January 23, 2007

 

OPENING

President Bernie opened the meeting with his evolving Rotary challenge!  He asked Mark Wodyka to lead us in the Four-Way Test and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by asking Bruce Johnson to open in prayer remembering our armed services personnel and their families, our Commander and Chief and our Congress, and our speaker for his work world-wide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROGRAM NEXT WEEK

January 30        Dan Wilson Alameda County Vector Control - West Nile Virus

 

 

VISIT OUR NEW CLUB WEBSITE

We are so thankful for Mark Wodyka’s work to renovate our Club website!  Visit www.castrovalleyrotary.org and poke around in it a little to get yourself familiar with it . . . lots of great info . . . thanks, Mark!  We will be positing Club announcements and promotions on our Web site, so please check it a couple of times a week.

 

 

SONG BY CETA (OR WHOMEVER ELSE SHE CHOOSES)

Ceta led us in “Your Are My Sunshine.”

 

 

VISITING ROTARIANS AND GUESTS

Visitors today included Kitty Kelly (Hayward Rotary) and Alan Ong, Wells Fargo CV Branch Manager Mohamed Salem, Wells Fargo Business Banking Specialist, Assistant Vice President., guests of Mark Wodyka.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLUE BADGE PRESENTATIONS

Our newest Blue Badger is Mark Wodyka!  Mark has been very busy since committing his talents to our Club, including his renovation of www.castrovalleyrotary.org . . .

 

 

      

 

 

 

VOCATIONAL TALK BY RED BADGER YUN FANG

yun was born in China, moved to Thailand at 16, and moved to the US at 10 . . . she speaks four languages and has her degree from the University of Michigan.  She is a financial adviser with Edward Jones.  Welcome, Yun, we are blessed to have you as one of our members!

 

 

 

HELLO SONG

The Hello Song was led magnificently by that up and coming star of song, Roland Williams, who used every move he ever learned from our the all-time great, Sal Tedesco!  Wow, Roland!

 

                                                                         

 

 

AFRICAN FACTOID(S) FOR THE DAY FROM OUR PRESIDENT

The Late Great Roman (23-79 A.D) officer and encyclopedist, author of the Natural history., Pliny the Elder Opined’ “There is always something new out of Africa”or in Latin….Ex Africa semper aliquid novi.

 

For Xmas I brought you a story of releasing penguins back into the ocean. Today I want o tell you more about the Jackass Penguin, so named because it brays like a donkey.       

 

 

The jackass penguin, a flightless seabird, is found nowhere in the world except off the coast of southern Africa, i.e. it is endemic to this area. It breeds on 24 offshore islands between Namibia and Port Elizabeth. Additional colonies established in the 1980s on the mainland at Betty's Bay and Simonstown. There is also a colony on the mainland of Namibia, although it is not known when this colony was established. Nesting on the mainland is unusual for jackass penguins because they are ground-nesting birds and are vulnerable to the many predators on the mainland. It is somewhat unique that the birds would settle in suburbia and take over a public swimming area.

 

Jackass penguins used to nest by burrowing into guano (bird droppings which have accumulated into a hardish substance, sometimes several metres deep). Most of the nutrient-rich guano was removed for fertiliser in the 19th century. Penguins now nest in burrows in sand, under overhanging rocks, under bushes, or even in the open. Jackass penguins can breed at any time of the year, usually laying two eggs. Most adult birds feed during the day and the chicks are fed regurgitated food in the late afternoon. The parent birds take turns in guarding the nest site and catching food. Fish eaten include sardine, maasbanker and anchovy. Squid are also eaten.

 

POPULATION COLLAPSE

The total present population of jackass penguins is about 120,000 birds. In 1930, the total population numbered at least 1,2 million birds. Penguin numbers have therefore decreased by at least 90% in 60 years, and this fall is continuing. Dassen Island, off Yzerfontein, may have once sheltered over 1 million penguins - it now has about 30 000. Dyer Island, near Gaansbaai, now has about 20 000 penguins. The largest colony at present is St. Croix Island near Port Elizabeth, with about 50 000 penguins.

 

THREATS TO PENGUINS

The collapse of the jackass penguin population this century has been a result of the following:

* Harvesting of eggs for human consumption.

* Reduction of the penguin's food supply by commercial fishing.

* Oil pollution from oil tankers. This could devastate the major colonies. Oil tankers may illegally clean out their tanks as they pass round the Cape to fill up with oil in the middle east.

 

Large-scale removal of guano in the 19th century has decreased the ability of penguins to construct nests through burrowing. This has led to increased competition for breeding space with larger animals such as seals. Penguins breeding on the mainland are vulnerable to mainland predators not found on islands, such as leopards, genets and domestic dogs and cats, and also to human disturbance unless the colonies are adequately fenced and patrolled.

 

This all leads me to the crux of my story, finally. One Jackass penguin reportedly said to the other He said “Jack,” he said; “With your marking it looks exactly like you’re wearing a tuxedo”. To which the other Jackass penguin replied; “How do you know that I’m not?”  (Once again, you had to be there . . . and even that may not have been enough :-)

 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dr. Darrell Lavin announced that February 2 is the next Light the Lights to benefit the Castro Valley Arts Foundation.  Tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for students.  Preferred seating and reception is $50.  The program will once again be at Redwood Chapel Community Church, 19300 Redwood Road, Castro Valley.  This year’s program will star the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir.  We are also looking for sponsors:  Friends $250/4 tickets; Supporter $500/8 tickets; Patron $1000/12 tickets.  Purchase tickets online at www.cvartsfoundation.org or call 510-537-3335, ext. 1600 for other ticket information.

 

Bar-B-Que is March 3 at San Leandro Boys and Girls Club . . . more info to follow!  Contact Chair Bill Jarvis for information about an upcoming meeting at bill@bwcmtg.com . . . and see Carol Wikle for tickets at carol_wikle@ml.com . . .  Tickets are $30 each . . . At the direction of President Bernie, ten tickets were given to each CV Rotarian to sell . . . this event will be as successful as the support it receives by our Club . . . please look for auction items and sell those tickets :-).

 

Rotary District Conference 5170 is April 20-22 in Monterey . . . save the dates . . . more information to follow soon!

 

 

REPEAT OF ANNOUNCEMENTS PREVIOUSLY MADE

 

Our Club Speech Meet will be February 20 . . . Area Rotary Speech Meet is March 27 at our Club . . . District Speech Meet is during the District Conference . . . more info to follow!

 

There are multiple opportunities remaining for overseas service this year with District 5170: March 12-20, 2007 to Djibouti and Kenya, Africa (Project inauguration and Kenya Safari Experience); Late April-Early May 2007 to Istanbul, Turkey (Project inauguration and travel experience); PLUS the trip to Rwanda (see Kim’s announcement above)!  For more information, please contact Cecelia Babkirk, Foundation Travel Chair District 5170, at cbabkirk@gmail.com . . .

 

 

RECOGNITTIONS

$100    KJ Page, birthday, to CV Foundation

$100    Dwight Perry, birthday

 

 

PROGRAM

Past District Governor Ron Sekkel addressed our Club on “The Power of One - How one person makes a huge difference.”

  

PDG Sekkel is a member of the Scotts Valley Rotary Club.  He identified our Kim Murdock as someone committed to making a difference as she will be traveling to Rawanda to distribute the 160 wheelchairs that she helped inspire in recognition of PDG Sekkel’s work as our District Governor.  After sharing inspiring stories of four people who made a difference in Rawanda during the killing that occurred when 800,000 Rawandans were murdered in 100 days!  These four people saved over 100,000 lives.  Ten years after the genocide, Rotary remains involved in Rawanda.  PDG Sekkel share a DVD about a tremendous undertaking with Rotary teaming with Assist International to establish medical care and hospitals in Rawanda.  As one hospital director said, Rotary and Assist International has turned a “room of death into a room of life,” and that Rotary had “delivered on its promises.”  Thank you, Ron, for another inspiring presentation!

 

 

SEARCH FOR THE CORRECT MARBLE

 

Owen Smith’s name was drawn with $58 at stake and 18 marbles in the sack . . . . reached into it and . . . won . . . $5.00 . . .  Congratulations!

 

 

FUTURE PROGRAMS

February   6     Jay Shurman - Pension Protection Act

February 13     Roland Williams - Highlights from Humanitarian Mission Trips

February 20     CV Rotary Club Speech Contest

February 27     Jim Fitzpatrick: Inside Your Castro Valley Schools.

March 27         Area Speech Contest - hosted by CV Rotary!

 

 

See you next week!