March 27 Eric M. Latham April 3 "A River Runs Through It" April 9 Spring Tea

Next Week... March 27 Eric M. Latham He’s walked across the country. He’s written a book. He’s working on a second. He’s a motivational speaker, who raises money for cancer research and awareness. Eric M. Latham is only 26. Upcoming Meetings... April 3 "A River Runs Through It" Meg Sullivan - A river running through Westwood? Upcoming Events... April 9 A traditional Spring tea amidst many flowers will be held in the home and gardens of Jim and Carol Collins. A popular highpoint of the Rotary Auxiliary calendar, the tea starts at 11:30 a.m. and all Westwood Rotarians and their spouses are invited. Please make reservations with Margie Downie, 310.394.4827.

This Week...
American Cancer Society, with Naomi Jones, at WVRC on March 20th
President CHRIS did another Hisself, that is, he led the Pledge. LENNY came forward with the song, America.  ED WRIGHT provided the Invocation.

We had TWO Visiting Rotarians – of which we don’t usually get that many. ANN SAMSON brought Deirdre Martinez, who is with the YMCA and belongs to Brentwood.

Jayne Lastusky, a member of Long Beach Rotary, was the other Rotarian, and she is the Regional VP of the American Cancer Society.  SUNNY was with LENNY, and MARK ROGO invited Helen Brown, a friend who is also a Past President of the American Cancer Society.

President CHRIS read off a long list of those who have registered for the Convention, and here is what I got – PP DON NELSON, LENORE MULRYAN, PEGGY BLOOMFIELD, MARK BLOCK, PP BOB WESSLING, MARK ROGO, President CHRIS, PP PETER MORE, ELLIOTT TURNER, PP RON LYSTER, PP JIM COLLINS, SEAN MCMILLAN, and TERRY M. WHITE.  PDG BILL GOODWYN had registered but wasn’t listed, and PP JIM DOWNIE and ED GAULD indicated they would be going. That’s a very good representation, and the deadline before the rates go up is the end of this month.

I guess this is as good a time as ever to admit my error about the rates for parking at St. Albans across the Street from the Faculty Center.  Starting April 1st, 2008, parking there will cost $25 per month, billed quarterly (for a total of $75.00 for three months).  We only have fifteen spaces, so I will allocate them based on need.  As best I can tell, the following have indicated they would like to be considered:  RAY ZICKFELD, TERRY R. WHITE, CURT SMITH, PP DAVE WHITEHEAD, ELLIOTT TURNER, PDG BILL GOODWYN, ANN SAMSON, and JOHN WOODALL.  Please email me, or fax, or even telephone me if you wish to be added.  And the $5.00 weekly cash fee still applies for next Thursday, the 27th.,OK?  Remember, this is a good deal for WVRC & ST ALBANS, both, so please tell me if you wish to be considered.

In the absence of MARK KRAUSE, there ensued a series of what the tellers identified as jokes.  I bring these to you because I am dedicated to telling the Whole Truth (you know the routine) etc. LEE DUNAYER shamelessly came forward, asking who could name the Rock Group in which three of the members died of natural causes and the fourth was assassinated?  Turned out to be Mount Rushmore.  PP STEVE SCHERER followed with two questions.  How do you catch a unique rabbit? You neek up on it.  How do you catch a tame rabbit?  The tame way.  But wait – there’s more!  PP BOB WESSLING came forward with the following:  The Pope was flying to the U.S., and when he arrived he was escorted to his limo.  He then beckoned the driver over and asked, confidentially,  “Could we switch places?  I love to drive but I don’t get many chances.”  The driver assented, and the Pope took his place behind the wheel. He soon got up to 95 miles an hour – and a Highway Patrol car lighted him up. As the Patrolman got to the car, he realized who he was speaking to.  “Your Holiness, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. Just be careful, please”.  When the Patrolman got back to the station, he was talking to his buddy, Clancy. “Do you realize who I just stopped?  He was something special.”  Clancy asked who it was, of course.  It wasn’t the Mayor – no – a State Senator – no – the Governor – no, much more important.  So Clancy finally said, “Well, who was it then?”  “I don’t know, but he had the Pope for a driver”.  At this juncture, President CHRIS allowed as how PP BOB was probably ahead in this competition.

This brought up JACK HARRIS who was first asked by President CHRIS if JACK knew what last Monday was. JACK’S answer escaped me, but he began by telling us that Murphy and Clancy were duck hunting. After all day in the blind, they hadn’t even SEEN a duck.  So, back in the car, they are driving down a country road and suddenly they see ducks flying in and out of a nearby pond.  They stop at the farmhouse, the lady gives them permission to bag a couple of ducks, which they do.  They stop at the farmhouse on the way back to the main road, to thank the lady who answered the door.  She tells them she is cooking a duck dinner, and hates to eat alone.  Will they join her?  They agree, and halfway through dinner, a really bad storm comes in.  It looks almost impossible to drive, so the lady says she has plenty of room, and they are welcome to stay at her house. They open their sleeping bags, and bed down on the living room floor, assuring her they will be on the road in the morning before she is up.  Six month’s later, Murphy gets a letter from the woman’s attorney. He rushes over to Clancy’s house.  He asks Clancy, “During the night, did you go up to her room and spend the night with her?  Did you give her my name?  Did you give her my address?”  Since all the answers were affirmative, Murphy continued, “I just got a letter from her attorney – she left me the farm”.

PP STEVE SCHERER introduced our Speaker, Naomi Jones.  Naomi spent 35 years in the corporate world, and retired in 1994, planning to travel and play golf. (She can be known as Tigress Jones.)  However, in 1997 things changed – she was diagnosed with Cancer – and she has been a volunteer with the American Cancer Society since that time.

She began by outlining her talk.  First, her own story, then an overview of the American Cancer Society, and finally, tips on early detection and treatment of this terrible disease.

What she remembers most is that it was an incredibly ordinary day when she learned she had cancer.  She played golf that morning, and then had a routine appointment with her physician.  But when she got there, he told her that the schedule had changed –she was going to see a surgeon, who thought she had cancer.  Her first thought was, “Surely, I might die”.  The reason for this fear was that in every decade of her life, she had lost a family member or friend to cancer. She then recalled a story from her childhood.  It concerned a Shepherd boy who joined Saul’s army and who had agreed to slay the giant. They outfitted David with all kinds of Armour – but he had to tell them it was too heavy for him  “Let me go down to the river bed and find five smooth stones, and I will use those smooth stones to slay the giant.” Naomi began to think about, what would her five stones be like?

She pointed out that there are all kinds of giants who come into our lives – but for all of them you can find some stones.  Her first stone was that she needed to fight, rather than fear, her disease.  However, the fear does come back – for her, every year when she is tested for a recurrence.  When that time came, last year, she had a new stone – Hope.  And that says, “It’s not a done deal – life is still a possibility”.  Other stones include Courage, which pushes you through fear.  Staying in the present moment is, for her, the toughest stone. And she needed to find some plusses to the diagnosis – it can’t be all bad. Thus she turned to helping others, with the possibility that she could make a difference in other people’s lives.

The American Cancer Society is the only organization that operates on all three – the local, state, and national level.  Their mission is to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.  To do this, they try to prevent cancer, save lives, and prevent the suffering that can accompany the disease. There are over two million volunteers who work with the ACS – and that saves a lot of overhead, of course.  To accomplish their objective, they have four different programs – Research, Education, Patient Services, and Advocacy.

They have contributed over three billion dollars to research, and have funded 42 Noble Prize Winners.  They have had a hand in all the breakthroughs in their field.   Early detection and treatment is their focus, and communication with family members is an important consideration.  There are nutritional and activity programs for all ages.  One in three cancer deaths is associated with inactivity and obesity.  For all of these programs there is no charge, which makes them widely available and utilized.  Their number, (800) ACS 2345 is staffed all the time, and you will be talking to a real, live person. Bridge to Recovery is a one-on-one program for women with breast cancer, talking to others who have gone through the same problems.  Cancer Man is the same, for men with prostate cancer.  They have summer camps for children, and Cristmas Party for children who have lost someone to the disease.  There are about 25 Hope Lodges across the country, where cancer patients and their helpers can stay – free of charge. I looked them up in the American Institute of Philanthropy, and they rate a C+ - which means their administrative costs as compared to similar health groups could be improved.

It is still true that one out of two women and one out of three men will be diagnosed with cancer. There are some general cautions.  First, stop smoking, period.  Limit your use of alcohol.  Regular exercise always helps, and they recommend 45 to 60 minutes a day, 5 out of 7 days (and that’s not an easy target to maintain).  Maintain a healthy weight, and watch your diet. For meat, fish and poultry, a serving about the size of a deck of cards is recommended.  A golf ball shows a serving of nuts.  And Thank You, Naomi Jones, for all your helpful information.

ACL Gals

Words of Wisdom
Carl Sandburg: A Politician should have three hats.  One for throwing in the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of, if elected.

Walph Waldo Emerson: To laugh often and much...to earn the appreciation of honest critics...to find the best in others...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded.

A Mahayana prayer: May all beings everywhere...be fulfilled, awakened, liberated and free...May we all together complete the spiritual journey. 

—YOE, Ernie Wolfe