Today's Events:

President Linda Kaplan presiding

ROTARY THEME 2006-07

   President Linda opened the meeting with a reminder for everyone to begin identifying potential sponsors for next year’s South Miami Rotary Crafts Festival. See Diana Phillips for a sponsor kit.
 
    President-elect Mike Mills will pass around sign-up sheets for the various committees that will serve the Club during his year as president. One thing is for sure, as Rotarians, we are all successful as business owners, senior executives or professionals. So we each have an expertise that can benefit the Club. At the same, there are skill sets that we could all polish. So if you don’t want to lead a committee with your expertise, consider joining a committee where you can acquire or polish those that you can bring into your business life.

    Foundation Chair Donna Gaines reminded the membership that $700.00 is still available for matching funds for contributions to The Rotary Foundation. The Club will match up to $100.00 per contributor. Remember, $1,000.00 makes you a Paul Harris Fellow and committing periodic payments of just $100 makes you a Paul Harris Sustaining Member. With matching funds, you just get there faster.

We welcome all of our Visitors::

 

Matching Grants – Donna Gaines, Chair

We have $1,000 set aside for RI foundation

Give $100 and the club will match $100 towards
your Paul Harris Fellowship

Art Festival SPONSORS determine its success

May 22nd is the next ArtFest Committee meeting Bob Straile’s home

GET OUT AND HELP OUR COMMUNITY
 
Hands on Miami Projects : Helping Young Mothers

http://www.handsonmiami.org/

Saturday, May 5, 2007 ~ 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Coral Gables Cycling Celebration
Attendance in activities related to the Cycling to Serve Fellowship constitutes a make-up attendance for our club’s weekly meetings.

BICYCLING THROUGH THE GABLES

OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY

Sunday, May 6 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

BICYCLING THROUGH THE COUNTY

For ROTARIANS:
Meet to cycle @ 7:30am EVERY Saturday
@ Patricia’s (5911 Maynada, Coral Gables)

Check out Patricia’s website: www.watch-inc.org

To become a cycling fellowship member: :
Go to www.cyclingtoserveuscanada.com

2007 RI Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah

98th Rotary International Annual Convention

17-20 June 2007

$$$ PRINTER CARTRIDGES FUNDRAISER $$$
 

Accepting empty inkjet cartridges

Bring them to the meetings or take a postage-paid plastic envelop home – ask Mike Mills

Attendance credit for a 30-minute interactive club Web site activity. This offers an alternative to making up a meeting at another club. To earn an attendance credit, Rotarians usually log on to the site, read up on a range of subjects, post comments, and submit a form to the club secretary.

For make-ups anywhere around the world when traveling internationally:

http://rotary.org/support/clubs/index.html

NOTIFY DOREEN REITNAUER, SECRETARY, OF ALL MAKE-UPS:

dhiker217@aol.com

Mark Your Calendars
Tuesday, May 22, 2007		Art Show Meeting @ 5:30 / Bob Straile’sHome
June 17 - 20, 2007		RI Conference - Salt Lake City
Tuesday, June 26, 2007		Art Show Meeting @ 5:30 / Bob Straile’sHome
Tuesday, July 24, 2007		Art Show Meeting @ 5:30 / Bob Straile’sHome
Tuesday, August 28, 2007		RI Presidential Conference 2007-2008 RI President Wilfred “Wilf” Wilkinson visits District 6990 @ The Westin Hotel - Fort Lauderdale $115 registration
Tuesday, August 24 & 25, 2007		Art Show Meeting @ 5:30 / Bob Straile’sHome
Tuesday, September 25, 2007007		Art Show Meeting @ 5:30 / Bob Straile’sHome
Thursday - Monday November 15-19, 200707		District Conference aboard the Carnival Imagination phone Carnival at 866-721-3225 and give them booking #4NX070 to register for your cabin now!!
Meeting Functionaries
Invocation:	Ed Fischer
Pledge:	Donna Gaines
Guests:	Bill Enright
Happy $$:	John Sorgie
Door Prize:	None
$$$ Prize:$229 (K OF ©)	Donna Gaines
Four-Way Test	Sunita Kaul
It's Your Turn
May 8, 2007	Door Prize: Susanne Fontana Dessert: Mike Newman
May 15, 2007	Door Prize: Ann Fisher Dessert: Mike Mills
May 22, 2007	Door Prize: Ed Fischer Dessert: Cathy Miller
May 29, 2007	Door Prize: Fabio Fernandez Dessert: Dan McCrea
June 5, 2007	Door Prize: Horace Feliu Dessert: Asaad Masoud
June 12, 2007	Door Prize: Bill Enright Dessert: Maxene Graham
Future Speakers:rs:
May 8, 2007	Cheryl Little – Are They Welcome?
May 15, 2007	Anthony Atwood – Time to Remember
May 22, 2007	Daniel Nguano – Coming to America
May 29, 2007	Ray Stewart – Let There Be Light

Today’s Speaker

Program Chair Maxene Graham introduced Cheryl Little, an immigration attorney who, since 1985, has served as the Executive Director for the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC). FIAC serves as a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the basic human rights of immigrants of all nationalities.
  
    Cheryl pointed out that last year’s Immigration Bill allowed working immigrants, who paid taxes and had children here, to apply for citizenship. The 1985 Strive Act permitted illegal immigrants living here for six years and who paid taxes and had no criminal record, to go home, and return with residency privileges.

   One area of concern is for the immigrant for Latin American immigrants. Latin countries only allow attorneys to be Notary Publics and here, are being taken advantage of by unscrupulous notaries who charged outrageous and make promises for permanent residencies, which they cannot deliver. Another problem for immigrants has been a Broward County Indian Tribe – Native Americans – currently under investigation, who for a fee, are offering Green Cards by making immigrants members of the tribe.

   Compounding the problem for immigrants is a backlog of 6,000,000 papers by immigration service. Additionally, the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database contains records of illegal immigrants who are not felons, just people drawn by the allure of America’s freedoms. Yet, when stopped by law enforcement, who run their names through the NCIC are treated as felons. Adding to this national shame has been the privatization of incarceration for illegal aliens; as evidenced by the soaring stock values of private corrections companies who receive funding from the US Bureau of Prisons.
   
    Cheryl also pointed out some myths and unknown truths about immigration. She did acknowledge some anti-immigration points such as the impact on welfare, medical services and the education system. However, over the years, immigrants have made a $10 billion contribution to the US economy, while, since 1975, have contributed $611 billion in funds to social security. A recent Gallup Poll funded by the New York Times, indicates that 78% of Americans say working immigrants should be given legal status. A recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center found no evidence that increases to immigration led to higher unemployment of native-born Americans. Additionally, the study found that “no apparent relationship between the growth of foreign workers with less education and the employment outcome of native workers with the same low level of education.

    Cheryl also pointed out that more than 60,000 immigrants are on active duty serving in the US Armed Forces accounting for 5% of enlisted personnel across the board and 7% of Navy personnel. She concluded her remarks pointing out that a poll of eminent economists, 81% agreed that immigrants have a very favorable impact on the US economy and something needs to be done to provide these people with legal status, particularly with the anticipated impact on social security funding for the soon to retire baby boomers – the largest segment of the US population.

Programming Chair Maxene Graham introduced

Eric Powell, Ambassidorial Scholar
 His Fabulous Year, Coming Home,me,
 and What’s Ahead

Sponsored by District 6990, Eric wants to emphasize in this speech the unique aspects of being a Rotary scholar. So much more is added to the experience since a student is immediately a part of an overseas network of clubs and Rotarians looking out for his well-being. Scholars find a Rotary network of sponsors abroad. This helps to further get them involved in the community with service opportunities.

In the world of academic funding Rotary is the largest funding donor for international scholarships. Rotary is very generous, covering the cost of airfare, tuition, room and board, transportation plus contingency fees and text books.

Eric is Miami born and an only child. His parents bought a yellow lab named Biscuit to keep them company while he was away in Australia. Biscuit uses Kennedy Park and he thanked the club for this weekend’s clean-up.

He’s a graduate of Coral Gables High who went onto FSU to graduate as a Bioscience Major. He transitioned from bioscience to water resource science and followed up with an internship with the EPA in Washington DC working on budgets and finances. In Austrailia his studies emphasized natural resource economics with water mgt on the eastern coast of Australia in Brisbane.

Water is a hot topic in Australia. It is the driest inhabited continent in the world. Uncommon drought in the past few years due to climate changes

Brisbane, Australia

Parallels between Miami and Brisbane, Queensland, Austrailia:
Both have climates warm and subtropical
The state of Queensland has a booming tourist economy
Both have fast growing cities with rapid population booms
Both have huge business development

How we manage water scarcity? Water doesn’t provide benefits to just the private individual – but to entire society and to the ecosystem.

Water is distributed through a monopoly. Governments take the element of competition away.

In Queensland, there have been reforms to their water mgt framework. The question of property rights in times of drought is one issue. Pricing regimens? In the past water has been highly subsidized by the government.

On the eastern seaboard of Australia, drought has created a myriad of restrictions on water. It has devastated agricultural communities. Agriculture makes up 1/3 of GDP. Water issues were a force of political debate during recent elections. Eric watched the constrains on the economy issues penetrate the mindset of the populace.

He participated in service activities such as visiting Glen Innes with its aboriginal population in New South Wales. The harmony between the native and immigrant populations is unusual. Both have been allowed to keep their traditions and culture. Newcomers are respectful. One club’s service project included shipping surplus medical and educational supplies to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

Eric hopes to applying the skills from this past year in South Florida with Everglades restoration. He wishes to figure out ways to balance agricultural industry w/ booming population and is looking for consulting work.