The Rotary Club of San Jose

The Bulletin

Friday, September 24, 2010 Club Web Site

Editor: Teresa McCarthy California High-Speed Rail If you have any comments or questions, email the editor. Roelof van Ark Future Speakers "High Speed Rail" CEO Sep 29 2010 California High-Speed Rail Authority Roelof van Ark "High Speed Rail" Roelof van Ark was named Chief Executive Officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority by the Board Oct 6 2010 of Directors, effective June 1, 2010. John Woolard "BrightSource" Mr. van Ark is a senior executive with more than 30 years experience as an engineer and manager for some of the world's leading transportation companies. He brings tremendous expertise and leadership to implement California's Oct 13 2010 800-mile high-speed rail system. Debate "San Jose Ballot Initiatives" Mr. van Ark has been President at Alstom Transportation Inc. for the past five years. He previously served as President Oct 20 2010 of Aviation Security for Invision Technologies Inc. Fr. Michael Engh "Santa Clara University and Private Education" Mr. van Ark spent more than 20 years as an executive, managing director, general manager, senior technical manager and senior project engineer for Siemens, the manufacturers of the popular ICE high speed trains, working in Germany, Oct 27 2010 South Africa and most recently in Sacramento, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Kevin Nelson Transportation Systems from 1999 to 2002. "The Amazing Story of California and the Automobile" Mr. van Ark holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and MBA from the University of the Witwatersrand in Nov 3 2010 Johannesburg, South Africa. Larry Gerston "November Election Recap" Oct. 2nd Spartans vs UC Davis Nov 10 2010 Dr. Fran Harvey, Secretary of the Army (Retired) ROTARY DAY AT SPARTAN FOOTBALL "A Decisive Land Force for the San José State Spartans vs. UC Davis (Homecoming Game / Band Day) Saturday, October 2, 2010 21st Century" Nov 17 2010 Thanksgiving Program "What I Am Thankful For" Nov 24 2010 PRE GAME TAILGATE No Meeting When: 2:00 – 4:30 PM "Happy Thanksgiving! " What: Enjoy a gourmet barbecue with beverages, shade canopy, tables, chairs, and special guests…including the Spartan Marching Band! Dec 1 2010

Barry Eisler "Author" FOOTBALL GAME When: 5:00 PM kick-off Dec 8 2010

Leigh Rubin FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS "Cartoonist" Q: How much does it cost? Dec 15 2010 A: Only $30 for you! (for a $68+ value; see below…) Holiday Program Q: What's included? "Happy Holidays" A: Reserved ticket in Rotary group seating area……………………………….$28 Dec 22 2010 Burger barbecue, cookies, water, soft drinks, beer, and wine…..…………..$20 No Meeting Parking………………………………………………………………………$20 "Merry Christmas" Fellowship, Fun, and Frolic…………………………………………...Priceless! Q: How do I get a ticket? Upcoming Events A: Purchase tickets at San Jose Rotary's regular Wednesday meetings starting September 15, or contact Ken 8:00AM -- International House McDonald (SJSU) Sep 24 2010 Game and Event Details Download HERE ! 4:30PM -- 100 Year Awareness Rotary International Insurance Sep 27 2010 7:30AM -- Orientation Sep 28 2010 All Rotarians should read Insurance Summary from RI 11:45AM -- Rotary Meeting Sep 29 2010 Rotary International is now providing all general liability and personal injury insurance for the Rotary ROTARY DAY AT SPARTAN Club of San Jose. We are currently being assessed a $3.01 per Member for this coverage. This FOOTBALL coverage is primarily for third parties. Rotarians and volunteers are not covered and are Oct 2 2010 expected to carry their own insurance coverage. Please go to the following links if you are Bocce Ball Tournament at interested in reading more details. If you have additional questions, please contact San Jose Rotarian Tim Starbird. Campo di Bocce Nov 4 2010 INSURANCE LETTER INSURANCE SUMMARY Back 2 School at Washington! News Fifth Avenue of Service The Executive Chefs (cheeves -- see Rotary Smiles below) started early getting the food inventory in the Cafeteria and the water boiling outside. The rest of the Rotary team started gathering around 4 PM along with the Washington District End Polio -- Golden Gate parents. Dinner bags were assembled with cookies, fruit, chips and napkins. Gourmet Hot Dogs were prepared, Walk and Ferry Bldg Lighting placed in buns and wrapped and stored to stay warm. Parents and the children met with teachers as they prepared for OCTOBER 24 the new school year. The parents and kids then lined up for a quick dinner, a series of wonderful ethnic dances and October Birthdays then back to the classroom where there were learning centers manned by Rotarians, parents and older kids with learning fun for the kids. Principal Evans was schmoozing and flying high with kids, parents, teachers and the This eBulletin has been community keeping everything in order and moving along as smooth as a Swiss Clock. generated by ClubRunner club communication software. Visit clubrunner.ca for details.

50 LARGEST ROTARY CLUBS

There are 33,976 Clubs and over 1.22 million members worldwide.

Average Club size is 35.9 members. ______

ZONE DISTRICT CLUB NAME # OF MEMBERS 25 5030 Seattle 657 30 6860 Birmingham 546 26 5340 San Diego 535 27 5750 Oklahoma City 521 21 5790 Fort Worth 506 28 6250 Madison 501 31 6200 Baton Rouge 495 31 6110 Tulsa 494 34 6900 Atlanta 482 21 5840 San Antonio 481 31 6150 Little Rock 479 30 6710 Louisville 463 30 6760 Nashville 441 26 5170 San Jose 440 * 25 5180 Sacramento 430 29 6600 Toledo 420 26 5280 Los Angeles 409 30 6690 Columbus 404 31 6190 Shreveport 396 30 6560 Indianapolis 390 27 5690 Wichita 372 30 6860 Huntsville 366 25 5020 Tacoma 361 28 6270 Milwaukee 359 30 6740 Lexington 359 30 6780 Chattanooga 346 27 5420 Salt Lake City 345 31 6040 Kansas City 343 4 3140 Bombay 340 29 7120 Rochester 338 27 5450 Denver 334 2 2580 Tokyo 332 26 5170 Oakland 331 28 6000 Des Moines 330 34 6900 Columbus 330 21 5870 Waco 329 25 5080 Spokane 328 30 6670 Cincinnati 328 24 5060 Yakima 327 28 5650 Lincoln 324 33 7750 Greenville 323 25 5100 Portland 321 33 7680 Charlotte 321 31 6820 Jackson 314 29 6380 Ann Arbor 312 32 7390 York 310 33 7770 Columbia 307 30 6670 Dayton 306 33 7690 Greensboro 306 28 6000 Iowa City 304

*Note from your WebMeister: I am not sure when these numbers were taken. I believe it is reasonable to assume our ranking is relative to the other clubs in relationship to the membership size. Our database has 452 active and 7 honorary members as of 9/19/10 (if I take out the three non-members listed in the roster).

Summary of the September 22 Meeting

Confirming San Jose is in distress?

The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees staffed the greeting line, under the direction of CHRIS DISALVO. President LARRY STONE called the meeting to order, and proceedings commenced with our rendition of America the Beautiful led by RAY SILVA, accompanied at the piano by PAUL TUMASON. Our Wisdom for the Day was provided by DEBBIE BLACKWELL, quoting a powerful passage by Oriah Mountain Dreamer. Then we got the news of the day and even some new funnies by JOHN MCLEOD. One of his last comments wasn't humorous, noting that San Jose was selected as having its streets in worse condition than any other large city in the US. John also said that the San Jose City Council went on record inviting the A's to come to San Jose. No word yet, or likely, from Major League Baseball. Next item of business was the introduction of guests of members and visiting Rotarians. The mike jockeys were Red Badgers SUZANNE ST JOHN-CRANE and JEANNE KATSURO.

President Larry then had the pleasure of calling for the introductions of three new members. CHRIS CITTI provided the introduction for BRUCE MACKENZIE. Bruce has taken an interesting route to reach his current position as Manager of the Silicon Valley Capital Club. He has had positions in San Diego as the head of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, and another at the Del Mar racetrack. SUSAN FITTS introduced SUSAN SIRAVO, who is known for her work in TV news with NBC in San Jose, and is currently Vice-President for Community involvement with Comerica Bank in San Jose. TIM QUIGLEY presented NELSON PONTA GARCA, who was born to immigrant Azorean parents in San Jose, who returned to their island during his youth, before ultimately returning to California. Nelson has carved out a career in music and promotion of his Portuguese heritage to some 11 million folks in this country who share his origins. They are a strong trio who seem to have a lot to offer this club and to Rotary.

CARL SALAS then had the pleasure of presenting our newest incoming Youth Exchange student, who is Julia Schumacker from Luzern (Lucerne), Switzerland. Julia shared her joy at being here in such a large country. She is attending Pioneer High School. Carl mentioned that we need to place her for her stay after the first of the year, reporting that hosting a youth exchange student opens up many unexpected connections which are rewarding to the host family on a long term basis. VIVEK THOPPAY reminded us about the Rotary After Hours event at the Tech Museum on Thursday which would provide both a social get-together for our Rotarians and a chance to take in the Genghis Khan exhibit. Finally, DON GAGLIARDI also reminded us about "Rotary Day" at the Earthquakes game on September 29th. A bus will leave from Britannia Arms Downtown for the trip over to Buck Shaw Field.

In his announcements Larry mentioned that next week's speaker is Roloef van Ark, who is heading up the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The program will follow the Commonwealth Club format, so we should arrive no later that 11:45 AM next week, September 29, 2010.

MARIE BERNARD introduced Lee-Anne Mulholland, our speaker for the day. Lee-Anne is currently a practicing attorney with the Wilson Sonsini firm in Palo Alto and other locations (some 700 lawyers). She was born in Bleary, Northern Ireland, and her family moved to Derry, a city totally split on a Protestant/Catholic basis. On January 30, 1972, UK paratroopers were monitoring a Catholic demonstration and parade, when suddenly violence erupted, leading to 13 immediate deaths, at least five of which resulted from shots in the back. These terrible events sparked retaliation by the IRA, and through a long course of reconciliation have resulted in a workable arrangement brokered by our Senator Mitchell. With this as her background, Lee-Anne developed a sharp sense of the need for justice, especially for the disenfranchised and powerless. Her academic progress involved university study in Northern Ireland, leading to becoming a Barrister in Belfast, and trying cases there. Along the way through a small Rotary club in Northern Ireland she applied for and was granted a World Peace Fellowship, which has inspired her work. Her fellowship brought her to Boalt Hall Law School at UC-Berkeley, where she received an LLM (Masters) and a legal doctorate. Her field research involved work in Palestine. Currently she is working with Columbian victims of terrorism in Federal Courts throughout the US, as well as doing Pro bono service to indigent persons.

Lee-Anne is enthusiastic about her work, devoted to the causes of the victims of terrorism or malevolent governments, and appreciative of the role Rotary plays through its World Peace Fellowships. Her clients in this work are generally indigent individuals. Her committed effort usually leads to discovering more people with needs than she can possibly represent. But she is hopeful. She also gave credit to Professor Eckstein at Boalt for directing her, and of course to Wilson Sonsini for backing her litigation where the needs exist. She is able to undertake cutting-edge law in such areas as the Crime Victims Rights Act, and the prosecution of claims for her foreign clients through US Courts.

She gave the impression of total commitment to her causes and the energy to continue on in a area of seemingly endless needs. It is good to know that our Rotary World Peace fellowships can engender such meaningful and far reaching results.

Respectively Submitted By: Jim Little, Rotary Summary Committee Photos Provided By: Carl Cilker, Photography Committee

Rotary Smiles

Smiles provided by Russ Mann from the Rotary Club of Edmonton

Exchanges between pilots and control towers

Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles!" Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital watches!"

Tower: "TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees." TWA 2341: "Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?" Tower: "Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"

A DC-10 had come in a little hot and thus had an exceedingly long roll out after touching down. San Jose Tower Noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the runway, if you are able. If you are not able, take the Guadeloupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to the airport."

One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee. Some quick-witted comedian in the DC-crew got on the radio and said, "What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by yourself?" The Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back with a real zinger: "I made it out of DC-8 parts. Another landing like yours and I'll have enough parts for another one."

Meeting Speakers On The Radio !

Our meeting speakers are on KLIV every Wednesday evening at 7 PM. Tune in to 1590 AM on your radio dial and enjoy the program speaker once again or for the first time if you missed the meeting. No, it does not count as a meeting make up. Nice try.

Mike Danberger records the meeting and clips the speaker's talk and our questions for everyone in the valley to enjoy every Wednesday evening. Tune in!

Meeting Speakers On TV !

CreaTV San Jose's SJSU interns will be recording some of the lunch speakers for playback on Comcast Channel 15. Search CreaTV San Jose's online programming schedule for specific dates and times of airings. If you are not a Comcast customer but have broadband internet access, you maybe able to view the video on demand here at CreaTV San Jose's website. This is thanks to new member Suzanne St. John-Crane, Executive Director, CreaTV San Jose.

End Polio Now

Your contribution will help Rotary raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high. By donating now, you can help Rotary achieve a polio-free world.

You can down load the End Polio Now bimonthly news letter by Clicking On This Link. This is a separate download. It was updated September 2010.

The bottom line is this: As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, all children – wherever they live – remain at risk. You can track progress on the internet at this link.

The Four Way Test

Over 1.2 million Rotarians can't be wrong! In all the things we say and do . . .

Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?