Jocularity with Dr. Hal

We are honored to have in-residence a true humorist in Dr. Hall Elner, the following is a sample of some of his humor.

Dr Hall
Dr. Hal

#1. “I’m ashamed of you,” the mother said. “Fighting with your best friend is a terrible thing to do.”

“He threw a rock at me!” the boy said, “So I threw one at him.”

The mother stated emphatically, “When he threw a rock at you, you should have come to me.” The boy quickly replied, “What good would that have done?

My aim is much better than yours.”

#2. A newsboy was standing on the corner with a stack of papers, yelling, “Read all about it. Fifty people swindled! Fifty people swindled!”

Curious, a man walked over, bought a paper, and checked the front page. Finding nothing, the man said, “There’s nothing in here about fifty people being swindled.”

The newsboy ignored him and went on, calling out, “Read all about it, Fifty-one people swindled!”

#3. Two elderly gentlemen were talking over coffee.

“I guess you’re never too old,” the first one boasted. “Why just yesterday a pretty college girl said she’d be interested in dating me. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t quite understand it.”

“Well,” said his friend,  “you have to remember that nowadays women are more aggressive. They don’t mind being the one to ask.”

“No, I don’t think it’s that.”

“Well, maybe you remind her of her father.”

“No, it’s not that either. It’s just that she also mentioned something about carbon 14.”

#4.  A man and a woman who had never met before find themselves in the same sleeping carriage of a train.

After the initial embarrassment, they both go to sleep, she on the lower bunk, he on the upper.

In the middle of the night the man leans over and says, “I’m sorry to bother you but I’m cold and I was wondering if you could possibly pass me another blanket.”

The woman leans out and says in a sultry voice, “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s pretend we’re married.”

“Hey, terrific idea!” says the eager man.

“Good!” she replies, “Get your own blanket!”

Pamela Banks: Candidate for City Council District 3

On September 17th, we heard from Pamela Banks, aspirant for District 3 of the City Council.  She gave a moving history of family struggles in her Portland childhood and her family’s dedication to community service.

Pamela Banks and Steve Barton
Pamela Banks and Steve Barton
Pamela Banks and Past President Mike Madden
Pamela Banks and Past President Mike Madden

A graduate of the UW, she is President and CEO of the Seattle Urban League. In that capacity she has done fund raising, food drives for the poor, and much more. She rescued the Urban League from financial ruin in 2009-2010. It now flourishes with a staff of 14. She has served for 30 years, under 5 mayors, and has been a community organizer for southeast Seattle. Her focus is on the community; she shuns federal involvement.

Her goals:

  1. To connect citizens to local city goals and to deliver more local services, especially for those of low income and the homeless.
  2. Light Rail liaison with the community, considering the impact of the Light Rail on businesses and property owners during construction.
  3. In general, support for small businesses.
  4. An education and employment program, which obviates much crime.
  5. Problem solving as regards transportation and safety.
  6. The housing crisis must be addressed with a view toward preservation of the single family home.
  7. Gun violence is increasing. More education and jobs are needed to reverse it.
  8. A career bridge for women. Funds are in place for this.
  9. Housing affordability. Must build 20-50 thousand apartments.
  10. Homelessness pervades not only Seattle but all the surrounding communities. The problem is huge. There is much work to be done.
  11. Transportation, i.e., getting people to work, must be improved.
  12. Early reading for children. If kids cannot read at a third grade level when reaching that grade, dropouts and other bad consequences occur.
  13. Many construction and transportation jobs are unfilled. Federal grants are in place for teaching these skills. Teachers must also be trained.
  14. To get people out of cars, mass transportation must be improved. The matter of dwelling construction without provision for parking remains an unsolved enigma.

Observation: A tough job awaits anyone who attains office. Sparring with colleagues must be added to the abovementioned labors.

Jenny Martin and Conscious Capitalism

Leo Durocher’s statement, “Nice guys finish last”, as applied to the business world, must have had a degree of accuracy in days gone by. In recent years, as asserted by Jennifer Martin, this concept has been undergoing modification.

Jenny was present at the creation of the first local chapter of Conscious Capitalism. While there is a national chapter, attended by CEOs in high places, there are many that anyone can join. Conscious Capitalism (henceforth CC) has a stated principle of marketing strategies to benefit humanity and the environment.

The points made by Jenny include: –The aging population has cast a buffering effect upon the tempestuousness of youth. –More wisdom, as imparted by more grandparents than have heretofore existed, is influencing the younger generation. –Born from this shift in values has arisen CC. with its concept of treating  people, specifically employees, in a good manner. –CC bases its business principles on four pillars, to wit,

  1. A higher purpose than just making money,
  2. How best to treat one’s workers
  3. Conscientious leadership, in which the mindset of the leader affects all others
  4. Stakeholder orientation, an idea that it is not altogether necessary to dominate the market.

In short, the goal is to do well by doing good. This also extends to treatment of vendors and even perhaps collaborating with the competition. –It now seems that CC companies are outperforming others and the S&P –Surveys show that people shun companies known to be irresponsible and would change to those that align with their values. Consumers find out about these things. –The huge discrepancies between executive and employee salaries are being addressed with a view to placing a ceiling on this ratio. –Paying employees well inspires loyalty. It offers them autonomy and a purpose. –Decentralization of power vs. the old hierarchical method has merit.

Summarizing: Good will, while not tangible, is worth its aureus weight

Phill Briscoe with Jenny Martin
Phill Briscoe with Jenny Martin

Ezra Teshome: Africa and Polio Plus Update

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This Thursday, August 27th, was a laudable coincidence that compressed Past District Governor Ezra Teshome’s PolioPlus update with the ROTARIAN magazine’s front cover ultimatum to the disease.

Ezra began with a bit of history concerning this scourge–

–It has been associated with poor hygiene, ie., tainted water, sewage, and the like, since 1400 B.C.
–Rotary’s role in its eradication has been in force since 1985.
–The original commitment was for 125 countries, entailing $120 million.
–The Gates Foundation has gotten involved with large stipends.

More progress:

  • Drops, costing 20 cents per dose, have supplanted injections for which refrigeration is essential, and difficult in torrid places, requiring thermos containers…
  • Polio eradication is now down to three remaining countries…
  • Africa is on the verge of being polio-free…
  • The region is highly unstable, but Nigeria has recently been declared free of it…
  • Two more years is the estimate for Africa…The last outbreak was in a Somali refugee camp in Ethiopia…
  • As for Ethiopia, immunizations are given in a stay home or go to the center basis…
  • Somali nomads are difficult to track down, but are successfully followed…
  • Health workers operate at or near mosques with accommodating imams an asset to the vaccinators. Challenges exist in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rumors have circulated that the workers are either CIA agents or sterilizers of women. Some workers have tragically been shot as a result.
Rotarians see other avenues of health, to wit, water purification, sanitary facilities, and immunization vs. other diseases. There can be no complacency. With continuation of the effort, some two years remain for a polio-free world. The Boko Haram, a legion of aggressors, has even been slowly coming around. The leaders have begun to accept the value of immunizations. The Gates Foundation now matches the effort with $2 for each $1 contributed.
Ezra, to everyone’s accolade and to nobody’s surprise, is set to go to Africa to administer vaccines. Godspeed.

Vicki Christopherson: Initiative 502 for Legal Marijuana

August 6th, our speaker Vicki Christopherson, a government relations specialist and lobbyist for the marijuana industry,  gave a short summary about Initiative 502.

Here is a description of the bill:   Initiative 502 defined and legalized small amounts of marijuana-related products for adults 21 and over, taxes them, and designates the revenue for health care and substance abuse prevention and education. Cannabis is still classified as a schedule I controlled substance under federal law. Possession by anyone under 21, possession of larger amounts, and growing of unlicensed or unregulated marijuana remains illegal under state law.

Prior to the initiative’s 2012 passage, certain evils existed. Among them were licenses granted for marijuana’s medicinal use that degenerated into commercial abuse. The Initiative caused honest purveyors to have to compete with the black market. On the one hand were those highly regulated and taxed and on the other, the opportunistic non-taxed. Legislation has thus decreed that, by 7/16, all medical marijuana will be regulated by the Department of Health and the Liquor Control Board. No longer will it be legal to set up shops and issue cards for sales of the substance. Retail stores will have to be licensed. There is to be a crackdown on loopholes and sales to minors. To be sure, there is opposition from those making lots of money. The DOH will determine that which is medical. No sales tax will be charged to genuine patients. Payroll tax consideration will accrue to taxpaying, honest, licensed dealers.

However, unintended tax obstacles were in place, including a 25% tax on producer, processor, and retailer. Then there is are taxes on gross receipts, business and occupancy, and tax on the client. (Can a business sustain this?). This is to be replaced by a single 37% tax (still high). Also, a requirement that one use one’s own vehicle for transport and disclosure of the route has evolved. There seem to be creative ways to get around these. Add to this the idea that a trail vehicle may harbor guns when the transport vehicle may not.

Other impediments: The public and financial record issues involving disclosure; wild variation as to what revenue should be; difficulties in creation of a safe adult market; to legalize or not to legalize; whether the federal government should change marijuana from a schedule 1 to a schedule 3.

Comment: As Churchill would say, “A riddle wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”

District Governor Elect, “Bo” Darling visits

August 6th, District Governor Elect Forrester “Bo” Darling visited University Sunrise RC.  Rotary business starts early not only for Breakfast Club but also next year’s District Governor wanted to become acquainted with the Clubs in District 5030 early so he can better help them.  DG “Bo” is a Mercer Island Rotarian.  He brought his wife Patti Darling, his “Aide De Camp” and also a Mercer Island Rotarian, as are Becca Palm and Claudina Campbell, who have agreed to help the DGE to prepare for his coming term in office.

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DGE “Bo” was well received by President Tim Lenihan and the University Sunrise RC members.  He stated that he loved the Ivar’s venue, the view, the enthusiasm of the Club and how he loved to see Rotary in Action at the Club level.

American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life walk is August 15: Sign Up

HI all,

A few folks have asked me if there’s a way to donate for the Relay for Life walk if you can’t participate. You can donate online to our team here. Or, we can accept cash or check donations at any Club meeting. As a team, we have already raised $1,350–a great start!!

The American Cancer Society (ACS) Relay for Life walk at Cal Anderson Park on Saturday, August 15 from 10am to 10pm. The walk is less than a month away so I wanted to provide an opportunity for folks to sign up to walk or order a t-shirt that we designed for the event! If you are interested in walking, please:

  1. Sign up for a walking time here, or email me an hour you are available to walk from when from 10am to 10pm that day. (See below for a copy of the current schedule.)
  2. Officially register with ACS online or get a paper form from me or Chase at an upcoming Club meeting. To register online, go to this website, click “SIGN UP”, create an account, and join the team “USRC: Put a Little Prince in Your <3”. Feel free to ask me or Chase for help if you’d like to register online but need assistance.

Currently, we have 4 time slots that need to be filled so it’d be great to get a few more folks to join us! In addition, we have designed a team t-shirt (click here to see the design). The t-shirt will cost $20 and are available in sizes Sm, M, L, Xl, and XXL. Please feel free to order a t-shirt regardless of whether you can make it on the 15th. If you are interested in having a t-shirt, please sign up here, email me, or let me know at an upcoming Club meeting.

Thanks, all!

Betsy Conklin
clubservice@usrotary.org

 

Mirtholgy by Dr. Hal

I. Perhaps you have heard the eerie story of the Ghost Car. Whether you have or have not, here goes:

A guy was on the side of the road hitchhiking on a very dark night and in the middle of a storm. The night was rolling on and no car went by. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly he saw a car coming toward him and stop.

Without thinking about it, the guy got into the back seat, closed the door–and then realized there was nobody behind the wheel! The car started slowly; the guy looked at the road and saw a curve coming his way. Scared, he started to pray, begging for his life. He hadn’t come out of shock when, just before he hit the curve, a hand appeared through the window and moved the wheel. The guy, paralyzed in terror, watched how the hand appeared every time right before a curve. Gathering his strength, the guy finally jumped out of the car and ran to the nearest town. Wet and in shock, he went into a restaurant and started telling everybody about the horrible experience he had gone through.

A silence enveloped everybody when they realized the guy was serious. About half an hour later, two guys walked into the same restaurant. They looked around for a table, when one said to the other, “Look, John–that’s the guy who got into the car when we were pushing it.”

II.  A police officer pulled over a car. When he walked up to the car, he saw that there were three elderly ladies within.

He said, “Ma’am, you’re driving too slowly. Could you please drive faster?”

The driver replied, “Oh, I’m sorry, officer. I saw a 21 on the sign and assumed the speed limit was 21 miles per hour.”

The officer explained, “No, ma’am. The speed limit is 65. The highway is 21.”

Then the police officer looked in the back and noticed that the two other ladies were in a tight embrace and shaking like leaves. “Excuse me,” said the officer to the driver, “but what’s wrong with those two?

“Oh,” she replied, “That must be because we just got off Highway 145.”

Dr Hall
Dr. Hal

New Rotary Year, New Member: Sarah Cave

President Tim Lenihan started the Rotary Year on the right foot by adding a new member, Sarah Cave, at the July 9th meeting.  She was introduced to the Club by her sponsor Ed Brondson.

Sarah has been a Rotarian since 2008, beginning with the Longview Early Edition Club and then the Longview Noon Rotary serving through 2013.  She then relocated to Seattle and has been in the University District Rotary Club.  Her classification is Healthcare Education and starting on September 1 she will be the Senior Lecturer, Interdisciplinary Health Services Administration Program at the UW School of Public Health in the Department of Health Services.

She is also on the planning committee for the Kidney Research Institute’s annual gala fundraiser, is active with her daughter’s school (Bright Water), and serves as a mentor to students in the UW Master of Health Services Administration Program.

Please welcome Sarah Cave as the newest member of University Sunrise RC.

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