the valley sunrise - Clayton Valley Concord Sunrise Rotary Club

THE VALLEY
SUNRISE
April 16, 2015
Award-Winning Newsletter for THREE
CONSECUTIVE years (2010-2013)
Rotary Int’l President:
District 5160 Governor:
CVCS President:
Photographer:
Reporter:
Editor:
Gary Huang, Taiwan
Pam Gray, Paradise
Irene Davids-Blair
Clayton Worsdell
Mureleen Benton
Mureleen Benton
HOW IT STARTED
President Irene dinged that Rotary bell and the ding-a-lings at the breakfast tables stood and
began our flight of 2014/15 cruising at 30,000 feet with NO turbulence. What a great ride.
Bob Sundberg had the thought for the day by Leonardo Da Vinci – not Leonardo DiCaprio –whoever he is.
That was followed by Ken Nishimori leading us in the pledge and then Julia Aguilar, our own
Julie Andrews, did the Star Spangled Banner.
1
GUESTS
We were pleased to have as our guests today John and Marge Tate, our speaker and of course
Aline our exchange student from Belgium and also Jonathan and Brody, our co-presidents from
Interact.
JOKES/BIRTHDAYS _____
Richard Lueck came through with a good one about
Fred Nelson and Miles Bell playing golf and that
was followed by a rousing rendition of Happy
Birthday (led once again by Julie Andrews, I mean
Julia Aguilar) to Aline who celebrated her big day
this past week by dining at a French restaurant right
here in Concord.
HAPPY BUCKS________
2
HBs started with Mureleen being happy to be
home after freezing for 2 weeks near Montreal
where the grandsons (and their parents) live.
Bill Fuller is headed off to the “happiest place on
earth” to celebrate not only his daughter’s
birthday but Lisa’s mother’s (his mother-in-law)
birthday (84).
John Wolfe still has a couple tickets left for the
bet spaghetti feed in Clayton which will be April
29 put on by AAUW. Great value and good
food.
Tommy Wolf is happy that Eric Rehn helped
him do something about posting stuff on
Facebook that deals with staying healthy.
Dave Kemnitz had a GREAT Clunkers week
with a donation by a client of Ken Nishimori’s of
a Honda Civic that should bring in about $4,900.
And since there weren’t that many HBs,
President Irene decided (as most leaders looking
for ways to pad the financial sheet) that it was
time for a pin check. So a few more bucks were
garnered from the dollar-poor peons in the
crowd. In fact, one Rotarian with the first name
of Don even tried to confiscate a pin-wearing Rotarian to save himself
$1. I really believe there is hardly a place hot enough in hell for that behavior. What do you
think?
CLUB STUFF_________________
Rotary Board meetings will now be on the 1st Wednesday of every month at 7:00 am back
to Buttercup Pantry.
Maryann Carroll-Moser, as our PE designee (in other words, the person
to become President AFTER our next President (who happens to be
Dave)) was asked to recite the 4 Way Test and it is believed she did a
very good job. Just a reminder, Maryann: Is it, is it, will it, will it.
That’s the teaching moment from your oh so friendly Editor.
Moving right along…
3
Don Ouimet reminded us that our donation to Every 15 Minutes that was
held at Concord HS this year was used very wisely this past week.
Mark your calendars RIGHT NOW for May 9,
Saturday. We will be working side by side with
the Interactors from CVCHS as our group
removes the slats from the electric fence and
inserts the new slats into the still turned on
electric fence. Oh wait, maybe it isn’t an electric fence. It’s some kind
of fence and this is to help the Interactors raise
money for their many projects. This will be
followed by a BBQ at the Benton’s – hamburgers
and hot dogs. Yum!
And later that same evening, Brody will be
performing in his final production at CVCHS of
You Can’t Take It With You. More information
to follow on times and other dates of this
performance.
Ben Wentling announced the annual bocce
tournament that will be June 20 at the world
renown bocce courts in Martinez. Looks like
we might even have enough for 5 teams.
Yippee.
President Irene reminded us of the District
Assembly at Solano CC in Vallejo on April 25.
Please register NOW if you are planning on
attending.
Julia Aguilar (AKA Julie Andrews) will be
hosting the next Friday Nite Live on April 24.
Start planning your menu now.
Cancel any out of town plans you might have
for the 4th of July because all hands are needed
at the annual pancake breakfast that will be held
on July 4th (this year only). That is according to
Bill Selb.
Fred Nelson (and Miles Bell) are looking for 100 golfers and about the
same number of sponsors for the annual golf tournament which will be
August 10. Check with any business owners you might know to see if they’d like to buy a
sponsorship – if you happen to know any business owners, that is.
4
Lisa Truesdell is still looking for walkers for the Relay for Life which
will be August 15. Notify Lisa ASAP if you considering walking for
this very worthwhile cause.
MYSTERY GREETER________
And speaking of Lisa, want to guess who our
secret greeter was this a.m.? Yep, you
guessed ‘er, Chester. No it wasn’t Chester. It was LISA.
20/50________
What in the name of heaven is a 20/50? Well, let me tell you!! It happens to be a great idea
dreamed up by someone so we could get to know our neighbors and friends better by convincing
them to purchase a chance to win $50. And Monica happened to get to know either a friend,
neighbor, countryman or co-worker by signing them up for a mere $20 and they walked away
this morning with $50. But since you have to be present to win … oh that’s right, that’s not this
game. That’s the other one called the marble draw. Anyway, congrats to someone Monica
knows – but I don’t really mean congratulations because I wanted to win.
SPEAKER
And now it’s time for John Tate to tell us about his 22 year career in the Navy which just
happened to also coincide with being in Hawaii during 12/7/41. And you might be asking, how
exactly did our Rotary club get the honor of meeting up with one of the FEW Pearl Harbor
survivors? Well, let me explain. Just so happens we have this wonderful group of Rotarians that
give so generously of their time and talents and one of these happens to be Home Team. So a
few weeks ago when this Home Team crew went to work on a home, it happened to belong to
Marge and John Tate. And as one thing leads to another, the story came out about John and his
involvement with Pearl Harbor – and also his 1930 Model A.
John was raised in Oakland (and has known his wife for 80 years) and happened to join the Navy
in August 1940. But in August 1941, John’s ship, the USS St. Louis headed to Pearl Harbor.
5
The ship would periodically go out to sea to do training missions and on the morning of
December 7, they just happened to be leaving Pearl Harbor for one of these training missions.
They were in a channel that you usually go 8 knots in but their ship went 28 knots and they were
able to escape the bombing raid that pursued. The USS St. Louis had about 1,000 men on it and
during their entire time on the ship, there was only one injury that John knew about and that was
an accident by someone closing a hangar door on someone’s foot and he lost his foot. Seems
someone certainly was looking out for the men on the USS St. Louis.
They accompanied ships to the Philippines and San Diego. They were once attacked by the
Japanese and “lost their bow.” But they managed to make it to Mare Island where another bow
was attached to their ship. Also, they were once shot upon by the Japanese but that torpedo hit a
coral reef and saved them from attack. When you hear the story, you really do wonder what
magical force followed these men through their days at war.
John also showed us the menu for their Thanksgiving meal in 1941. Sounded pretty yummy.
Turkey with all the trimmings – including cigars and cigarettes.
The USS St. Louis survived WW II and was later sold to the navy of Brazil. Then it was sold to
China but enroute, it ran into a storm and capsized and is now at the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean.
John signed the book, The Big Book of Dinosaurs. We thank John very much for his very
interesting talk and also for his service.
6
MARBLE DRAW____________
Bill Fuller and Jim Swanson decided to
exchange tickets for the $84 riding on this
red ticket and sure enough, even trading
tickets you still find Jim Swanson as a
winner. But he walked away with the bottle
and not the $84. Pot’s getting bigger.
Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike
Authority found over 200 dead crows near
greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they might have died from Avian flu.
A bird pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and to everyone's relief, confirmed the
problem was definitely not Avian flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts. However,
during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colours of paints appeared on the birds' beaks and
claws. By analyzing these paint residues, it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by
impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with cars.
MTA then hired an ornithological behaviourist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate
percentages of truck kills versus car kills. He very quickly concluded the cause: When crows eat road kill,
they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah!" not a single one could shout "Truck!"
7
FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS______________
A MEMORY TEST FOR YOU
1. "Kookie; Kookie. Lend me your _____."
2. The "battle cry" of the hippies in the sixties was "Turn on; tune in;______."
3. After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, "Who
was that masked man?" Invariably, someone would answer, "I don't know, but he left this behind." What
did he leave behind?_____.
4. Folk songs were played side by side with rock and roll. One of the most memorable folk songs included
these lyrics: "When the rooster crows at the break of dawn, look out your window and I'll be gone. You're
the reason I'm travelling on, _______."
5. A group of protesters arrested at the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968 achieved cult status,
and were known as the ______.
6. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all watched them on the __________ show.
8
7. Some of us who protested the Vietnam war did so by burning our _________.
8. We all learned to read using the same books. We read about the thrilling lives and adventures of Dick
and Jane. What was the name of Dick and Jane's dog? ____.
9. The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk (what there was of it) in the front, was called
the VW. What other name(s) did it go by? _______ or ______
10. A Broadway musical and movie gave us the gang names the _____ and the ______.
11. In the seventies, we called the drop-out nonconformists "hippies." But in the early sixties, they were
known as ______.
12. William Bendix played Chester A. Riley, who always seemed to get the short end of the stick in the
television program, "The Life of Riley." At the end of each show, poor Chester would turn to the camera
and exclaim, "What a _______."
13. "Get your kicks, ________."
14. "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed _________."
15. The real James Bond, Sean Connery, mixed his martinis a special way: ____________.
16. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, _________."
17. That "adult" book by Henry Miller - the one that contained all the "dirty" dialogue - was
called _________.
18. Today, the math geniuses in school might walk around with a calculator strapped to their belts. But
back in the sixties, members of the math club used a _______.
19. In 1971, singer Don Maclean sang a song about "the day the music died." This was a reference and
tribute to ______.
20. A well-known television commercial featured a driver who was miraculously lifted through thin air and
into the front seat of a convertible. The matching slogan was "Let Hertz __________."
21. After the twist, the mashed potato, and the watusi, we "danced" under a stick that was lowered as low
as we could go in a dance called the_______.
22. "N-E-S-T-L-E-S; Nestles makes the very best ___________."
23. In the late sixties, the "full figure" style of Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe gave way to the "trim"
look, as first exemplified by British model _____.
24. Satchmo was America's "ambassador of goodwill." Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player
with us. His name was _________.
25. On Jackie Gleason's variety show in the sixties, one of the most popular segments was "Joe, the
Bartender." Joe's regular visitor at the bar was that slightly off-center, but lovable character,
____________. (The character's name, not the actor's.)
26. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it; it was called ________.
27. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? _________.
9
28. One of the big fads of the late fifties and sixties was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our
waist; it was called the _________.
29. The "Age of Aquarius" was brought into the mainstream in the Broadway musical _______.
30. This is a two-parter: Red Skelton's hobo character (not the hayseed, the hobo) was ________. Red
ended his television show by saying, "Good night, and ___________."
(Answers are further down in this bulletin. Keep scrolling and you’ll find them, I’m sure. Do not call me at
2 a.m. asking “where are the answers!” I will be VERY grumpy.
OBSERVATIONS TO LIVE BY
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for
weeks.
Some people are like Slinkies ... not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one
tumble down the stairs.
I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and I think, "Well, that's not going to happen."
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
The other night I ate at a real family restaurant. Every table had an argument going.
Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to.
According to a recent survey, men say the first thing they notice about a woman is their eyes, and women say the
first thing they notice about men is they're a bunch of liars.
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.
All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.
Have you noticed that a slight tax increase costs you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty
cents?
In the '60s, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it
normal.
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance
to the first.
There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it
will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory
which states that this has already happened.
How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? (And I can't get
anything happening in my hibachi without gasoline and a flame thrower)
SOME THINGS NEVER IMPROVE
Gentlemen: I have been riding trains daily for the last 22 years, and the service on your line seems to be getting
worse every day. I am tired of standing in the aisle all the time on a 14-mile trip. I think the transportation system is
worse than that enjoyed by people 2,000 years ago.
Yours truly,
10
A Commuter
The reply to the above:
Dear Sir: We received your letter with reference to the shortcomings of our service, and believe you are somewhat
confused in your history. The only mode of transportation 2,000 years ago was by foot.
Sincerely,
Western Railways
And the counter-reply was:
Gentlemen: I am in receipt of your letter, and I think you are the ones who are confused in your history. If you will
refer to the Bible, Book of David, 9th Chapter, you will find that Balaam rode to town on his ass. That, gentlemen, is
something I have not been able to do on your train in the last 22 years!
Yours truly,
A Commuter
FLIGHT ATTENDANT'S REMARKS
Thanks to a retired Delta captain for sending this "paraphrase" of a memorable safety PA from their flight
attendants. In his own words:
I was flying to San Francisco from Seattle one weekend, and the flight attendant reading the flight safety
information had the whole plane looking at each other like "what the heck?" (Getting Seattle people to look at each
other is an accomplishment.) So once we got airborne, I took out my laptop and typed up what she said so I wouldn't
forget. I've left out a few parts, I'm sure, but this is most of it.
Before takeoff: Hello and welcome to Alaska Flight 438 to San Francisco. If you're going to San Francisco, you're in
the right place. If you're not going to San Francisco, you're about to have a really long evening.
We'd like to tell you now about some important safety features of this aircraft. The most important safety feature we
have aboard this plane is the flight attendants. Please look at one now.
There are five exits aboard this plane: two at the front, two over the wings, and one out the plane's rear end. If you're
seated in one of the exit rows, please do not store your bags by your feet. That would be a really bad idea.
Please take a moment and look around and find the nearest exit. Count the rows of seats between you and the exit. In
the event that the need arises to find one, trust me, you'll be glad you did. We have pretty blinking lights on the floor
that will blink in the direction of the exits. White ones along the normal rows, and pretty red ones at the exit rows.
In the event of a loss of cabin pressure, these baggy things will drop down over your head. You stick it over your
nose and mouth like the flight attendant is doing now. The bag won't inflate, but there's oxygen there, promise. If
you are sitting next to a small child, or someone who is acting like a small child, please do us all a favour and put on
your mask first. If you are travelling with two or more children, please take a moment now to decide which one is
your favourite. Help that one first, and then work your way down.
In the seat pocket in front of you is a pamphlet about the safety features of this plane. I usually use it as a fan when
I'm having my own personal summer. It makes a very good fan. It also has pretty pictures. Please take it out and
play with it now.
Please take a moment now to make sure your seat belts are fastened low and tight about your waist. To fasten the
belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle. To release, it's a pulley thing - not a pushy thing like your car because
you're in an airplane - HELLO!
There is no smoking in the cabin on this flight. There is also no smoking in the lavatories. If we see smoke coming
from the lavatories, we will assume you are on fire and put you out. This is a free service we provide. There are two
11
smoking sections on this flight, one outside each wing exit. We do have a movie in the smoking sections tonight ...
hold on, let me check what it is. Oh, here it is. The movie tonight is "Gone with the Wind."
In a moment we will be turning off the cabin lights, and it's going to get really dark, really fast. If you're afraid of the
dark, now would be a good time to reach up and press the yellow button. The yellow button turns on your reading
light. Please don't press the orange button unless you absolutely have to. The orange button is your seat ejection
button.
We're glad to have you with us on board this flight. Thank you for choosing Alaska Air, and giving us your business
and your money. If there's anything we can do to make you more comfortable, please don't hesitate to ask.
If you all weren't strapped down you would have given me a standing ovation, wouldn't you?
After landing: Welcome to the San Francisco International Airport. Sorry about the bumpy landing. It's not the
captain's fault. It's not the co-pilot's fault. It's the asphalt.
Please remain seated until the plane is parked at the gate. At no time in history has a passenger beaten a plane to the
gate, so please don't even try.
Please be careful opening the overhead bins because "shift happens."
MOODS
Moods of a Woman
An angel of truth and a dream of fiction,
A woman is a bundle of contradiction.
She's afraid of a wasp, will scream at a mouse,
But will tackle her boyfriend alone in the house.
Sour as vinegar, sweet as a rose,
She'll kiss you one minute, then turn up her nose.
She'll win you in rags, enchant you in silk;
She'll be stronger than brandy, milder than milk.
At times she'll be vengeful, merry, or sad,
She'll hate you like poison and love you like mad.
Moods of a man
Horny
Sleepy
Hungry
THE ANSWERS
1. "Kookie; Kookie; lend me your comb."
2. The "battle cry" of the hippies in the sixties was "Turn on; tune in; drop out." Many people who
proclaimed that 30 years ago today are Wall Street bond traders and corporate lawyers.
3. The Lone Ranger left behind a silver bullet. Several of you said he left behind his mask. Oh, no; even
off the screen, Clayton Moore would not be seen as the Lone Ranger without his mask!
12
4. "When the rooster crows at the break of dawn, look out your window and I'll be gone. You're the reason
I'm traveling on; Don't think twice, it's all right."
5. The group of protesters arrested at the Democratic convention in Chicago in 1968 was known as the
Chicago seven.
6. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. in early 1964, we all watched them on the Ed Sullivan Show.
7. Some who protested the Vietnam war did so by burning their draft cards. If you said "bras," you've got
the right spirit, but nobody ever burned a bra while I was watching. The "bra burning" days came as a byproduct of women's liberation movement which had nothing directly to do with the Vietnam war
8. Dick and Jane's dog was Spot. "See Spot run." Whatever happened to them? Rumour has it they have
been replaced in some school systems by "Heather Has Two Mommies."
9. It was the VW Beetle, or more affectionately, the Bug.
10. A Broadway musical and movie gave us the gang names the Sharks and the Jets. West Side Story.
11. In the early sixties, the drop-out, non-conformists were known as beatniks. Maynard G. Krebs was the
classic beatnik, except that he had no rhythm, man; a beard, but no beat.
12. At the end of "The Life of Riley," Chester would turn to the camera and exclaim, "What a revoltin'
development this is."
13. "Get your kicks on Route 66."
14. "The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent."
15. The real James Bond, Sean Connery, mixed his martinis a special way: shaken, not stirred.
16. "In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight."
17. That "adult" book by Henry Miller was called Tropic of Cancer. Today, it would get a PG-13 rating.
18. Back in the sixties, members of the math club used a slide rule.
19. "The day the music died" was a reference and tribute to Buddy Holly.
20. The matching slogan was "Let Hertz put you in the driver's seat."
21. After the twist, the mashed potato, and the watusi, we "danced" under a stick in a dance called the
limbo.
22. "N-E-S-T-L-E-S; Nestles makes the very best....chooo-c'late." In the television commercial,
"chocolate" was sung by a puppet - a dog. (Remember his mouth flopping open and shut?)
23. In the late sixties, the "full figure" style gave way to the "trim" look, as first exemplified by British model
Twiggy.
24. Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was Louis Armstrong.
25. Joe's regular visitor at the bar was Crazy Googenhiem.
26. The Russians put the first satellite into orbit; it was called Sputnik.
13
27. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? A Timex watch.
28. The large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist was called the hula-hoop.
29. The "Age of Aquarius" was brought into the mainstream in the Broadway musical "Hair."
30. Red Skelton's hobo character was Freddie the Freeloader. (Clem Kaddiddlehopper was the "hay
seed.") Red ended his television show by saying, "Good night, and may God bless."
14