“A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.” ― Tom Stoppard
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Notes provided by Allan Penwell)
The All-Club Rotary meeting is Wednesday, February 24th at Round Barn Center. Doors open at 11:30 am,and the program starts at noon. There is NO Sunrise meeting this week.
Although we do NOT meet on the 25th, there is a social at Krannert Uncorked this Thursday evening. Show up at 5:30 pm in the KCPA lobby and listen to a little reggae/jazz with Nucleus with guest star Cary Woolard.
PROGRAM
Ray Cunningham is mayor of Homer, works, at the U of I Foundation, and loves to visit totalitarian countries. He has been to North Korea six times and is planning a fall trip this year. If you would like to know more about his trips and pictures, just Google “Ray Cunningham Photos,” and you will get to his Flickr website.
North Korea has around 25,000 annual visitors which includes 18,000 Chinese. It’s not a modern country. Nothing works consistently, but there are signs of modernity in the cities with some western styles for women becoming popular. In addition, an Egyptian company has installed cell towers with about three million cell phones in the country. Internet? Good luck. Ray described North Korea as the only thing in common with the rest of the world is gravity. Change is glacial.
North Korea is all about indoctrination and leadership propaganda. There are really three societies which are: the elites in the capital, workers in the cities, and the rural population. There are food shortages, water shortages, and electricity is random. Gas is hard to find. Agriculture is done by hand with no motorized equipment. The standard of footwear is rubber boots because roads are not maintained, and everything is muddy when it rains.
This is a closed society with very strict rules. If you live in a rural area, you need permission to go to the city which is probably to control food supply in the cities. The country is always in a food crisis, and interestingly enough, the military has full control of all meat production. Corruption is what gets things done. Ray has been able to maneuver through the country rules and is always curious from one trip to the next as to what has changed.
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| 24-Feb | Mar 3rd | Mar 10th | Mar 17th | |
| Introductions | No Meeting | Dave Krchak | Bob La Charite | Barb Lintner |
| Invocation | due to | Ed Perry | Rod Roberts | Tod Satterthwaite |
| Greeters | All-Area | Dave Krchak | Bob La Charite | Barb Lintner |
| Rotary | Gary Olsen | Scott Paceley | Robb Patton | |
| Song Leader | Meeting | John McDaniel | Phyllis Mischo | Gary Olsen |
| Notetaker | Hodson | Lintner | Conforti |
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE
February 24th (Wednesday) – All Club meeting at noon at Round Barn – Adam Bleakney, Head Coach of Wheelchair Track and Road Racing at the University of Illlinois
March 3rd – Dr. Naira Hovakimyan, Director of the Intelligent Robotics Lab of CSL, UIUC, will discuss future use of robotics and drones in the home
March 10th – TBD
March 17th – Steven Bentz, Director, Virginia Theater, will discuss upcoming shows
March 24th – Molly Delaney, Executive Director, C-U Schools Foundation, will discuss their first cross-district, collaborative grant
March 31st – Dee Brown, Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, UIUC
April 7th – Laura Weis, Champaign County Chamber of Commerce
April 14th – TBD
April 21st – Megan McKisson, vice president of Illinois 2015-2016 Vis International Commercial Arbitration Team
April 28th – TBD
May 5th – TBD
May 12 – Prof. Christopher Barkan, Executive Director of the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center, UIUC, will discuss high speed rail travel and RailTec
May 19th – TBD
May 26th – TBD
June 2nd – TBD
June 9th – Megan Casey, Frances Nelson and SmileHealthy
