Sunrise bulletin for the week of August 7, 2013
Some of you have commented on the accuracy of the reporting in this weekly epistle. I saw a statement recently which sums it all up: "I'm usually right 97 percent of the time, and the other 4 percent isn't important anyway." So there you have it.
This morning's Rotary meeting was a standing-room-only event and, after the musical chairs, Matthew Lynam ended up without a seat. 19 members were there, along with 8 others. Fumihiro Ozawa and his wife are visiting from Tokyo where he's a Rotarian. Fumihiro was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at UBC in 1998-1999 and our member Pierre Vorster was his counselor. Darren Stevens is a visiting Rotarian from Canberra, Australia. Jane LaPorte and Francois Daoust are new members of the Yaletown club. Collette Lamarie is a prospective Rotarian from Connecticut and is the sister of Valerie Saunier. Steve McGrandle was a guest once again. And, Tom Smith, our Assistant Governor and a member of the Tsawwassen club, was also there. A full house!
Rotary moment
John Haley highlighted a school project in Guatemala, where literacy is a real challenge and the school system is inadequate. Some Rotarians visited a small place there and did what they could to help. And, President Ann-Shirley Goodell reminded us of our own club's upcoming project to help a school in Colombia.
Announcements
Ann-Shirley warned everyone to volunteer for at least one club committee before the August 27 board meeting -- or else.
On the same topic, AG Tom suggested that this year's RI theme of "Engage Rotary; Change Lives" is best accomplished if each member participates with one major committee, one smaller committee and one one-time event during the year. He also previewed some highlights of the District Conference scheduled for May 2014 in Squamish. More info at www.rotary5040.org.
Luisa Fiori de Godoy, our Youth Exchange student this year, arrives from Brazil tomorrow. We'll all have a chance to meet her at the club social and barbecue on August 23 at Abigail Turner's home.
Today's program
Jose Riga, one of our newer members, gave his classification talk today. First he placed his brain on the table and, later on, opened it to show us what's inside. His presentation included a virtual PowerPoint, which involved no high-tech equipment but all of us closing our eyes to envision him as a toddler. It got easier when he admitted that he was a trouble-maker in school. That's the Jose we know.
After service as a radar specialist in the Airborne (complete with non-uniform scarf), he worked in bio-electronics in Montreal, in satellite transmission in France and other technical roles. He married, had 3 children and was divorced. He worked in the Quebec Provincial Police for 7 years and then was a civil servant in commerce and industry in Quebec, which involved a lot of international travel.
After choosing early retirement, Jose become a consultant specializing in advising inventors on some of the business aspects of their work. He married again and said it worked out well that his wives both had the same first name. He became interested in her work as a therapist, which took them to Holland, then France, and finally Vancouver. Sadly, his wife died of cancer. Today, Jose is a master therapist which includes hypnosis. After opening up the brain on the table and describing the fears, worries and other non-productive stuff in there, he closed with the thought that "Every difficulty in life can be a challenge, and a rewarding one." Or, something like that. See the 97 percent quote above.
Thanks, Jose, for a fascinating tour of your many-sided life and work. And welcome again to our club.