Program Summary: Cyrus Krohn, “Bombarded: How to Fight Back Against the Online Assault on Democracy,” May 6, 2021

Imagine an imminent America where citizens are bombarded with personalized political messages from every smart device – yet information is so suspect, nobody can tell what the truth is.

The coronavirus pandemic provided a foretaste of an infuriating, dystopian future. From the start Americans fought over the most basic facts of the crisis, from death tolls to quack cures to the wisdom of stay-at-home orders. The splintered digital infosphere bred confusion and delusion, some of it fatal. Now think of our campaigns and elections. The digital information age means more than hyper-targeted, just-for-you messages from insurance companies and presidential candidates alike. It means oceans of disinformation engineered to sow false beliefs or simply disorient.

Big Data is on the way to fueling information environments so fine-tuned, no two of us hold the same view of reality, and no two voters hear the same pitch. Already, citizens don’t know who to trust or what to believe – about COVID-19 or anything else. If we ask nothing more of tech providers or digital citizens, the fog will continue to thicken. Irritation will merge into despair and then numbness… and democracy teeters.

Digital pioneer Cyrus Krohn knows the territory, and in Bombarded: How to Fight Back Against the Online Assault on Democracy, Krohn locates the roots of our blooming political chaos. But he goes beyond recounting 25 years of destabilizing Internet shock waves and rolls out a provocative action plan for rescuing the American system of campaigns and elections while there is still time.

Bombarded was recently selected as a finalist for INDIE “Book of the Year” by Foreword Reviews.

You can get the book on Amazon here. Learn more about the book here.

Key Points Summary by Michelle Lee

After interning at the White House, working on CNN’s Larry King Live and Crossfire, Cyrus has insights about social media and privacy.

In 1996, Bill Gates predicated the media on paper would be out.  Nowadays, we have social media instead.  Contrary to the clean broadcast debate such as Crossfire, there is no single source of truth or no reliable narrator on social media.

Regarding privacy, our consumer purchase habit and financial well-being collected as 3000 attributes, can be easily bought.  This was what Cambridge Analytica bought for about 300 million Americans from Facebook.  Technology is being built, data are being harvested and used for political campaigns.

There are two major laws tech companies follow – CCPA from California and GDPR from EU.  Washington State tried to pass a state privacy law in 3 attempts but failed.  Cyrus would like to see a Federal Data Privacy Act.  It would be difficult for businesses if there are 50 from the states.

Cyrus also thinks that government and civic education should be added back to the curriculum.  So that people will know how our government functions and be active and viable participants.  Lastly, he encourages us to participate in local journalism, attending school boards and city councils meetings, write and publish the facts, as most of the local newspapers are lost and people use social media for local news.    

Program Summary: Chris Davis, MD, “Compassion Amidst the Chaos,” April 29, 2021

Chris Davis, MD

Key Points Summary by Michelle Lee

Dr. Davis’ book is available here.

Chris Davis, MD, is a lifelong ER doctor.  At age 74, he was not allowed to be back in the ER by his wife during Covid.  He pivoted to write a book detailing the most memorable 30 cases in his 35-year career. 

In the 1970s, demand for ER services was rising nationally, however, there was not sufficient ER doctor training which covering 32 fields.  Before ER, Chris interned at the Air Force.  He was trained emergency medicine at John Hopkins with a lot of work, a crushing budget, a poor community to serve and 20 hours on/20 hours off schedule.

ER doctors need to do critical and sometimes simple procedures, such as raising patient’s legs up, in the first 10 minutes to save lives.

While other doctors have linear relationship with their patients, have scheduled appointments and treat specific ailments.  ER doctors have non-linear relationship.  They have only 45 second to build relationship by saying things like “Mr. Jones, I understand you have a terrible day today” “you and I are in this together”

When Chris could not find a diagnosis for a patient, he would encourage him/her to come back and give his telephone number to call if needed.

ER doctors face fear, exhaustion, life and death chaotic environment.  They usually have military experience, the right spouse and a supportive family.  They are also comfortable with uncertainties and can make quick decisions.  One third of their working hours will be at night and on holidays.  Whoever wants this kind of life has to be satisfied that he/she makes a big difference in patients’ lives and be settled with that satisfaction.  He/she may not see their patients again not to mention any appreciation received.

Although ER doctors are the ones who burnout or died from Covid, applications for medical school has gone up 50% and ER is a popular residency.  Some of the ER doctors may not come back but 80%/core group of ER doctors who have military experience will survive.

In fact, Chris’ son is currently enrolled in Washington State University to be an ER doctor after 10-year military service. 

“Might have been” “could have been” doubts happened in Chris’ early career years.  This book also helps Chris to cope with that emotion.

No one schedules an appointment with an Emergency Room Doctor. You meet one when life doesn’t go as planned. Survival requires immediate dependence and trust in a stranger in a white coat. As soon as the imminent danger has passed— they are off to the next case. Many patients don’t realize that their stories stay with those that served them. Patients have the most to teach about humility and humanity. “Compassion Amidst the Chaos” is brimming with the tension, anguish, exhaustion, relief, gratitude, and compassion that are all part of a typical day at work in the ER. Travel with Dr. Chris Davis through the cases he remembers most from his 35-year career as an emergency medicine doctor.

Dr. Christopher Davis has cared for over 100,000 patients during his 35-year career as an emergency medicine doctor. He has taught medical students, nurses, paramedics, and doctors in the Washington DC area, the Pacific Northwest, and as guest faculty in Laos, Bhutan, Cambodia and Uganda. Dr. Davis earned his BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1968, his MD from the George Washington University School of Medicine in 1972 and completed his 1 year internship there. In 1973, he started a 3 year position as a US Air Force Flight Surgeon. He recounts two stories in this book that earned him the Air Force Flight Surgeon of the Year award and the US Meritorious Service Medal. After his residencies at John Hopkins in Emergency Medicine and at Georgetown in Internal Medicine, he proceeded to teach and practice Emergency Medicine in Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia from 1980 to 1996. He then taught and practiced in the state of Washington from 1996 to 2019.

Welcome to Our New Members!

Welcome to our the newest members of the University Sunrise Rotary Club:

Claudia Gutierrez, Paul Meehan, and Joe Thomas! 

We are now at 46 official members! A 35% increase over last year!

Program Summary: Erin Goodman, SODO BIA, “Advocating for a Safe & Clean Seattle,” April 22, 2021

Erin Goodman, SODO BIA

A Seattle native, Erin Goodman has led the SODO BIA for six years. With a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of South Carolina, Erin has worked in non-profit administration for over 20 years, with an emphasis on organizational development and  good governance. A strong supporter of business,  she previously led the U District Partnership and the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce. Erin is committed to being an ardent advocate for SODO businesses and assisting them in developing a vibrant business district in SODO that is Safe, Clean and Moving.  

For much of its life, people weren’t even sure what to call the four square miles or so of filled-in tidal flats-turned-industrial heart of Seattle. For years, until a marketing campaign promoted the name SoDo (as in “south of the dome”), the area made do with the generic descriptor of “the industrial area.”

SODO has been a mishmash ever since someone got the idea of filling in those tidal lands: rail yards and sawmills, meat packers and metal shops, a seaport, warehouses, a huge Hooverville during the Depression, the first Costco store, a giant Sears store and distribution center that later became Starbucks’ headquarters, and sports stadiums.

Today. SODO is a vibrant and diverse business district with a strong industrial presence intermixed with retail, office and service businesses. SODO is also home to a burgeoning entertainment and nightlife scene, with bars, restaurants, clubs and event spaces opening up across the district.

A Business Improvement Area (BIA) provides a mechanism for property owners and business to collectively obtain the improvements they want to see in their district.  The SODO BIA was created under the auspices of the City of Seattle in 2014. The mission of the SODO BIA is to Advocate for a Safe, Clean and Moving SODO, for the benefit of property owners, businesses, tenants, employees and patrons of the SODO district.

  • What is a BIA? Authorized by state. Neighborhood can come together and tax themselves for service. Example holiday lights, hanging baskets. However, BIA now goes beyond like it is a small city. Includes street cleaning.
  • SODO needs more than flower boxes. Bigger issues. Advocate for safe clean and moving SODO. If there was no homelessness, transportation would be biggest issue. Unpaved streets are a problem and SODO BIA paved some. Crumbling infrastructure also a problem. Work with port of Seattle.
  • Safety and cleaning. SODO started 2014. Business can be back from street. Different operating hours. Needed to build biz community. Lots of debris from construction. BIA does every other week street sweeping. Sidewalk cleaning. SODO a large area. 1200 diverse businesses including manufacturing, cannabis, commercial kitchens, construction supplies, automotive, auto detailing and repair, nightlife. Needs are similar despite this diversity.
  • Issue significant growth in homeless population. Bizzes have to pick up needles and human waste. Classes on how to safely pick up needles.
  • Sodo has off duty contract with SPD. Sodo has rising crime. Homelessness is a symptom from domestic violence, PTSD, etc. Need to help people with mental health issues and substance abuse.
  • Much political bickering about city budget. City charter amendments works around this. Goal that no one had to live outdoors. Not everyone needs permanent housing support. The mats on the floor does not help people and is not always safe. It forces people to be on the street during the day.
  • False dichotomy between compassion and clean streets.
  • We need non law enforcement to deal with mental health issues.
  • City not organized and not supervising service providers City not supporting accelerated housing. Organizations need to work together.
  • There are 9 BIA in Seattle. They all met in 2018 to talk about issues of garbage, needles. Small group of people were crime perpetrators. Lots of talk but not much action. Problem of black and brown water caused by large RV presence.
  • We need to figure out land use Issue between Industrial land use and other development such as retail and housing.
  • Also, we are not jailing people due to COVID. So, the choice of jail vs treatment no longer exists.

Thanks to Club Members Dan Byrne for arranging this program and to Merrill Mayer for providing notes.

Program Summary: Jimmy Hurd, “Understanding Race and Racism,” April 15, 2021

Jimmy Hurd has served as a minister with the Churches of Christ for 32 years, serving churches in Seattle, WA, Southfield, MI and Rancho Cordova, CA.

He is a graduate of Seattle Pacific University and the University of Washington. After completing his master’s degree in health administration, he entered the field of hospital administration in 1981. He began his ministry career in 1988.

He has had over 30 years of effective leadership and administrative experience with churches, hospitals, nonprofit, government and military organizations.  He previously served as a diversity instructor for the Red Cross and the Boeing Company. He assisted in developing a diversity plan for Rochester College, Rochester, Michigan.

His wife (of 42 years) Jacqui is a registered nurse and has served in the Veterans Affairs Health System for over 30 years. They are the parents of two children and have two grandchildren.

Thanks to Club Member Isaac McNally for arranging this program!

Key Points:

Jimmy moved to Seattle in 1963 from Tennessee as his father wanted Jimmy and his brother to have better upbringing than him and his brothers.  Jimmy lived in Central District but he (at grade 7) and his older brother (at grade 10) were volunteered to be bused to and attended Hamilton High School and Lincoln High School.

Jimmy wanted us to be aware and think about several aspects about race:

  • Race is a created idea.  There is no genetically identical traits for a race.
  • As demonstrated in Jane Elliott’s blue eyed vs brown eyed experiment, how stereotypes affected third grade students’ behavior and emotion.
  • Our concept of race has been historically shaped by:
    • Social Darwinism – Europeans were the most evolved.
    • Eugenics – Human race would improve if interracial marriage was prohibited.
    • Colonialism – In addition to economic benefits, the occupiers had the duties to civilize and uplift the other culture.
  • Institutional racism existed in Seattle. In 1936, Seattle Home Ownership Association had a map of favorable and non-favorable neighborhoods for home loans.
  • Housing covenants are still on property titles in some neighborhoods even though not legally enforceable.  It may be difficult to redact the housing covenants from titles but the most important is in the hearts, not documents.

Rotary District 5030 Forum: “Race Matters to Rotary,” April 17, 2021

We have the honor of welcoming Valarie Wafer on Saturday, April 17, 2021, for the final “Race Matters to Rotary” online forum of this Rotary year. Valarie is on the Board of Directors of Rotary International and is leading Rotary International’s global DEI effort. The forum begins at 9 a.m.

As Rotarians who care about Rotary’s stand against discrimination, injustice and racism, please join me – and invite your fellow club members too – to hear Valarie’s remarks and to engage with her during the Q&A.

Here is the link to pre-register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqf-iprT4sEtwPB3VAt0t8FGngLVuDWXfe

Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change— across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Cathy Gibson, Rotary District 5030 Governor