Visitors included soon-to-be new member, Jon Michael Montgomery, who was that very morning subjected to the grueling new member Information Meeting.  Presided over by the iron-fisted Swede, John "The Terrible" Magnuson, poor Jon was forced to be exposed to the notorious history of this Club.  Hence, his dazed and confused expression....My advice to you, Jon, is to stay away from the John with an H: he'll only continue to try and bring you over to the Dark Side: Yes, I'm saying he'll try and convince you to tolerate Swedes.  Stay away, I say!

Sunshine Report, by temporary correspondent Ted Wier: Ann Tremaine has her family around her, as she continues in hospice care.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Norm and family.  She has just received a hospital bed, and the Tremaines are inundated with good food, thanks to the Partners.

General/Mayor Bill Harrison just had vocal chord surgery, and it went great: he's sounding very good indeed,according to Bill Young.  Lowell Johnson continues to traipse around with his shoulder harness, in a desperate search for sympathy.  And perhaps to heal his shoulder as well.  He was soothed last week by the Stanford win over the UW, and paid $20 to demonstrate his glee.  And finally, President Horn recently had his third skin graft, actually foreskin graft.  Despite the doctor's and Mary's orders, he continues to violate all common sense and remains active.  Let it heal, Greg!

Announcements: Don Daniels just received his red badge.  Usually this is presented at the time of induction, but clearly Don angered our President in some way, and this is the price he had to pay.  Let that be a lesson, of some kind....  Our exchange student, Anatole, was given tickets to see the US Marine Corp Band, I think by Ron Adkins, and Richard "It's almost my birthday" Simmons voluteered to go along....  Debbie LeBeau donated $100 for her birthday and wedding anniversary,and was then rewarded with a check for $30,000.  The check wasn't REALLY for her, but was our yearly donation to the IB program: $60,000 down, $90,000 to go!....  MIKE TURNER AND MIKE MCGOVERN delivered sample fire department trading cards, intended for kids and aging Rotarians.  This program won first place in the National Association of Fire Fighters media awards.  Wow!....Lakewood First Lions (chartered in 1954: two years before us!) have their new auction coming up October 17, at the Sharon McGavick Center, 5-10 pm.  Cost is $40, it's called ENTER THE DRAGON, and we need to support them, as they always support us.  The principle funding recipient is Springbrook Park, also near and dear to our hearts (our 1999 $50,000 major project).  See President Horn.

Dan Livingston introduced Jeane Speaks, who was representing Samaritan's Feet (www.samaritansfeet.org).  Her organization has long provided shoes for kids around the world, and they are now doing the same in the US.  The current destination is Woodbrook Middle School.  400 pairs of shoes are destined for there, and Dan is helping to include 400 pairs of socks.  Please give Dan socks (ages 4-18), or money (checks to YFC, tax deductible) to purchase socks.  November 7 is the target date.

More Presidential Procurements:  Jay Mayer was given a raise and more work at NW Commercial Bank.  He paid $20, while board member Dave Sclair volunteered CEO Kurt Graff for another $30.  Probably guaranteeing we won't see Kurt visiting anytime soon....Ray Fraely from CP thanked the Club for all the prayers and good thoughts following his near fatal motorcyle crash of 9/15/08.  He singled out Bill Young in particular, who was a frequent visitor (along with Gwen) in Redding, CA and Springfield, OR, during the hospitalization.  By his own account, Ray is "99%"!.....PP Joel Feldman paid $50, after he won a cruise at the TEARS Foundation fundraiser.  President Horn volunteered to accompany Donna in Joel's place, but Joel seemed to think this wouldn't be well received by Donna.  Very self confident.  Actually, I think Queen Mary might be more upset. 

New Member Posting: Unless written objections is received by the Secretary within 10 days, the following will become members of Lakewood Rotary:

Jon Michael Montgomery     Advisor, Albers Company   Proposed by James Guerrero

Ed Shannon    Retired, Army Colonel  Proposed by Jim Rooks

Club Assembly: Greg was planning on handing out committee lists, but his print cartridge went belly-up, and only four got printed.  Expect an email blast with this information....  Greg is starting a technology club, with meetings to discuss the hows and whys and wherefores of computers.  If you'd like to brush up on your skills, or begin to establish skills, see Greg.  Our spectacular Secretary, Sally Porter Smith, volunteered that the library has free internet access, if you don't own a computer but want to set up an email account....Some of you haven't paid your dues.  We pay RI for all registered members, regardless of our collection success: so please pay or resign.  Expect a phone call....The 5th anniversary of the Playground at Ft. Steilacoom installation is upon us (June, 2010).  Searching for ideas to commemorate this event, Greg got the following suggestions:  1.  Have an open house at the Park, we supply ice cream, etc.  Betz/Sclair/Magnuson would reprise their leadership role for the event.  2.  Parking is still a problem there, and the city should look at it.  3.  There are some maintenance issues there: do it during the party?  4.  Slats are still available for purchase and installation, but a run of 20 is necessary.....Flyers will be put on the table each week to rate speakers and offer suggestions, with the purpose of maintaining our strong slate of entertaining and informative programs (Thanks, Larry Faulk).....Raffle tickets are arriving soon.  The plan was to offer "youth activities" as the recipient of funds.  Rick Selden pointed out that historically, the Club has always used the Pancake Breakfast and then the Sportsmans Dinner for our general club needs, including youth activities.  (In fact, the Wild Game Dinner's sold purpose, when they started fund raising as our 2nd fundraiser, was for youth sports.)  The additional fund raiser, which has been the fall raffle for several years, has been used for major projects.  Greg indicated afterwards that this would be the case: the Fall Raffle this year will benefit the IB program fund.

Weekly Drawing: #544211 was drawn, and the lucky winner won $5.  (The winner shall remain nameless for the sake of their privacy; and possibly also due to the fact that the writer of the Bulletin didn't get the information. One or the other.)

But wait!  There's more to this story!  Next week, the Pot will rise to over $800, according to Pot Banker Bill Price.  When pressed for more details, Banker Bill said, "That's a lot of money."  Pushed for clarification, Bill said, "A really lot of money."  Next week's speaker is Jeanette Saxon, Miss Wheelchair Washington.  President Horn says, "I've known her for 10 years, and she is an incredible young lady.  Should be an outstanding program."  Come to hear what she has to say, and get rich, too! 

Youth Exchange: As the Bulletin Writer is also the Youth Exchange Chairman, it is only natural that part of this meandering scribble should include something on this.  (I might point out that this Bulletin is a great opportunity to inform Club members of your committee's action: please give the Bulletin writer or Editor-in-Chief Dave Sclair anything you'd like posted herein.)  We are nearly at our deadline for new outgoing exchange students, and we have nothing so far.  Last year, we had three candidates to interview, and two went:  Hunter Larsen to India for a year, and Molly McWhurter to France for a month during the summer, on the family to family exchange.  If you have any ideas of possible interest, let me, Greg Rediske, know.  Rotarians' family and friends are eligible.  Must be born between August 16, 1992 and August 15, 1994.  Following is another submission by our exchange student Hunter, in India, having the time of this life:

"We are in Diwali festival. Or maybe it's not. I'm not sure which festival it is because after awhile they all get muddled together.

Each caste has the normal festivals like Diwali and Ganapati. (Diwali is a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and an official holiday in India. It is also called the Festival of Lights because they light diyas-cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil-to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. Ganapati is the annual festival in honor of Ganapati, the elephant-headed deity who removes obstacles and is the god of auspiciousness.)

I live with a Marathi family so we don't celebrate Ramadan, the Muslim fasting festival. But we still eat their food. (Hunter lives in the city of Jalgaon in the Maharashtra state in western India. They speak Marathi.) Muslims are really good cooks. They have this sweet dish with milk, coconut, nuts, dried fruits and sweet noodles that is to die for. 
 
The current festival is from the Gujarat state where all the people get together and do Dandiya. Dandiya is a dance with sticks. I think I already described it in one of my earlier emails but to put it bluntly it's a lot like Filipino Arnis, but with music. The dresses look way cooler. The women wear elaborate colored sari's (beautiful often silk cloth wrapped around the body) with random metal or gold ornaments around the neck, feet, arms and head. They also randomly put mirrors all over the body. When they dance you can hear the banging of Dandiya sticks to the rhythm of the music along with the bengals (bells the women wear around the feet) stomping out in beat as well. It's really quite spectacular.  
The men look a little different. They have similar colors and decorations but instead of sari's, they wear enormous parachute pants and big shirts. Imagine MC Hammer with a turban. I'm thinking about buying a man's dance outfit to take home, and of course, to dance in the festival. 
 Everyone here dances for nine nights in a row. It's a really big competition where people come from kilometers around to compete and dance. Juhi (Indian Rotary exchange student living in Poulsbo) has won it the past two years in a row.

I live pretty far away from the other foreign exchange students. It's too far to walk or bicycle so I take a taxi(rickshaw). It's getting expensive. I am spending maybe 60 cents a day on taxis alone. It's too much. Right?

One day, I went by rickshaw to meet the other foreign exchange students and go watch Dandiya. Low and behold, no one was there. I did show up unexpectedly and it was my fault for not telling them I would be at their home. What was I to do? Sit idle by and wait for an hour? That would be too boring. I started walking around and all of a sudden I saw my friend Nanik! This is one of the reasons I love India. There is such a huge population that if you meet everyone you will always be able to find a friend around the corner.  
We spent the next two hours going to temples and eating the spiciest panipuri we could find. (Panipuri is a round, hollow fried crisp filled with tamarind, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chick peas.  It is small enough to pop in the mouth.) It was so much fun. Jalgaon is a small town so seeing a white person is a somewhat rare. Let alone see the same one several times over. After the Dandiya festival ended, I had a group of boys ask me if I was Hunter. I said yes. They said, "Oh, we saw you on Ganapati!" People still stare at me on my home street. Sometimes it's funny. They are on their bicycles staring at me, and then run into something because they weren't looking ahead.  I guess that's their fault not mine.  
About school? It's really difficult. I almost failed English. I'm not taking the private classes.  
I am so glad to hear that that the Lakewood Playhouse was painted with the donation from Inland Management. (Over a year ago, Hunter sent a letter to Inland Management, management of the Lakewood Towne Center, asking for support for his Eagle Project. The CEO had received special recognition for his support of boy scouts.  Local management said they could strip the parking lot. Senior management told the local manager to do more. The entire building was painted. ) My Eagle project is truly finished. I guess you were right about how when you get the ball rolling, other people will join you to do the right thing. Even when you're thousands of miles away."