UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Nov 1: DR. MARK ROCHA,

President Pasadena City College

Nov 8: US ARMY MAJOR GNERAL C.A. LOU HENNIES,

Annual Veterans Day Program

Nov 15: JOE GARNER,

Best-selling Author

CALENDAR IT NOW

Nov 6: 1ST WEDNESDAY MIXER

Nov 8: VETERANS DAY PROGRAM

held at the LA Athletic Club

Nov 23: GRIFFITH PARK HIKE

Nov 26: USC/UCLA RIVALRY

VISIT WWW.ROTARYLA5.ORG FOR MORE

INFORMATION ON SPEAKERS & EVENTS

Rotary Club of Los Angeles

established 1909

November 1, 2013

rotaryLA5.org

Prez Ken dragged from Melee with minor injuries

Wild LA5 Night To Remember

T he Annual LA5 Kings Night gathered 60 Rotarians for a terrific evening that began at the Grammy Mu-

seum and culminated with a Staples Center hockey game that no one will quickly forget. Organizer

Susan Griego said, “I’ve done this event for years and it was

never as exciting — or rowdy — as what we saw this week.”

Things started innocently as Prez Ken was introduced and

invited to put on skates, circle the rink and shake hands with the players. Ken surprised the audience by his graceful prowess gained by years of practice as an Olympic figure

skating hopeful. He owns dozens of competition tutus.

One of the burly San Jose Sharks defenseman snarled, “Hey,

aren’t you from the club that was making fun of the Kiwanis

last week? I’m a Kiwanian and I don’t like your attitude.”

In the end, Ken looked bad but the other guy looked worse.

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El Rodeo 3

Carole Donahue attended the annual Health Fair and surprised Alan Bernstein, Denise Anthony and David Bland with the

results of her blood test: all four were somehow related and sepa-rated at birth.

If you missed the meeting last week

Carol Shafer congratulates new member Kelvin Duckett for sur-viving the initiation test and wishes him luck on the 40-mile hike

with a 60-pound backpack filled with EndPolioNow tchotchkes.

Dr. Sumi Kawaratani presents Earl Haberlin with a prize from the Annual Health Fair: personal headphones. Earl can’t wait to

turn up the volume on those old Scorpions, Black Sabbath and Grim Reaper LPs he treasures.

Prez Ken presents program speaker and hearing specialist Dr. Rick Friedman with an LA5 scholarship portfolio. Friedman con-

firmed that many USC graduates suffer from hearing attenuation by standing too close to loud football marching bands.

Christina Chanpong and Laura Thompson agree the lunch was always great at LA5 but, now following Ben Tunnell’s dining

recommendations, the experience is like visiting a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Lance Ito and Peggy York. Paul McCartney, Lance’s favorite Beatle, wears glasses but his are not as attractive as Peggy’s

new frames. Lance added, “Paul isn’t as attractive, either.”

Ben’s Lunch Advice

Past President and world-class

Gastronome Ben Tunnell plans his week around the Friday

lunch selection. Here are your

choices this week.

Diners: please RSVP to guarantee your seat!

ENTREE: New Zealand Red Snapper Ponzu, lime, soy, ginger sauce, steamed rice, Chinese peas.

VEGETARIAN: All Vegetable Pot Pie, Fresh From the Market, low-calorie mushroom and herb sauce.

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O n November 15 Prez Ken will in-

duct the first nine members of the exclusive Netzel Club. Each induc-

tee met the basic 4-Way Test plus

two additional requirements.

The Basic 4-Way Test requirements are:

1. Sponsor a New Member

2. Contribute Any Amount to Rotary

3. Join a Committee

4. Do Business With a Rotarian

Each inductee then met two additional re-

quirements for inclusion to the Netzel Club:

• Contribute $365 or more to the LA5

Community Campaign

• Visit another Rotary Club or attend a

district event.

Jon Gibby, LA5 Executive Director, has hired

a Chinese fireworks company for the event. He plans this meeting to be special and memorable by including accordionists, con-

tortionists and French mimes.

Prez to Induct Netzel Club Members

Rotarians Needed

to serve Thanksgiving Dinner for

2000 low income families at the Salvation Army Red Shield

Youth & Community Center.

Two hours on Wednesday

November 27 at 5:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center,

1201 S Figueroa St, LA 90015

Interested in working elbow-to-

elbow with your Rotary friends and having the most wonderful

Thanksgiving-Eve experience? Contact Peggy York. Her con-

tact info is in your Directory.

O n the third Thursday every October since 1994,

members of the LA5 Rotary Bowling committee have attended a Bowling Seminar at the Bellagio

Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The group takes an

early morning flight to Las Vegas and returns that evening.

Attending the Seminar this year were Bob Aldridge, Denny

Dynes, Sumi Kawaratani and Anthony Bourg.

The purpose of the seminar was to review the techniques and finer points of bowling. Four workshops were held at

different venues: a Black Jack Table, Crap Table, Roulette Table and at a Slot Machine. The

seminar concluded with a special

luncheon at the Bellagio Café.

Those attending had a good time but,

for obvious reasons, their bowling scores never improved. Each attendee

plans to return next year to repeat

the seminars.

19th Annual LA5 Bowling Seminar

Chartered June 25, 1909

Club Leadership 2013-14

Ken Chong, President Alan Bernstein, President-Elect Jose Vera, Vice-President Elizabeth Wheeler, Secretary Don Robinson, Treasurer Jay Richardson, Past President

Club Service Arthur Kassel Paul Richey

Community Service Margaret Karren Jim Hoyt

Funding Todd Johnson Al Shonk

International Service Laine Wagenseller Rick Sarmiento

Membership and Retention Charisse Older Erick Weiss

Vocational Service John Miller John Jaacks

Youth Service Anthony Calloway Paul Jacques

Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Ekstrand Barry Hytowitz Steve Sommers

Executive Director Jon Gibby JON@ROTARYLA5.ORG

Rotary Club of Los Angeles 523 West Sixth Street, Suite 718 Los Angeles, CA 90014 Telephone 213.624.8601 Facsimile 213.624.2694 WWW.ROTARYLA5.ORG

District 5280 Governor Doug Baker

El Rodeo Marc Leeka, Editor Peter Weinberger, Cub Reporter Tony Medley, Photographer

El Rodeo 5

Rotarians You Want to Know:

Jim Simonds

S omething most people don't know

about me,” says Jim Simonds, “is that I have played in a number of

cover bands as a percussionist since I was 13. The music was great and I still love to play, but my parents insisted I finish my edu-

cation. I’m glad I followed their advice.”

In 1983, only ten years out of college, Jim was a busy co-founder of Arroyo Insurance Services yet he made

time to join LA5. Now entering his fourth decade in the club, his most gratifying service

is having serving on the scholarship committee. “When I interview those

dedicated students who want to better their lives, I

am always humbled. Most come from single-parent homes and are the first of

their family to attend col-lege. My parents’ advice still

rings true.”

“I am a member of our LA5 Foundation, serve on its

Board of Directors and have had the personal satisfac-tion of seeing where our re-

sources flow. It is tremen-dously important and grati-fying for all of us. I feel Ro-

tary makes a huge differ-ence in the world because

our vast Rotary Interna-tional outreach and mission touches every inhabitant on

the globe.”

If you haven’t met Jim yet,

then please introduce your-

self at the next meeting.

Jim’s Favorites

If I had only one restaurant meal

in Los Angeles I would go to

Lawry’s The Prime Rib.

The best city I have ever visited

was London.

I am currently reading "Profiles In

Courage” by President Kennedy written in 1956: timeless biogra-

phies of eight politicians who shaped American history. The

last book I read was Phil Jack-

son’s autobiography.

I know it is junk food but my

guilty pleasure is Taco Bell.

Three albums I would take to a desert island because I never

grow tired of listening to them: The Beatles “Rubber Soul,” The

Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” and

Jimi Hendrix’s “Axis: Bold As

Love.”

I graduated from high school in 1969. When I hear Blood, Sweat

& Tears on the radio, it takes me

back again.

P olio has been known since the

Egyptians. Historically, poor sanita-tion resulted in constant exposure to

the virus which promoted a natural immunity. Improvements made in community sanitation the late 19th and early 20th centu-

ries actually increased the risk of paralytic polio infection by reducing childhood expo-

sure and its resultant immunity.

As urban sanitation improved, paralytic polio epidemics began to appear in Europe and the

United States around 1900. Outbreaks reached pandemic proportions in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand

during the first half of the 20th century.

There is no cure for polio.

There were 350,000 cases annually in the 1980s when Rotary began its campaign to eliminate polio. As of October 23, there were

301 cases worldwide year-to-date. 103 cases were in the three countries

where polio has never been eradicated: Paki-

stan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. 198 cases were in countries that eliminated polio but it has

returned due to travelers: Somalia, Kenya,

Ethiopia, Cameroon and South Sudan.

Two of the three polio viruses have been elimi-

nated in the last few years, but the polio virus has survived more than 2,000 years and it is designed to propagate. It will be very costly to

contain and eliminate the final cases. Rotary

calls this effort “The Final Inch.”

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match two-to-one every dollar Rotary com-mits, up to $35 million per year, to reduce the

funding shortfall for polio eradication for the

next five years.

The estimated cost of the 2013-18 Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan is $5.5 billion. If polio is allowed to rebound,

within a decade more than 200,000 children

worldwide could be paralyzed every year. 6 El Rodeo