Announcements:
The Interclub Meeting on February 25 is coming together nicely.
Thanks to Mary Claire Searby, we will welcome Barry Jekowsky, Conductor of the California Symphony, as our featured speaker.

The meeting will host 150 people and the tickets are $20.00 each. Prepaid lunch members will be free. Please commit to your attendance next week as the seating is limited.

Mike Heller is in charge of the tickets. Mary Claire will go to Rossmoor meeting to promote the meeting and sell tickets. John Sherry will go to the Sunrise Club to promote and sell tickets.

Thank you to Polly Bernson for the beautiful work on the design and printing of the tickets and brochures. As usual, they are amazing!!

Don’t forget to support the Recipe Books with a purchase of one or more. They make great gifts.

Mike Heller reminded the club of the Soroptomist Crab Feed on Feb. 20. 40 of our club members buying tickets equals a $100. donation to our club. Jess Wellen and Mike Heller have tickets.

Ron Wake announced the Rotary Foundation winner this month is Polly Bernson. Well deserved award.

John Sherry announced that the Reservoir Stage project is moving forward. The land use application has been submitted to EBMUD. A letter of concerns will be forthcoming from them. Low maintenance is the key issue in the project.

Ed Stokes recognition dinner tomorrow night is sold out.

Program:
Tom Henry gave us an interesting overview of his trip to South Africa.
The trip began in Johannesburg and Capetown. He and his wife took a bus tour of Capetown and found it is very similar to San Francisco in size and environment. The new president is opening the borders to offer educational opportunites to people of all colors. Most people taking advantage of this are poor and come to exploit the tourism trade. Called “razor boys” they mug tourists and steal cameras etc.

They took a luxury train ride to Johannesburg from Capetown. The old wood paneled cars and luxury environment were well received.

Johannesburg is a large city and the business capital of South Africa. During apartheid, Mandela didn’t forbid violence like MLK did in America. The violence is accepted there still today.

Zimbabwe is also a violent city with the dictator Mogabe in charge. The political environment is closed and people cannot discuss their government in a negative way. Police are visible everywhere and will arrest anyone who is anti the dictatorship. The unemployment rate is 80% and people are starving while Mogabe keeps the animals fed to feed the upper class

Zambia is a democracy and the difference in the country from the others is obvious. Americans have built a hospital there. There can be a comparison between how Zambia is to Mexico.

There is a lion cub training center where they train Lions to live in the wild. The people work with the animals and then release them to the Serengeti Plain.

Thank you Tom for a most interesting program.