The Friendly Club
Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona

e-Strathconian


Sunday, June 28, 2009
Club Web Site
 
Editor:   Hans Granholm
If you have any comments or questions, email the editor.

Future Speakers
Jun 30 2009
Golf Tournament
"No Speaker"
Jul 7 2009
Rotating wheel dinner
"no speaker"
Jul 14 2009
Rotary DG Terry Drader
"DG Official visit"
Jul 21 2009
Naresh Bhardwaj
"Political Scene in Alberta"
Jul 28 2009
Barbilee Hemmings
"The Terry Fox Foundation"
Aug 11 2009
Humane Society
"Tour of the facility"
Aug 18 2009
Sarah Zimmerman
"Alumnae"
Sep 1 2009
Stephen Yakimets
"Alberta Railway Museum"
Sep 8 2009
Graham Hicks
"Hicks on Six"
Sep 15 2009
Arnim Joop
"Multiculturalism in Edmonton"
Sep 22 2009
Nancy McCalder
"The Support Network"
Sep 29 2009
Diana Gibson
"Parkland Institute"
Oct 6 2009
Elizabeth Walker
"Herbalist"
Oct 13 2009
Dave Rodwell
"Security"
Nov 17 2009
Janice Bell
"Volunteer Edmonton"

Upcoming Events

News

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Welcome to the Edmonton Strathcona Website
by Hans Granholm



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


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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, including club mail address, 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.

Upcoming Events and Reminders in the next few days...
by Hans Granholm



PLANT FLAGS!  

Jun 30; Golf Tournament - Pitch and Put. (see EVENTS)
Jun 30; Morley MacCalder, Birthday
Jul 1; CANADA DAY
Jul 3; Barry Hawkeswood, Birthday
Jul 3; Jaqueline & Augie Annicchiarico, Anniversary
Jul 3; Diana & Bruce Kemp, Anniversary
Jul 3; Val & Eric Solash, Anniversary


 

Tuesday noon belongs to Rotary!


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

Speaker Review - June 23 - Dr. Jason Acker
by Jim Ashton



Sexual Reproduction (of Elkhorn Coral).... Did the by-line get your attention?  Good!  If the by-line had been "Elkhorn Coral", your eyes may have glazed over.  Dr. Jason Acker, an associate professor with the U of A's faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, presented on his involvement with the global consortium SECORE.

     SECORE is the acronym for Sexual Coral Reproduction.  This world-wide group of scientists was put together to conserve the rapidly depleting Elkhorn Coral (E/C).  Dr. Acker was the first Canadian to be invited to participate in SECORE's coral conservation work because of his world-renowned expertise in cryopreservation - the science of preserving tissue at extremely low temperatures.  Dr. Acker was invited by Mary Hagedorn, of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, and the world's leader in coral cryopreservation to participate in this international collaborative effort.

     In Florida and the Caribbean, E/C used to be the dominant reef-producing species.  These populations have collapsed, mostly due to human influences.  The significance of this is that coral reefs are "the rain forests of the sea", supporting one- quarter of all life in the oceans.  In the summer of 2008,  group of fifteen from SECORE, including Dr. Acker, traveled to Puerto Rico to collect and study the sperm, eggs and larvae of the E/C.  The interesting and difficult condition to work around is that of timing - as the coral only spawns for a few hours, once a year.  The critical task was to collect the sperm eggs and embryo.

     Dr. Acker used his expertise to help preserve the reproductive samples so they could be used to build up three genetic banks around the globe.  These banks allow genetic samples of E/C to remain frozen, but alive for hundreds of years, buying the time necessary to restore coral habitats.  These banks also help to preserve large samples of the E/C gene pool, preventing the species from disappearing.  In addition, these banks will be used to increase genetic diversity.

     This project was an incredible opportunity to apply medical science and human cyropreservation techniques to conserve a species.  Dr. Acker indicated he definitely will be heading back for more of the same.

     So, if you happen to out snorkeling or deep-sea diving, remember, no touching of the coral, AND, no flippers, as the action of the flippers can damage this precious species.  A most interesting presentation by Dr. Acker. 

Speaker Review - June 16 - Jim Carter
by Jim Ashton



Let's Capture That Darn Carbon.... When receiving information, it's always best to "get it from the horses mouth", and that's exactly what we got on the Carbon Capture and Sequestration issue (CCS).  Jim Carter, the presenter, was selected by Premier Stelmach to chair a panel - the function of that panel to determine how to meet federal requirements to capture and store greenhouse gas emissions for all the oilsands and coal-fired plants opening after 2011.

     Jim was a solid choice to chair a panel to present on this pressing issue.  In Jim's twenty-seven years with Syncrude, ten years were spent as President, and eighteen as Chief Operating Officer.  Joining Jim on this panel are a mixture of industry heavyweights (9), Federal and Provincial government representatives (5), and academia (2), for a total of sixteen members.  Over the past year, the panel met monthly, four and one-half hour sessions at a go.  The council's framework was to "make recommendations to facilitate the immediate implementation and long-term success of CCS in Alberta".  Due to the massive amount of information coming forward, three sub-committees were set up to report to the panel - those being Technology and Infrastructure, Policy and Regulatory,and Business Case/Fiscal. 

     The processes involved in CCS are the capture and compression of CO2 gases into a liquid state, piping of the product to storage, and storage of same in sealed underground vaults (for lack of a better word).  This process allows for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), utilizing the captured product as a media to force out future reserves.  Three areas have been determined to have the best topography and proximity to producing wells are Swan Hills, the Pembina area north of Red Deer, and Taber.  

     With oil production projected to grow three-fold by 2020, and a government mandate to deliver 139 metric tonnes (MT) of reductions by the year 2050, closing the cost gap on making CCS economically feasible may well be the biggest challenge.  With a projected cost of $125 per MT of CO2 captured, the path of least resistance would be to simply pay the $35 per MT in penalties imposed, and move on.  However, this is an issue that must be resolved, thus the provincial government's contribution of $2B to the three to five companies that are selected to participate in CCS.  And, as the technology costs are reduced over the years, and the cost of carbon rising (hypothetically), it should become feasible from a financial perspective.  Not to mention the world-wide demand for a cleaner ecology.

     The bottom line is that the Alberta government has jumped in feet first to tackle this issue, and it's objective is to become a world leader in CCS technology.  With the monies and resources being put behind CCS, and the expertise of people like Jim Carter and his panel to work with industry to propose systems and processes, it appears that successful implementation of CCS is well on the way!

     Our thanks to Jim Carter for taking a very complex topic, and breaking it down to a simpler form that is fairly easily absorbed.  Well done!

           

2009 "Rotating Wheel Dinner"
by Granholm, Hans



Our president will hand over the gavel at the "Rotating Wheel Meeting" to be held at the Royal Mayfair Golf Club.

This is our principal social event of the year and a must for all members, new and seasoned.

President Ted will tell us what the club has accomplished this past year and Ken Germain will indicate our direction for next year.

Please OPEN THIS LINK where you can register online (or decline). Then pay Rose Marie Basaraba, before June 27. This process will greatly assist the organizers.
You can contact Rose Marie for more details at:  rmcon@telus.net or (780) 435-5224 
Tickets are $60 each.

CANADA FLAG PROJECT KICKS OFF SECOND YEAR
by Hal Quilliam



Following a successful launch in the Fall of 2008, the Canada Flag Project

kicked into gear in April 2009.  One hundred and fifty new flags have been

purchased and will be available for our members to obtain subscriptions

for July 1 Canada Day.

The project showed a profit for its first year, and the first years flags are fully paid for.  The flags subscribed by the public in 2008 are committed for planting on the three holiday weekends in 2009.  The new flags will produce new revenue when subscribed in 2009.  In future years the flags will produce far greater net proceeds as the costs will have been covered in the first year of subscription.

The flags are readily accepted by the public.  Once the flags were planted in our neighborhoods last fall several of our members were approached by other neighbors requesting flags for their yards too.  Unfortunately we were "sold out".

On that basis it is expected that sales of subscriptions for 2009 will be easier now that some of the residents of neighborhoods have seen the flags flying.

It does stir the heart and the innate patriotism that Canadians have, and many want to show their love of Canada.

All members of the club can help in this program.  Work parties are going to be put together to ready the flagpoles and assemble the flags for planting.  What an excellent way for a group of Strathcona Rotarians to get together to socialize and assist the Club Flag Program with a little bit of work together for a couple of hours.

 

The poles need to be painted and the knobs have to be attached;  the flags need to be attached to the poles;  the stands need to be painted.  Each of these jobs is not difficult and is an opportunity to talk with your fellow member while the work is accomplished.

 

We are not totally pioneering here.  We are following the lead of a successful program in Texas that has run several years, with ever increasing numbers of flags being subscribed each year.   Bruce Flesher brought this concept back from Texas.  While Bruce was entertaining a Rotary guest from Texas who is involved with the program there, the guest explained their flag program to Bruce and to Hal Quilliam.   Bruce and Hal decided to approach the Strathcona Board for approval to commence the Canada Flag Program here, and it took off from there.

Bill Skelly has been very instrumental in flag subscriptions in his home district. He is of the mind that he will sell at least as many subscriptions in 2009 as he did in 2008 now that his neighbors have seen the product.   The writer of this article shares his view and expects that second years sales will be easier than the first year in his district.   Sign up for some flags and meet your neighbors in your own district!

The flags are subscribed for $50.00 annually.  A Rotarian will plant the flag in a subscriber's front yard three times during the summer season.  They will be planted just before the Victoria Day weekend commencement, before the July 1 Canada Day weekend commencement and just before the commencement of the Labor Day long weekend near the beginning of September.  After the holiday weekends are over, a Rotarian will retrieve the flags and store them until the next planting date.

Planting and retrieving is easy and quick.  The flags and mounting spikes are easily transported in a family car.  The optimum result can be obtained by selling subscriptions in your own neighborhood, as it allows for easy planting and retrieval.

In the second year of a subscription, the householder is going to be provided with a charitable donation receipt for $40.00 of his $50.00 second year subscription fee.

The charitable donation receipt will be issued by the Rotary District 5370 Foundation, and after collection of our proceeds the funds will be directed to the District Foundation.  Funds held by the District 5370 Foundation can then be disbursed to Charitable Organizations at the Strathcona Clubs direction. Offering the  charitable donation receipt will reduce the cost of the subscribers participation by 50% ( assuming he has other charitable donations in the amount of $200 annually already).  That is a likely scenario in today's world.

We need each of our Club members to join in the program,  take some flags and introduce them to your neighbors.  Clearly the easy way to do that is to have a flag flying in your own yard, and thereby show your "patriotism and love of Canada"

When your neighbors see yours, they will want one in their yard too.

One member related the story of how he had a flag in his yard and approached a neighbor for a subscription for his yard.  Initially he said " no thanks".  The next day he came to the Rotarian who had offered one and said he had changed his mind and wanted a flag for his yard.  At that time our Rotary member uprooted the flag in  his own yard and planted it in his neighbor's yard, and went and got another one for his own yard. 

A common question from our members is why we don't do a flag planting on November 11 (Remembrance Day) Sometimes the weather on Remembrance Day is not conducive to flag planting or any other outdoor activity in Edmonton. Sometimes there is snow on the ground, and the ground could be partly frozen.

While Remembrance Day would be an excellent time to show our Patriotism, we have decided that a planting that day would likely only present problems for our program, and it is better to moving forward, rather than face the possibility of having to retreat from a commitment.  We have therefore chosen the three summer long weekends for our Canada Flag plantings.

Any questions please speak to Bruce Flesher, Hal Quilliam or Bill Skelly.

Please join the program with the minimum of a flag for your own yard.

This article submitted by Hal Quilliam

Hugh Falconar needs a ride!
by Hans Granholm



Sometime in June 2009, Jarrod Clayton is moving his office into Harald Kuckertz's building in the Old Strathcona area.

This will effectively take him out of the 'Hugh Buggy Ride' pool where he and a number of other Strathconians have provide a ride for Hugh for several years now.

It would be nice if we could line up alternate drivers to take Hugh to our weekly meetings.

Hugh lives at: #220, 17203 99 Ave NW and his telephone number is: 780-487-9447

Initially I would suggest you contact me and let me try and arrange a schedule.

Cheers!

Hans Granholm
780-466-5566
hgrdane@telusplanet.net

 

New Bulletin Editor in 2009-10
by Hans Granholm



I am very pleased to accept Peter Denooy's move to assume the bulletin Editor responsibilities from July 2009.
New ideas and a fresh approach is always a good thing and I urge you to welcome Peter in that position by providing news and stories to him.
Peter has also indicated he wants to get more involved with the club website. He has already demonstrated a keen interest by providing the 'ClubRunner Minute' at our meetings.

In todays world, electronic and internet communication is vital. Our club has done very well with the powerful tools (ClubRunner) we have at our disposal, and we have received several awards over the years recognizing our effort.

If I am permitted, I will certainly always be available for help and consultations in any aspect of electronic communications.

I remain in my position as District 5370 Electronic Communications Chair and I have been asked by RIVP Monty Audenart to take on the role as Zone website coordinator which I have accepted.
A substantial effort is required to accommodate the zone realignment taking effect July 1 2009.

Cheers!

Hans Granholm
780-466-5566
hgrdane@telusplanet.net
Skype or ooVoo IM name: greightdane

 

2008-09 Exchange Student
by Granholm, Hans



We are very excited to resume our participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, one of the best and most rewarding programs in Rotary.

Anna Piela arrived on August 12 from Finland.



Anna is sponsored by District 1410 and we are sharing Anna with the Rotary Club of Edmonton South. She will be attending Strathcona High School.

Anna is currently hosted by Mirka and Peter Stoye. Please include Anna in your plans.

Co-hosting a foreign student is a wonderful opportunity to learn about other cultures by including the student in your family and social activities.

Please contact Don Henry h: 780-444-3746; b: 780-438-4208; e: dhenry@jimplease.com for more information.

DIRECT LINK TO ANNA's SITE PAGE.

Is it in you?
by Hans Granholm



View the story on the District WebComCentre

Donate! 

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

4-Way Test
by Hans Granholm


RI link: 4-Way Test
Web Site Advertising
by Hans Granholm



>>> 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!

TIP about where
by Hans Granholm



When Stories disappear from the front page and the bulletin layout, they don't disappear completely.
You can always click on the STORIES tab in the menu bar in the top banner.

Items will remain there for a reasonable period of time (still to be determined), but even after they disappear there, they can still be retrieved by contacting your website administrator.

Hans Granholm
e-mail
Planning a Vacation?
by Graham Gilchrist


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

2009                   Birmingham, England
2010                   Montreal
2011                   New Orleans

Edmonton Strathcona Guestbook
by Hans Granholm



GUESTBOOK

Don't forget to encourage the use of our new GUESTBOOK

Do not forget we also have a FORUM where members can post their views and ideas on a variety of subjects. NOTE: You have to log in to access the private Forum.

Why not visit yourself and let's benefit from your feedback...
How secure is all this data?
by Hans Granholm



No need to worry. ClubRunner secures all your private information using the latest security technologies.

Private information is secured using 128-bit encryption, and all access requires unique logins and passwords. Access to information is also restricted, for example, a member can only see a list of membership in his or her club, and his or her own personal information.

Data on the server is protected by TCP/IP filtering, firewall and anti-virus software that protect against any unauthorized intrusion. Backups of data are made daily and stored off-site.

Your information is kept private; to review ClubRunner's Privacy Policy, visit www.clubrunner.ca.
Privacy Policy
by Hans Granholm


Privacy laws were recently implemented in Canada...

The District Privacy Policy is listed on the WebComCentre, front page story or on our front page at the bottom of DOWNLOADS.