.

21. Establish personal control.
Happy people have the ability to choose their own destinies. They don’t let others tell them how they should live their lives. Being in complete control of one’s own life brings positive feelings and a great sense of self-worth.

22. Accept what cannot be changed.
Once you accept the fact that life is not fair, you’ll be more at peace with yourself. Instead of obsessing over how unfair life is, just focus on what you can control and change it for the better.

(Source - http://positiveway.me/2012/10/31/22-things-happy-people-do-differently/)

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WHAT IN THE WORLD IS ROTARY?





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A LIST OF ROTARY FELLOWSHIPS 




 


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WHAT IS ROTARY - 7020?



The Rotary District 7020 Conference will be held in the Cayman Islands next year - 2014.  Meet our Cayman Rotarians - and our District Governor-elect here.

To view the video, click this link.  

Then, click your browser's BACK button to return to the meeting.






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As a reminder:

  • RI President for 2012-13 is Sakuji Tanaka from Japan.
  • RI President-elect for 2013-14 is Ron Burton from the United States.
  • Our Rotary District 7020 is part of Rotary Zone 34.
  • Club-of-the-Month program encourages clubs in District 7020 to submit entries from August through to March to "compete" as the best and most productive club for a particular month.  The theme each month closely mirrors the Rotary International monthly themes.  Clubs can showcase all of their projects and activities and gain much-needed recognition for all their humanitarian efforts!  Everyone is encourage to participate!
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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.  


Ken Guiste from BVI 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.
  • Once you have spent at least one-half hour on our website, use the link above to request a make-up confirmation.
  • Please use your 30-minute visit to enjoy our presentations and learn more about Rotary.
  • As always, Rotarians should apply the 4-Way Test to the time they spend on the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020 site for a make-up.  

Active Members.  Click for Attendance Record.  

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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT - SATURDAY, June 8 at 9:00 a.m.

Please join our Happy Hour Hangout at 9:00 a.m. Atlantic Time (Eastern Daylight Time) on Saturday morning, June 8, 2013

Click the link below just before the meeting time.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/789715553

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

Dial +1 (626) 521-0013
Access Code: 789-715-553
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 789-715-553

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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT - WEDNESDAY, June 12 at 7:00 p.m.

Please join our Happy Hour Hangout on Wednesday, June 12 at 7:00 p.m. Atlantic Time (Eastern Daylight Time)

Click the link below just before the meeting time.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/824357688

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

Dial +1 (619) 550-0003
Access Code: 824-357-688
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting

Meeting ID: 824-357-688


1 comment:

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