Welcome to "The Friendly Club" and our Web Site. How to contact the site administrator. Click on 'More...' below.

Strathcona members and Other Users, if you are unsure how to log in, click online HELP, or contact the site administrator Hans Granholm; 
phone: 780-466-5566 any time.

For more information about our club, click HERE

For full information on our upcoming Speakers, click on the speaker's name.

Members can access the Club Constitution and By-Laws from ADMIN | CLUB DOCUMENTS after login.

Mar 18; Dianne & Orville Sleen, Anniversary
Mar 22; Barb Craig, Birthday

Tuesday noon belongs to Rotary!

Look in "Upcoming Events" for other activities taking place in the near future.

Dave Rodwell of D.E. Rodwell Investigative Services Ltd gave an arresting presentation on March 11. Twenty-eight years in the RCMP can do that for a guy. Dave found himself "right-sized" from the force and the opportunity to help companies protect themselves was presented.

Performing security reviews with about 135 firms has saved them money and sharpened their attitudes. Corporate theft can be an expected annoyance or a devastating, company killer. Not only is protection of company inventory and assets a part of a security plan, but worker safety and human resource diligence also come into play. A 10% loss of inventory through pilfering is expected in retail and food industries, the majority by staff. Money in the bank is also at risk and systems need to be in place to avoid theft by paper.

An example was told of a one-man operation bringing in a partner to share with recent growth. The new partner ended up stealing parts from the company and doing the installations directly from his own, second location.

A second example was shared of a fabulous new chef.. who couldn't keep himself away from the "free" lobster and steaks. They estimate that the new hire had stolen nearly $10,000. of food inventory. It was usually disguised as garbage, which he would collect later. He was served and turfed!

In both of these instances, a simple background check with former employers would have revealed the true nature of the culprits. Dave strongly suggested meeting face to face with former workmates or employers to determine integrity for an important new-hire.

A policy at a furniture store allowed employees to buy damaged goods at a discount. Not surprisingly, the occurrence of damaged goods increased.

Other topics touched on included: Emergency planning (think Quebec ice storm) and establishing a muster point. Follow the rules and protect employees through the regulated Privacy act and "Working Alone" legislation. Education for the employees regarding violence or threats was also mentioned.

Check out Dave's web site for more tips at: www.daverodwell.com

As usual, there were interesting questions and answers. Dennis Freeman thanked Dave for his presentation. Dennis was glad that he hadn't "stolen" away early.

Submitted by Ken Germain

     Over the past eighteen to twenty-four months, the perfect storm developed within the North American forest industry, and hit with devastating force.  In one word, the state of the industry is "CRITICAL". 

     The forest products industry is Alberta's third largest economic sector, generating direct, indirect and induced revenue of in excess of $11 billion annually.  Some 47,000 individuals in about fifty communities are employed in this industry in Alberta, contributing almost $1.4 billion in personal, corporate, and property taxes.  Whitecourt for example receives 40% of it's tax base from one source, that company being Millar Western.  Thus the very livelihood of many small communities is threatened over the negative fallout that has hit the industry.

     So what happened, and how has it gotten to this perilous state?  Consider these factors, and you have your answer: 1)  Impact of the high flying loonie - every one cent rise in the CDN $ reduces revenue by about $40 million  2) The housing crash in the U.S. marketplace, being driven into worse depths due to the sub-prime crisis  3) The mountain pine beetle infestation of pine trees  4) Softwood Lumber Agreement - Alberta pays a 15% export tax on all lumber shipments going into the U.S., and 5) The Alberta "Disadvantage" - with our high flying energy driven economy, higher costs of labor, transportation, energy and utilities, to name a few are putting the Alberta companies into a disadvantageous state.

     The presenter, Brady Whittaker, Executive Director of Alberta Forest Products Association, was fielding questions as he presented, and due to this, and some of the heated discussion that ensued, time became an issue.  Thus the closing of the presentation was missed.  To quote from the handout "We need to put government and industry responsibilities back in better balance".  Government involvement in exploring new markets and product development, developing infrastructure such as resource roads, and supporting education, training and career development are some of the key areas of support that the industry would embrace.

     It appears that the forest industry is in the ICU unit right now, and a great deal of monies, dedication and entrepreneurship will be required to make it better again.  Band aides in the form of makeshift programs are not the long term answer.  As Brady stated in his presentation, "Talk to me again in two years, and we'll see where we are".  Let's hope that it will be positive in nature, and that just two years is a long enough time frame to make the corrections and changes the industry so desparately needs.     

TIP: Click on image to enlarge.

Dear Strathcona Rotary club,

It has been a while since I contacted you the last time. Despite the break, I have been reading the club e-newsletter frequently and keeping my self updated on how you are continuing your great work in the Rotary organization. There are also plenty of new members, who I haven't had the chance to meet yet. For those, who I haven't been introduced to: My name is Heidi, 24 years old, and I was the club's exchange student from Finland during the year 2000-2001.

Say WELCOME to Roberta Bedard introduced by Johnny Germain into the club on Feb 12 2008 under the classification:
Lifestyle Retirement Planning.

Roberta was a Charter Member of RC Edmonton Avenue of Nations and we welcome her back to Rotary.

Roberta was introduced and welcomed into our family of Rotary by the Membership Committee and President Peter.

Please introduce yourself to Roberta at our next meeting.

Welcome Roberta!

This is a social program of the Edmonton Strathcona Rotary Club. It is an opportunity for club members and spouses/companions to meet other club members in an informal, social, small group setting. Dates are all Saturday nights at 7:00 PM. The most important part of this program is the fellowship and the opportunity to get to know each other better. 

Full details are explained and are available for viewing and printing at THIS LINK. Need more info on the event?...

From the keyboard of your Editor:

The second visit of the season was another huge success, from the perspective of this participant.

Linda and I, together with Joyce and Bruce Flesher, Libby and Bob Sandercock, were very pleased to visit Heather Platt and Eric Dekok who had done a marvelous job preparing a Dutch/Indonesian feast.


It cannot be over-emphasized how wonderful this program is, especially for newer members to the club, but I think our more seasoned members, not participating, are missing out on the equal opportunity to meet our new members and partners in a small setting.

Thank You to   Peter Denooy   for arranging and managing the event this year.

The camp program is designed for self-development, encouraging young people to form their own values and moral standards, to broaden their horizons culturally and socially and to help them acheive there potential both as leaders and team members through both outdoor activities and through group discussions.

The camp caters to the person who shows qualities of courage, perseverance and steadfastness in everyday life. It is not designed for the academic student nor for youth who are recognized by their disruptive or criminal behaviour.

The RYPEN (South) program is organized by LaVerne Quennell and our club liaison is Bruce Flesher.

LINK TO DISTRICT EVENT PAGES

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is part of Rotary's ongoing commitment to supporting youth.

Club RYLA liaison: Bruce Flesher

LINK TO DISTRICT RYLA PAGE

Awards are based not only on academic standing but on demonstrated contribution and leadership benefiting the community, school, or other organizations.

RYLA winners attend an annually organized conference where they spend close to four days in intensive interaction with other award winners, session leaders, speakers from businesses, the professions, the arts, or simply with remarkable individuals who have had unique experiences which provide insight into the broadest meaning of what it is to be a leader.

(Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this! To anyone with kids of any age, here's some advice.)

  Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.  

Rule 1 : Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3 : You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4 : If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5 : Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6 : If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8 : Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9 : Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11 : Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you agree, pass it on.
If you can read this - Thank a teacher!

Canadian Blood Services needs our help at its permanent donor clinic (8249-114 Street)

All eligible donors are encouraged to take an hour or so out of their schedule to save the lives of others.
Not sure if you can donate? Why not make an appointment and find out. Call 1-888-2 DONATE (236-6283

Many of us know how to react to the sign of another person having a heart attack (if you don't, sign up for a CPR course NOW!), but how do you deal with heart attack signs coming from yourself and you are alone?

The head of nursing at the Allen Gray circulated this short slide show at the Allen Gray and Hans Pilz is passing this life saving advice along to the rest of us.

                                 Click on the picture to start the slide show...

When you are finished you can pass on the advice by clicking on the "Email This" icon in the bottom right side of this page (Home page). If you want to share this from the bulletin, forward the bulletin.

Thank you Hans, it could save the life of someone today.

No Child Should Die Hungry and Alone.

Imagine a modern country where nearly 40 per cent of children under six die of starvation. Severe famine has hit North Korea , and its people are suffering in silence . North Korea's 23 million people need 6 million tones of food to eat well, but they have been able to produce barely half that much. People are chronically malnourished, and many die-especially the children (always the most vulnerable in any society). Without your help-immediately-an entire generation may perish. You can save three children's lives this year for about what you pay for the daily newspaper! Think about that.

I became involved two years ago, when I was invited to lecture on "Nutrition for Health" at the Yanbian University of Science and Technology (YUST) in Yanji, China, near North Korean border. Since 2003, this university has gathered hungry children and housed and fed them-gave them a chance a future, in short. With them, I help procure food in China and made weekly delivers by trucks to those hungry children in Rajin City, North Korea-with no overhead costs!

In another border city, a once-rich potato production area is now completely isolated without food and fuel. YUST received a desperate plea to help some 10,000 starving children, who simply will not survive another harsh cold winter unless without immediate help. You can save these children with a donation of only 30 cents per child per day. That is all it takes. I am thrilled to report that to date, we have managed to raise $8,000 and $30,000 in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Thanks to all of the donnors who helped to make Feed NK Children project possible. Please know that you have been a part of something that is making a direct impact on the lives of the most vulnerable and helpless children in North Korea. Not only are they given food, keep them alive, but many of them are given a chance to recover from almost near-death malnutrition to a normal status for development as long as their bellies are filled with foods.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona has adopted "Feed NK Children" as its international project. Please help by sending your cheques made payable to "Rotary Project of Feed NK Children" to the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona, 8310 Roper Rd. N.W., Edmonton, AB T6E 6E3. OR  you may send checks endorsing Jeong Sim's NK Children project to, NEAFoundation-Canada (North East Asia Foundation), 67 Scarsdale Rd, North York, Ontario M3B 2R2 (1-647-999-9160).

You are welcome to visit Harald, but phone him first, 780-464-5309. He is anxious to come to a meeting, but I told him to slow down and concentrate on getting his strength back.

Yours in Rotary.

Hans Granholm
p: 780-466-5566
e: hgrdane@telusplanet.net

>>> PLEASE LOOK AT THIS ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY <<<

With the number of members in this club either owning or operating a business, we are getting a very poor interest in this nice little generator of funds for the club.
Are the rates too steep? I don't think so, but if you do, please let us know.
If you have any bright ideas on how to promote this little initiative, please speak up.

A web site and bulletin advertising feature is available to dedicated members who wish to sponsor an ad and support the club's endeavors.

It is an opportunity to go out in the community and solicit ads from businesses, and who knows, in the process of soliciting ads you may also find prospective new Rotarians.

Be sure to visit these sponsors by clicking on their ad

The fee is for members $20.00 for one month or $50.00 for three months or $150.00 for one year.
 
For non-members $30.00 per month or $70.00 for a quarter or $250.00 for one year.


The ad can be text or a logo. Either way it becomes a link and upon clicking will take the visitor to the sponsor's website or e-mail address.

Please have a look at the complimentary ads in the right column of any site pages and in the left column of the e-Strathconian.

NOTE: You will notice a link in the bottom of the right column of a site page "Interested in being a Website Sponsor?". This link opens a page with all the information.

Feedback and comments are very much appreciated. You can post comments on the FORUMS | CLUB WEB SITE | ADVERTISING. Or you can e-mail you-know-who.

Cheers!

Lets go to a Rotary Convention......

2008                   Los Angeles
2009                   Birmingham, England
2010                   Montreal
2011                   New Orleans