Thursday May, 17,2012
Naked women jumping out of cakes, balloons, marching bands and pipers in kilts; all at the rather reserved Tacoma Country and Golf Club. Can you believe it! If you do, call me about a good deal on Greek bonds that pay 23%. Even if you don’t believe the above, the always over powering majesty of the annual Gyro Installation was a sight to behold. This scribe thought the ceremony lasting +/- 4 minutes was a bit over the top, but then we had to humor the District IV poobahs who traveled from afar. .. Olympia. But it was an honor to have them join our merry band and much appreciated. It was also fun to renew said friendships and gave them the opportunity to hype the upcoming District IV convention being held in Ocean Shores. My apologies for this rather lack luster reference to the latter and to assure the knights of District IV that ’tis not intended as “damning with faint praise.” This occasionally dutiful scribe does not remember (unfortunately not now a unique experience) all of the details regarding the convention but if memory serves me correctly, and that is about as reliable as the afore mentioned Greek bonds, the dates are early September. You will no doubt receive more info as well as web master McGowen posting details on his well maintained Gyro web site. I do encourage Tacoma Gyros to support said gala.
Next week … Gyro lunch? NO! Brother Phil Hayes tried to work a deal with the Tacoma Raniers for a speaker next Tuesday and then a Gyro night at the ‘ole ball game late July after monsoon season is over. Upon hearing the quote for the night at the ball park, Phil patiently explained that we didn’t want to BUY the Raniers, just watch them try to play baseball. All to no avail. The Raniers dropped a dear price which our parsimonious clan justifiably would not pay. So NO speaker next Tuesday and NO Gyro night in July. But all is not lost. Bro Gallinatti claims that he does eat lunch on Tuesdays thus providing a rationale to have a martini and sup with friends. So if you are searching for an excuse to avoid yard work or some other onerous task for which you are not well equipped, join Bro. Gal and other like minded, excuse hunting Gyros for lunch at 12;00 in the bar (where else) at the TC&GC.
This scribe bids adieu to a summer in the GNW and shall not return until well into October, thus insuring a chance for a substitute scribe to elevate the quality of the current pap you have unfortunately come to expect. I know, I know. What? You stay here in the winter and then leave for the climes of northern Michigan, colloquially referred to as “Up North” all summer? Are you certifiable? Answer. Probably “yes” for this and an unlimited list of other reasons. So before you ponder about humidity and mosquitoes, allow me to clarify to those who have yet to travel beyond the Cascades, the above relate to MINNESOTA, where the state bird is the mosquito as they are the size of robins and the Land of 10,000 Lakes (the state motto emblazed on their license plate) does provide an ideal home for those nasty litter critters and the cause of human sweat. N’er a drop of sweat nor mosquito bite on our side
of Lake Michigan. So says the Chamber of Commerce. So a fond farewell and a sincere wish for a beautiful summer.
‘Til the anon, D. Loving Scribe
PS. I guess ‘twould be appropriate for those not able to attend the Installation extravaganza to inform them of next year’s officers: President Martin Neeb and the “Gang of a Five” same as this year, same for next year. VP and Speaker Chmn.- Dave Sheean, Treasurer- Rick Carr (currently spending an extended vacation in the Far East which just might be a cause for concern, not for Francie and Rick, rather on whose monies), Party Tsar/Czar-John Winters, Web Master and Tech Expert-John McGowen and Scribe- D. Loving, Esq.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
NO GYRO LUNCH NEXT TUESDAY MAY 15!
WEDNESDAY EVENING MAY 16 AT 6:00, THE INSTALLATION BANQUET! If you have not made your reservations, call John Winters ASAP.
Tuesday May 22, we MAY have a Gyro luncheon. I know. I know. We never have meetings after the august Installation gala. But due to the efforts of Bro. Phil Hayes, we hope to have a biggie from the Tacoma Rainer’s chat with us in anticipation of a Gyro day at the ‘ole ball game complete with luxury suite accommodations (as is only befitting for Gyros) some time mid-summer when the sun may be out.
Tuesday Steve Morrison showed-up agin {Sic.} which means he really does want to become a Gyro. Wow! Dugald introduced Vern Larson as a potential new member. Brewer Thompson, Gyro’s iteration of Digger O’Dell the Friendly Undertaker, (now, that is some really old radio trivia see below) in attendance for the second time in two weeks … a record of some sort. Buck/Digger raised a concern that Vern’s landscaping was much better than his and thus may put pressure on him. Why this had anything to do with membership escapes this author, but who cares, we are a tolerant bunch and a non-punishing audience. We hope Vern takes the pledge in spite of Buck’s crabgrass.
Our speaker was George Capacci, yet another in the list of terrific speakers thanks to all and particularly Dave Sheean. George is the Dep. Dir. Of Ops for the WSDOT Ferry Div. The ferries handle 23M riders annually, 10M cars, operate 22 terminals, 23 vessels, have 450 departures (and one hopefully would therefore assume 450 arrivals) daily with a 97% on time departure rate. All of the above is quite impressive considering they are involved with 9 different unions employing 1800 people. The bi-annual budget is $457M with a revenue shortfall of $100M which is quite exemplary compared to other ferry systems around the world. This terry system is the fourth largest in the world and the largest in the US. Ferries are built to last 60 years compared with 30 for the Navy and 12 years for cruise ships, assuming, of course, some “Eyetalian” captain is watching where he should be going. With 12 million passengers, one might rightfully expect an assortment of unusual stories. A call was received at the office and the caller inquired: “What ferry do 1 take to Spokane?” I would suspect that semester of geography was skipped. There is the usual occurrence of people who lock their keys in their cars and require “Slim Jims” to open the doors as well as people who drive their cars on the ferry and walk off forgetting their cars. Oh well.
Gyro story. It is not smart to drink and drive. A Gyro who just may have had a touch too much to drink did something he had never done before and took a bus home. Sure enough, he passed a police roadblock and as it was a bus, he was not stopped. He arrived home without incident which was a real surprise as he had never driven a bus before and had no idea where he got it! ©
On that note, ’til the anon.
D. Loving,
Scribe
PS. Digger O’Dell was a character on the old time radio show my much, much older brother told me about called the “Life of Riley.” What a revoltin’ development this is.
Tuesday May 1,2012
Another most interesting Gyro. There were no guests (there shoudda been … so please bring guests) but with the rare appearance of Buck Thompson, though a member in good dues paying standing for 35 years, a wag referred to him as our guest for the day. John Winters made a plea for a few more attendees and attendettes {ed.
note: “attendette” is the feminine form of attendee} for the upcoming Installation. It was noted that if we come up short financially, Rick Can will have to personally cover the short fall.
Phil Sloan is recovering from some extensive back surgery, and we wish him a speedy recovery. In his absence, El Presidente Neeb introduced our guest speaker, Mark Wagner, Attorney at Law whose practice is personal injury. I think this scribe can safely state without fear of ANY contradiction that ’twas not a sympathetic audience. Mark was most definitely not preaching to the proverbial choir. To quote the bard in King Henry VI, Part II, the villain Dick the Butcher, appropriately named, wisecracks a most famous line: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” I think it would be safe to say that there is an existing perception of a personal injury lawyer as parasite in a shiny, polyester suit with 1970’s wide lapels in a wash and wear shirt, wearing a 5 inch wide tie with a display of past meals sitting in his old car with different colored fenders with the engine running and a police scanner on waiting for a gruesome car wreck. Maybe that may be a bit over the top, but probably not much. The first thing Mark did was to bring up the famous McDonalds spilled hot coffee case where an 83 year old woman driving through the pick-up window spilled hot coffee in her lap and sued receiving millions. Well, not exactly, but brilliantly spun. She was indeed, 83. She was not in the drive thru, she wasn’t even driving. Her nephew was the driver but the car was parked. She had the cup in her lap, trying to get the top off to add sugar and cream, and spilled the 180-190 degree coffee onto her groin which resulted in 3rd degree burns resulting in numerous skin grafts. The family contacted McDonalds, immediately informing them that they had no intentions of suing, rather that it was intended to alert them to the ramifications of what could happen to others and to reimburse the family for out of pocket expenses. McDonald’s ignored all other than an offer of $800 (I ‘rn absolutely sure “On the advice of counsel!”) Big mistake. The ensuing trial showed that there were over 700 other claims, which were now most likely revived by the guys in the polyester suits. The initial settlement was to cover $160,000 in actual costs and $2,700,000 on punitive awards later reduced to $480,000. But, all in all, a PR disaster for the victim, for McDonalds … and personal injury lawyers. There is a code regarding “frivolous suits”, though a wide disparity on what is and is not frivolous absolutely exists and a judge may immediately dismiss such a case and charge the suing attorney to cover all of the costs of both sides.
Unfortunately for us all, the big money on both sides of torte reform has now politicized it into a Republicans pro and Democrats agin issue. The public pays the price and surprise, surprise, nothing will be done.
Next week, Capt. George Capacci, Dep. Chief of Ops and Construction, Ferries Div. of WSDOT. Be there as it may be the last luncheon of the season; TBD.
‘Til the anon,
D.Loving
Scribe
PS. My feelings are hurt. I didn’t get a May Basket.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Another good (both in size and character) crowd of Gyros. One repeat guest, Carroll Simpson who again was forced to introduce himself even though sponsor George Pessemier valiantly tried to do so, by George! Since ’tis Carroll’s third visit, it seems as ifhe really wants to become a Gyro and take the vow of poverty, chastity and … oops, those are for a different organization. All Gyros’ ask is that the check/money order clears. The rest ofthe crowd was just us (or is it we? I need the help ofa ‘enry ‘iggins grammarian, so let me know) true, blue Gyros. Party Czar/Tsar John Winters announced that the always august and brimming with solemnity Installation will take place May 16th at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club, starting at 6:00 with a no-host bar (of course.) The price, a bargain at Yz the price: $31pp or, let me think, 2X 31 is …. um … er. .. probably $62 per couple for a buffet dinner, wine and, of course, Gyro fellowship. Call John at 582-xxxx to confirm your participation at this gala occasion.
Bro. Gallinatti introduced Philip Cowan, the Executive Director of the Grand Cinema. The grand Grand has been in existence for 15 years, is a not for profit entity, it has 4 screens, has over 200 volunteers and is open 365 days a year. Best of all, it is doing quite well financially which guarantees it will continue to offer the quality films we have come to expect. There are over 3,000 Grand Cinema Members, and if you aren’t one, please be one. The viability of the Grand is assured as they have a lease on the building until 2025. As we all know, traditionally when a committee designs a horse, you end up with a camel. Luckily for us, Philip is a committee of one, and a dam good one at that. Philip currently has 30 films to screen for future selections. That is nothing compared to the 38 films he saw in one week at the Sundance Film Festival. He picks films that represent a balance of foreign, English language and documentary offerings. Add to this the interaction of distributor politics, and of course fees, the timing of acquiring and then releasing films and customer appeal, all of which is very comparable to keeping all of the plates spinning on poles and without letting anyone of them fall. The Grand will be starting a fund raising drive as it must spend $75K per theater to convert from film to digital proj ection over the next two years. If all of the above is not enough to encourage becoming a Grand Cinema Member, the Grand has the best popcorn on the planet; a known fact not Trumpian hyperbole.
Next week is another “not to be missed” Gyro. Our speaker will be Mark Wayne whose topic will be Frivolous Lawsuits in America: A Discussion Over “Hot Coffee” (one might suspect we will hear about the famous McDonald’s case.) I know not which side our speaker will represent but pitchforks and torches are not welcome.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving,
Scribe
Tuesday April 17, 2012
Alas, the circadian calendar of the Gyro seasons moves ever onward. We are now in the third half of the Gyro luncheoning year. The first half being the reuniting in the fall after a summer of leisure (a respite from our labors?) culminating in the gala Christmas party. The second half being the ebbing of participation as Gyros for some unfathomable reason, like lemmings scamper for the climes of sun and sand. The third half is the reemergence of sun burned faces at lunch with just weeks to go until the climax of the year, highlighted by the ever awe inspiring installation of new officers, a ceremony of plus or minus four minutes. The date of the latter may be around May 17th. More later … assuming we will have officers to install.
The word is out about Gyro. We had so many guests your occasionally dutiful scribe could not write fast enough. They are as follows with apologies for probable errors: Dick Bowe introduced Randy Lindblad; Phil Sloan (ed. note: a most sincere “thank you” Phil for so capably scribing in this author’s absence) introduced Capt. Stephan Morrison, a previous speaker who has seen the light and wants to be saved as a Gyro, and Tom Krilich; Jim Gallinatti introduced Michael Phillips and a George Pessemier(less) Carol Simpson might have been introduced by George, by George, if George was there.
Jim Gallinatti introduced yet another outstanding speaker, Indy car driver and now Chief Development Officer of the LeMay “Americas Car Museum.” it will be another addition to the growing list of things to see and do in the City of Destiny. The museum will open with a spectacular extravaganza June 2-4. It will display over 350 of the more than 800 cars the museum owns, beautifully showcased in 185,000 sq.ft. The LeMay family owns over 3,500 cars and the museum does have the ability to draw on this reservoir for future exhibits. This museum will introduce some new ideas in “museuming” {sic} in that there will not be one curator but rather a revolving “guest curator” position which will last one year thus insuring an ever changing and freshening presentation. Also, the museum will not be static. Many of the cars on display will be replaced every 3 to 6 months thus establishing a reason to constantly revisit the museum. Numbers are hard to formulate but the consultants predict that the museum may well generate over one million visitors a year. There is a seemingly insatiable interest in older cars. But if you are holding on to your ’87 Dodge Dart with rusted rocker panels or an AMC Gremlin, the time has come to say “good bye,” especially if this loved one is referred to in gender like “she” and the “she” has a name like Martha. Sad, but true, adieu.
Next week, another great speaker, Philip Cowan, Executive Director (title?) of the Grand Cinema inTacoma. This is an extraordinary entity for us to enjoy, nay, cherish, and may well be unique. It is the source of marvelous movies, many of which have been chronicled in this pap of a newsletter. Bring your pen because in addition to hearing about the Grand, it just may be possible to sign up to be a Grand Cinema member which not only offers cheaper ticket prices and more parking options, but a FREE bag of the best popcorn on the face of the planet. What more could one ask?
So, ’til the anon,
D. Loving,
Scribe
PS. Pres. Neeb has called for an Executive meeting next Tuesday at 11:00 in the bar (where else!)
Minutes of Meeting of April 10, 2012
15 GYROS attended with 2 Guests. Now that Spring has sprung, the snowbirds should be returning so our attendance should improve. John McGowen brought for his 3rd visit, Dr. Lloyd Elmer, a retired dermatologist. (Has GYRO gotten under his skin?) Gen. Bill Harrison brought John W. Walstrum, Ph.D., President of Clover Park Technical College.
Our speaker, thanks to Dug Stewart, was Trent England, Vice President of Policy for the Olympia based Freedom Foundation which he reported has a national following. On this morning, before coming to our meeting, Trent was interviewed on two radio shows in other states. It was a nice Spring day and Trent was our first speaker of the year to wear a summer suit! He has spent most of his 33 years actively engaged in politics and has already run for office twice. At age 16 and armed with a new driver’s license, Trent traveled around the state investigating voter fraud, After working for the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C., where he also earned a law degree, he returned to his native Puget Sound a few years ago. With his polish and skill in fielding questions, he has a bright future in politics.
Trent told us of the goals of the Freedom Foundation, which may be seen on its web site, MYFREEDOMFOUNDATION.com. For a small organization with only a few employees, it has an ambitious Mission Statement: “Advancing individual liberty, free enterprise and limited, accountable government” which it must fulfill while maintaining its tax exempt status as a non-profit, nonpolitical corporation. Trent has a special interest in preserving the Electoral College. He cited several cogent reasons why it would be harmful to our democracy to eliminate it.
NEXT MEETING- TUESDAY, APRIL 17,2012
Thanks to Jim Gallinetti, our speaker will be David L. Madeira, President and CEO of LeMayAmerica’s Car Museum (ACM). We are especially honored and privileged to have Mr. Madeira take time out of his incredibly busy schedule because the Grand Opening of the ACM will be on June 1-3,2012 which will be an event of international significance in the car world and a great boost to Tacoma.
ACM’s websites show conflicting dates for the Grand Opening, but its media department confirmed on April 12 that the museum opens to the public on June 2. For details, visit lemaymuseum.org. Over the years, GYRO has enjoyed a great relationship with representatives of the LeMays. They have addressed our meetings and hosted private tours of the collection for us. We can show our gratitude and support for the museum by having a great crowd in attendance. You are requested to bring guests and our returning snow birds. We will revert to our former format of a buffet lunch beginning at noon followed by the speaker.
On a sad note, our long time GYRO stalwart and friend, Rich Stewart, passed away on Saturday April 7, 2012. Memorial Services will be held at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, April 14th at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Lakewood. His obituary is in the Aprill1, 2012 News Tribune
Minutes of Meetmg of March 27, 2012
12 Gyros Present – no guests
Thanks to Martin Neeb, our speaker was David Fischer, Director of the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. Because all Country Clubs look alike to David, he first went to Fircrest Country Club and did not arrive until the precise moment Martin reached the punch line of his joke, which caused David to wonder if he was again in the wrong place!
David retumed to Tacoma 6 years ago to become the Director of the Broadway Center. Earlier he had been the Director of the Tacoma Little Theatre. While most of us were aware that the Broadway Center manages the Pantages and Rialto Theatres and the Theatre on the Square, few of us were aware of the many other activities of the Broadway Center or of its economic and cultural impact on Pierce County. Each year, 250,000 people participate in a Center sponsored event at 9th and Broadway, inside and outside the buildings, generating 20 million dollars for our local economy and tax revenues for Tacoma of 1.2 million dollars and 1 million dollars to the State. The Tacoma Symphony is now merging with the Broadway Center because of the success of the Center.
Much of the success of this non-profit organization is attributable to its conscious strategy to reach more diversified audiences rather than traditional concert audiences which are aging and which suffer from donor fatigue. Last year, there were 260 days of sponsored activities at the venues.
We knew about the many performances by world renown artists, but few of us knew that the Broadway Center also provides arts education programs for 30,000 students and teachers annually. One program which is resulting in documented success is an anti- violence program for troubled kids in which they are taught, through acting, to address their problems. Many of those kids have realized tremendous improvement in all aspects of their behavior, resulting in direct benefit to them, their schools, neighborhoods and families. Under David’s enthusiastic leadership, in spite of the prolonged recession, the Broadway Center has thrived. Ticket sales have tripled and contributions have increased by a factor of 4, while most of our Nation’s 3,000 performing arts centers are struggling to survive. A bit of sad news for those of us who were supporters of TAG, because of the expense of production, David does not foresee in the near future a resumption of the dramas we once enjoyed.
David related the history of the Pantages and Rialto Theatres. Today both are ranked at the highest level on the registry of architectural historically significant buildings in America. Of the 18 original Pantages Theatres, only 3 remain. After being restored to the glory of their early years in the 1980s and 1990s, both theatres are again in need of refurbishing. The Center is planning a fund raising campaign to fund renovations by 2018.
For more information about the Broadway Center and its history and activities, refer to its web site: www.BroadwayCenter.org
Now for a Business of GYRO announcement: Rick Carr wishes to thank those Gyros who have paid their dues. For those who haven’t yet paid their dues, please enable him to also thank you!
COMING EVENTS:
The Annual Installation of Officers Celebration and End of the Gyro Year Party: May 17 at the Tacoma Yacht Club. Mark your calendars.
SPEAKER for meeting of April 3: Capt. Stephen B. Morrison, USNR, Retired, President of the Northwest Chapter of Gamewardens Association Inc. (Vietnam to Present). A Vietnam veteran and career Naval Officer, he will speak on riverboat warfare in Vietnam and the present activities of the Gamewardens. This will be an informative and provocative presentation.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF MARCH 20, 2012
15 Gyros present- no reported guests. We were too enthralled by our speaker to have time for jokes. Accolades to Dave Sheean and Herrn Sommers for finding tcday’s speaker and keeping our string of outstanding speakers unbroken. Today we were captivated and inspired by Lauren Wallin of the Pierce County Sheriffs Department Intelligence Department. A proud 2002 Graduate of PLU, Lauren brought tears to the eyes of our leader, Martin Neeb who spent more years than he can remember as the manager of PLU’s world famous radio station, KPLU 88.5
Lauren is the “right hand” of Ed Troyer in the Public Relations Department and, as an unpaid volunteer, manages Crime Stoppers of Tacoma/Pierce County, Although we have all seen references to Crime Stoppers in the media, few of us previously had any idea of its enormous contributions to fighting crime here and around the world. Crime Stoppers was conceived only 30 years ago in Albuquerque. Today there are over 1,000 chapters around the world. Its mission is to assist law enforcement in solving crimes and locating wanted fugitives though a beautifully simple concept: Crime Stoppers coordinates media publicity of unsolved felonies by radio, television and print by offering cash rewards to the members of the public for tips which are distributed to law enforcement. If the tip leads to an arrest and charges are filed, cash rewards are paid to the tipster who is assured of complete anonymity.
Crime Stoppers has no paid employees and is funded primarily by donations from the community. 75% of its revenues are paid out in rewards. Most tips come from people who are acquainted with the criminals i.e., other criminals. (Not many Gyros have friends who are violent felons.) Through Crime Stoppers, in Pierce County alone, between 100 and 200 felonies are solved each year for which $25,000 to $30,000 in rewards are paid. In the preceding 2 1/2weeks, our local law enforcement made 5 major felony arrests from tips from Crime Stoppers. The media donates the publicity. ALL staff work of Crime Stoppers is volunteered. Private Citizens provide the tips for the law enforcement to make the arrests. A conviction is not required to qualify for the reward.
To see the amazing statistics and for details about how to donate, please spend a few minutes reviewing the Tacoma Chapter’s website: www.tpcrimestoppers.com and the International organization’s website at www.c-s-i.org. YOU will be impressed and grateful for this wonderful organization.
Crime Stoppers also does many good deeds other than catching criminals. Sheriff Paul Pastor and Detective Ed Troyer both are actively involved in Crime Stoppers, but acting as private citizens, they were so disgusted by the Powell Family’s attempts to bury Josh Powell next to his two small boys after he murdered them and then committed suicide, they took it upon themselves to personally commit to paying the purchase price of the gravesites immediately adjacent to the boys’ sites to prevent that from happening. Crime Stoppers publicized that event and the worldwide response was overwhelming: over 65,000 hits on the Tacoma Chapter’s web site resulting in enough contributions to not only pay for those plots, but to purchase the entire hillside in the cemetery! That hillside will be dedicated for burial plots for kids who are the victims of crime or have no family to provide plots for them.
We were disappointed to learn that Sheriff Pastor is being challenged in the upcoming election by a member of the department.
NEXT MEETING: Dave Fischer – Executive Director – Broadway Center for the Performing Arts
Minutes of Tuesday meeting of March 13,2012
Present: 17 Gyros and 3 guests.
When our speaker, Dr. David Smith, Professor of history at the University of Puget Sound, spoke to us last January, he was so spellbinding that we demanded that he return to tell us more about the realities of World War 2. Today’s topic was “Myths of the Blitz” which the British government promoted for propaganda purposes. By startling examples, he told us that contrary to popular belief, the British people did not harmoniously bond together in a classless society to mutually sacrifice to fight “The Good War.”
Juvenile delinquency was rampant, including marauding gangs robbing citizens in communal bomb shelters, huge black markets developed for commodities such as meat and cigarettes, bribes were commonly paid to exempt citizens from military service, military supplies were stolen from arsenals, murder and prostitution rates soared.
Although the number of deaths of the British from the Blitz is appalling, 40,000 during the entire war, it pales when compared to the deaths of civilians in other European countries. As but one example, 130,000 Germans were killed in only 3 days of bombing in Hamburg.
The superiority of the German Military is also a myth. British Intelligence officers presented Winston Churchill with a feasible plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler. Churchill ‘vetoed the plot because he deemed Hitler so incompetent that he decided that Hitler was doing more damage to the German cause than he was to the Allies.
To learn more about David’s work, go to the web site of the University of Puget Sound History Department. You will see that his latest project is “Britain in Pictures” an examination of British life through a series of 100 short volumes published for propaganda purposes during the Second World War.
David is retiring from UPS at the end of this semester. After only two lectures to us, we know that he has had a profound impact on the lives of thousands of students. He has been invited to become a Gyro.
NEXT MEETING: Lauren Wallin the Investigative Intelligence Analyst of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department will speak.
Remember the BOARD MEETING at 11AM
Tuesday March 6th, 2012
11 intrepid Gyro’s showed up for Tuesday’s lunch and after a vicious round of primaries involving a gaggle of potential volunteer scribes, I was left with most delegates and shaking my head wondering how I get into these things. I guess you get what you pay for!
The meeting started with President Neeb commenting on the Tacoma Peace Prize (didn’t know we had one!) and observing how the local winner is then invited to attend the Nobel ceremony in Sweden. That’s a pretty big deal, because I don’t think the Swedish winner gets invited to the Tacoma ceremony. Anyway, perhaps we might have some worthy Gyro nominees for next year. …. certainly the person who successfully mediates a friendly settlement of the Tuesday Gyro lunch menu variety (or lack thereof) conf1ict might bear some consideration.
Anyway, onward and upward. Our guest speaker was Bill Ryberg who is the recently appointed development director for Tacoma Community College. Bill treated us to an interesting talk about the evolution of community colleges and provided an overview of the role TCC plays here in Tacoma’s education mix. Community colleges were originally introduced by President Truman in 1946 to serve returning Gls who needed an educational alternative to four year residential colleges far from home. Today, TCC has 18,540 students. The average age of a TCC student is 29 and approximately 63% are women. Nearly 48% ofTCC students go on to UWT and a very high proportion of students remain here in the greater Tacoma area after graduation. TCC itself is recognized as being the 17th best community college in the nation and Bill presented a flurry of statistics to demonstrate the school delivers a 6.9% return on taxpayer funding.
For those of you considering funding someone’s college tuition, the community college to four year college offers a fantastic discount …. $4,500/year at TCC versus $50K/year (yes that’s FIVE OH and r have personal knowledge on that!) at a four year school. Gee, you could send your kid to school and buy a Porsche with the savings! Enough of those musings. As with all education these days, TCC is hurting for funds with State support recently cut by nearly 20%. That’s why they hired a development director! TCC’s endowment is currently ~$8M, but the school will be happy to talk to any Gyro’s with some spare change jangling in their pockets.
Well we finished the meeting with Dug Stewart’s story about someone getting pissed off a bumper (no, there are no words missing there) on a first date, but eventually marrying. No more details …. you need to attend the meetings to get the full flavor!
Next week’s speaker will be UPS professor David Smith who is going to talk to us about WWII and how lucky we are Hitler just never listened to his generals. Until then ….
Nick Malden
Tuesday February 28, 2012
Yup, Tuesday. Gyro. We had a guest. Gyro’s answer of a potential. though yet to be unearthed, Bernie Madoff, Treasurer for Life Rick Carr introduced Jim Whitacre. For those few of you who wait with baited breath for the arrival of this weekly pap of a newsletter, my apologies. There was a problem at our mailing service and the newsletter of two weeks ago wasn’t exactly “in the mail.” Also, a note of thanks to newsletter writer Phil Sloan who more than eloquently filled in for this AWOL scribe last week. To that point, it is with a very heavy heart (OK, that is absolute rubbish) that I must confess that the current Gyrette and I are parting said clime of rain and cold for 6 weeks of sun and I’m absolutely confident of all-time new low golf scores. That is, of course, assuming one actually does not really have to count whiffs, penalties, lost balls, helicoptered putters into the desert, gimmes of anything less than seven feet on the fourth putt, etc. Bro Sloan will thankfully spare you such drivel and be your scribe. Thanks, Phil. One more business note. Pres. Neeb announced the date for the Gyro Centennial meeting along with that of the annual District IV meeting at Ocean Shores. I believe that it is safe to say, no one asked Pres. Neeb to repeat the dates to capture them in their calendar.
Our speaker was Larry Hosley who shared with us the rather ignominious history of the fate of Chinese in Tacoma in the 1870’s. In 1870, 10,000 Chinese were brought to Tacoma to help build the railroad. In 1873, a recession swept the country, the building ceased, and a wave of “they are taking our jobs” (sound somewhat familiar”) swept the area with the resulting Federal Chinese Exclusion Act. This has been the only Federal legislation ever enacted against a specific minority. It forbade any Chinese immigration into this country. Tacoma followed with “The Tacoma Method” which with very little notice, all Chinese had to immediately leave Tacoma. Chinese were rounded up, forced onto trains to anywhere outside of Tacoma. In some cases, the Chinese houses were burned. The 17 white ring leaders were arrested, tried in Portland, acquitted, and returned to Tacoma as heroes. In fact, there were no Chinese people in Tacoma as late as 1920. Tacoma has the dubious distinction of being the only West Coast seaport without a Chinatown. Based within the very small Chinese community of Tacoma now joined by political and civic leaders, a Reconciliation Park after 20 years of labor is in the initial stages of development. It has taken years of bureaucratic wrangling, permits from a host of city, state and federal agencies which have finally been secured and the initial stages have been completed. Future plans still need to be funded. It is a work in progress. The whole project will eventually cost 10-$12 million dollars, some of it funded, ironically, by Tacoma’s sister city in China.
Next week yet another great speaker, thanks to our speaker chairman Dave Sheean, and all Gyros, who have filled the rest of the year with great speakers; Bill Rybert from TCC. So you best darn well show up. We may be taking attendance.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
February 21, 2012
PRESENT: 16 Gyros, including the return of Roger Rue, and 2 guests.
These minutes lack the critical insight and in depth analysis Gyros are accustomed to from our highly esteemed (and candidate for reappointment) scribe, that guy in the white hair and yellow sweater. No one noticed he was missing until the meeting was over, so no notes were taken because the audience was spellbound by the fascinating, albeit too brief, presentation by our own gyro, Dr. Bill Jackson.
Bill told us how a few “one percenters,” lumber and railroad barons in Tacoma developed what became the first managed medical care program in America, the predecessor to Obama Care. The premiums for what was deemed comprehensive medical care for an early plan were $1.00 per month per employee plus 25 cents for all family members (without MRls).
Bill showed a series of historic photographs which alone were worth the price of admission. The favorite, based on the bad puns from the audience, is of Tacoma’s first hospital, Paddock Hospital, predecessor to Tacoma General Hospital, a two story building which earlier had housed a saloon downstairs and a brothel upstairs.
We learned how Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Charles Wright Academy, Wright Park, Annie Wright School and other of our landmarks were named.
We had two guests: John McGowen brought Dr. Lloyd Elmer. Their acquaintance is based on being fellow dermatologists. Dave Sheean brought Dr. Richard Baerg. Their acquaintance is based on 10 prior colonoscopies.
NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28. NOON SHARP.
Last meeting, Bill Jackson told us of a period of Tacoma’s proud history. On February 28, our speaker, Larry D. Horsley, will tell us about a period of Tacoma’s shameful history, resulting in the mass expulsion of over 600 Chinese residents in 1885, which became known as the Tacoma Method, the reason why Tacoma is the only port city on the west coast without a China Town.
In 1993, the Tacoma City Council passed a resolution to build a commemorative park with a Chinese garden motif as part of a reconciliation process. For more information about this outrage, Google “The Tacoma Method.”
This program promises to be the Yin to last week’s Yang.
There will be a meeting of the Board of Directors at 11:00 a.m. Non-attendees will be in jeopardy.
Scribe Phil Sloan
Tuesday February 14, 2012
As ’twas expected, it was an absolutely full house, and then some, today at Gyro. We were delighted to bring in an extra table and chairs for the return visit of Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. It doesn’t take a Rhodes Scholar to figure out that it is best to have a respectful crowd when the guest speaker is a man with a gun. Even more so, anyone with an IQ above room temperature, and it is said on good authority that there indeed may be a great many Gyros who may qualify for this category, that it really isn’t a good idea to be disrespectful of an Italian man with a gun. So kudos to all that showed up to hear our extraordinary sheriff, Paul Pastor. He will be running for another 4 year term. My enthusiasm for the Super Pac political charade is probably less than zero, but if ever one was of value, it would be to support Paul as our sheriff. We did have a guest. Bob Wilson introduced Dale Percy.
Sheriff Pastor provided some insight into what is happening and what to expect in the near future. He is unwavering in his praise of the men and women of his organization. They are all doing more with less. As Paul said, “smarts with hearts.” Paul is the first to do so by returning his automatic salary increases for elected officials. He was prompt to say that the money was not returned to the county but to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Fund. Also, when he travels out of state as he has done on a number of occasions and as he recently did to the FBI headquarters in Quantico, VA. he pays his own travel expenses. But, and it may be a serious “but”, Paul is very concerned about the potential increase in crime in Pierce County in the next two years. Both the jail and the mental hospital due to budget constraints will be forced to release more patients and inmates, at the same time reducing services, to address a shortfall in funding. All of these things will happen at the same time that law enforcement agencies are also being forced to reduce staff. Though the words “perfect storm” were not used, the chemistry seems to be there. He feels that this is not a long term problem as funding will hopefully return with a strengthening of the economy. There were some very positive things to talk about. In the late 90’s Pierce County was in the throes of a “Methademic.” There were over 300 meth labs in the county. Last year, at best guess, there were 20. That’s the good news. The bad news is
the meth problem is not going away. The Mexican drug cartels are aggressively filling the void, and as is expected, are better funded, bigger staffed, and seriously more violent. Paul graciously stayed for almost an hour and ½ answering questions and vowed to still come back to see us. Thank you, Paul.
Next week, another great speaker, Gyro’s own, Dr. Bill Jackson. His presentation will be “The birthplace of managed care and medical insurance in the US. Right here in Tacoma, WA. The history and people who made it happen.” A happenin’ topic, so be there.
“Til the anon,
D. Loving
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Come on, you must be kidding. It’s already February! It seems like we just put away the Thanksgiving turkey and pilgrim decorations, which means that there must have been Christmas in there somewhere between Thanksgiving and the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Tempusfugit, which means time is flying around or something like that in some foreign language. Anyway, if this missal is causing you angst because you are not sure whether to go back to watching The Real Housewives of Mesopotamia, or maybe it was Altoona or somewhere, or tear yourself away to see what transpired at this week’s Gyro luncheon by reading this newsletter, I gotta be honest. Catch the Real Housewives. We did have lots of real red blooded Gyros, we did have jokes, and we did not have guests. Neither did we have any unsolicited movie reviews by your multi-tasking scribe, seeing as the power is back on, and the current Gyrette and I are not going to 2 movies a day to escape the cold and dark of Lakewood, Last week’s newsletter which I firmly trust is still on your refrigerator door to allow for multiple rereads, recapped the most recent spate of movies.
BUT … the fact that we did not have a speaker last week does not foretell of future things to come! Au contraire (again, that is in some foreign language, I think, but this time I have absolutely no idea what it means.) Please go get your calendar, and AN INK PEN to mark your calendar, no pencils please, no siree, because good speakers and interesting topics abound. Next week, we are honored to have the Mayor of Lakewood, the Honorable Douglas G. Richardson as our guest. Mayor Richardson has served as the mayor of Lakewood 4 non-consecutive terms and will be the mayor through 20l3. Mayor Richardson is a retired Anny Brigadier General. So this is an order: Be there! And as the late, great mayor, “Da Mayor” of Chicago, Mayor Daley, would let ya know, if you don’t show up and vote (early and often) your garbage will never get picked-up nor will the pot holes on your street get fixed. ‘Nuff said. I can’t really threaten youse (the plural of “you” of course) with piling up garbage, but we certainly want to show the mayor respect with a grand attendance. “But wait, there’s more!” As John McEnroe would say, “You cannot be serious.” We are. The following week, we have the Sheriff of Pierce County doing us a most appreciated favor of a return engagement. As you may recall, the Sheriff visited with us briefly several weeks ago but had to leave early for the funeral of the slain park ranger. So, we need bunches AND BUNCHES of Gyros to warrant these and future speakers that honor us with their presence, especially since our community activism in Gyro is modest, to say the least. “Self above Service.”
Your erstwhile scribe has filled-up enough of this page to justify the mailing cost. BUT … and it is a really important BUT, we have lots and lots of great speakers scheduled and their time and talents need to be rewarded.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday January 24, 2012
We did have Gyro this week. We did not have a speaker. But, the 16or so Gyros (the “or so” relates to the actual body count of those in attendance, not whether those there were actually Gyros and not one of the many imposters who cravenly yearn to be true Gyros.) We did have jokes, always a good filler, and guests. Before introducing the latter, Pres. Neeb informed us that due to the lack of a speaker, it would be an “all skate” luncheon. That expression was met with a blank stare. To those who didn’t grow up with ice rinks (I guess roller rinks could count, but not nearly as cool. .. pun intended) I shall elaborate. At the rink, some bored PA announcer in stentorious tones would announce: “Men Only” or “Women Only”, or more exciting with a new girl or boy friend “Couples only” or the maddening “All Skate.” The designated group then had the rink to themselves accompanied only by hideous music. Ergo, with the absence of much organized, ’twas an “All Skate” luncheon.
But as aforementioned, there were guests. George Pessemier introduced Carroll Simpson, Bob Ketner did the same for Jurgen Huck and Harold Mayer introduced son Michael. We would hope that at least a couple of said introducees might become new members.
After the jokes were told, someone asked Laird Brown if he had seen the movie “The Iron Lady” and what he thought of it. If you haven’t already done so, I strongly suggest you do. Laird was justified in his praise of Meryl Streep, seemingly the annual Academy Award nominee who was single-handedly worth the price of admission and who in all probability will once again not win an Oscar. Your dutiful scribe will add his 1 and ½ cents worth for another unusual but very good movie with lots of Oscar buzz. The movie is playing at the Grand Theater and Gyros who at times are want to say “huh” or “what did you say” will have no problems because it is truly a silent movie and in black and white just as were the movies in the early twenties. The movie is called “The Artist.” Definitely quirky but interesting and possibly Oscar winning in a number of categories.
We are still trying to finalize our speakers for the balance of the year. Unfortunately, next week is still an open date so there may, or then again, may not be a guest speaker at Gyro next week. But what the heck, you might as well show up to find out fer yerself {sic.}
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday January 17, 2012
OK, this campin’ out stuff is wearing a bit thin; no heat, no light and NO TV; but come: on, no big shakes for an Eagle Scout. Your possibly much anticipated Gyro Newsletter is all being done long distance somehow, and I have no idea how, but then I have no idea how my VCR can record 2 programs at the same time and my TV isn’t even turned on. It was once explained in the most simplified and dumbed-down terms as merely a combination of zeros and ones. I think recording 2 programs at once is easier to comprehend. If all of this internet stuff is really due to Al Gore, think of what he would have done as President. Bah humbug on hanging chads.
We had a bunch of hardy Gyros at the TC&GC Tuesday who were not the least bit intimidated by a bit of snow. If I may make a snarky observation from one who grew up in the Midwest and lived in New England, come on, it was a ½ inch of snow. But the subsequent bout of unpleasantries is certainly … unpleasant. But we prevailed as did our speaker, Dr. Smith, Professor of History, the longest serving faculty member at UPS, Brit, by schooling and by birth, whose field of academia among other things is WWII. We greatly anticipated his remarks since a number of Gyros were actually in WWII, the War to End All Wars. Dr. Smith has a marvelous English accent and sounds like he should have a bit part in the OUTSTANDING series which you should be bloody well (the “bloody” was just for local flavor) watching on Sunday evenings on Masterpiece Theater on public TV, Downtown Abbey. Though not exactly a light subject, Dr. Smith shared in some detail the almost incomprehensible magnitude of death and destruction of WWII in Europe. The US lost over 450,000 troops in WWII. The Germans lost over 5 million while the Russians lost over 10,000,000. In Germany, l.8 million civilians died. Some of the smaller countries like Belarus and Ukraine lost 40-60% of the country’s entire population. The divergence of ideologies was incredible among the allies, primarily the West and the Soviet Union, which became glaringly displayed the minute the hot war was over and The Cold War began. Ed. note: see last week’s newsletter “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” movie review about Russian double agents and “moles.” But playing a crucial role in the Allied victory was the fact that FDR, Churchill and Stalin had marvelous generals who they listened to, as did Hitler who didn’t. There was almost a perverse desire to leave Hitler in charge early in the war and all the way into 1944 as the German army was almost invincible if left to the generals. There was lots of more neat stuff from Dr. Smith who had to leave early to teach a class! He promised to come back. In fact, he was so impressed by the erudite Gyros that he claims he wants to join our merry band. Right-oh for us.
We most likely will have a speaker next week but due to AI Gore’s ineptness with this internet thing, emails and such, and since they’re down, you will just have to come and see fer yerself (sic) who it may be.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday January 10, 2012
Rest easy, your some-time dutiful scribe is not paraskevidekatriaphobic (fear of Friday the 13th.) But there was a fearsome crowd of Gyros Tuesday to hear our outstanding Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. We are indeed lucky to have that Yalie PhD as our public servant. Paul unfortunately couldn’t spend a lot of time with us as he was on his way to the memorial for slain Park Ranger Margaret Anderson. Though federal jurisdiction, the Sheriffs officers were the primary first responders both in the attempt to save Anderson’s life and capture or kill the shooter. Paul shared some of the facts about the terrible incident including how selfishly his guys were in locating Anderson and then physically carrying her to safety with the shooter on the loose. Though the shooter had been initially labeled as a soldier with PTSD, in fact, he was a seriously deranged individual with a history of erratic behavior who was actually discharged from the service because of his problems. There are 27 Park Rangers, 12of them armed. Anderson was one of the latter as was her partner who miraculously escaped being killed as a bullet aimed at him was so close that it cut the seat belt strap in his car between his head and the support. As is probably known, one of the 6 SWAT teams dispersed in the woods found the shooter the next day dead of hypothermia. Sheriff Pastor promised to return for a future engagement in February when he will have more time, He is always welcome.
Next week, Dr. David Smith, a noted historian from UPS who a number of Gyros have heard and say he is marvelous will be our speaker. BUT … he has to leave at 12:45. You will have noted in the attached bulletin our new schedule to provide for speaker and club business. Be sure to arrive a little earlier to fill in your lunch request which will be collected promptly at 12:00, thus allowing our speakers more time. Thank you.
As time permitted last Tuesday, your scribe and part time unofficial movie critic, and this being a full service Newsletter, was asked if he had seen the movie “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and would recommend it. “Yes” and “Maybe.” The movie is based on the book by John Le Carre written in 1973, during the peak of the Cold War, with obsessions about Russian spies and double agents. You may, or may not, remember that one of the top people in the British Intelligence Service at the time, was a man named Kim Philby (should you be interested, Google him) who, along with several others, was a Russian “mole.” All of that drama isn’t quite as dramatic now as it was in 1973. The movie, as are Le Carre’s books, is very complicated, long on dialog with nary a car chase or a bomb explosion. Also, if, as several Gyros are, you are want to say “huh, what did you say”, at times the dialog is difficult to hear. But, if you can find a copy on Netflixs or elsewhere, there is a BBC series starring Alec Guinness with the same story lines and characters which as I recall includes “Smiley’s People” another of Le Carre’s books and is marvelous. I think is even better, plus, you can turn the sound up.
So, ’til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe, Movie Reviewer
December 20, 2011
As you clever Gyros may have now discemed, this Gyro newsletter is a wee bit late getting out. But with the shopping, an eggnog here and there, gift wrapping, then one or two more eggnogs here and there, waiting for Santa to arrive and many more nggeons, I just couldn’t find a spare minute to put pen to paper, rhetorically speaking. To say the very least, C.B. DeMille would have relished in the last official Gyro luncheon of 20 11. We had 33 Gyros, Gyrettes and guests. That’s right boys and girls, moms and dads. It literally was SRO! We had lottsa guests: Emie Bianco introduced wife Becky, Jim Blair introduced Doug and John Carlson, Laird Brown might have qualified for an award, of course that is not possible because such an award doesn’t even exist, for continuing to introduce folks to the wonders of Gyro and self above even the remotest possibility of the slightest modicum of any service, and introduced Woody Woodruff and Andy Leaper, George Pessemier introduced friend to all Bob Smith, and Phil Hayes introduced good friend Sandy Mowry. Such an extravaganza left little time for jokes and with the audience of both sexes, and acknowledging the historical good taste and decorum of said topic, the traditional joke tellers would have been struck mute and rendered speechless. We proceeded directly to our esteemed speaker.
John Purvis, as with a process server, is someone one does not want to deal with professionally. John is a retired Boeing engineer who specializes as a forensic crash engineer. He is like the Israeli air defense strategy: shoot down all the airplanes and once they are on the ground, figure out if they are good guys or bad guys. John’s job as a participant in a multi-agency, often multi-national group of experts is to find out, unfortunately after the airplane is on the ground, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. As a Boeing guy, it is a bit of the fox guarding the hen house relationship but there are numerous other investigators under the auspices of the NTSB. The universal first question about where is the safest place to sit on an airplane always generates the same answer. If an airplane crashes, ’tain’t safe anywhere. But, flying without question is the safest way to travel. In 10 years, there have been no major airline crash deaths, while at the same time there are 33,000 highway deaths per year. The airline safety record does not take into consideration private planes and commuter airlines, or flying on Aeroflot or other airplanes in Russia. One would be safer flying with Snoopy and the cursed Red Baron than having anything to do with Russian aviation. An aircraft crash investigation requires many, many retums to the crash site which are as often as not, extremely difficult to reach. Financial liability is equally difficult to assess, especially with foreign airlines as damages may easily exceed $300M per incident. But flying is still safer than driving your Dodge Dart to Costco.
So, a reminder that we officially reconvene JANUARY 10th!! Wishing all a healthy, happy and prosperous 2012,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday December 13, 2011
‘Twas a marvelous party. The annual Gyro Christmas Party will most likely be breathlessly relived in next month’s issue of “Town and Country” magazine. There is actually a way of putting “Town and Country” in italics which I believe would be grammatically correct, but I am not to that page yet in “PCs for Dummies.” It is also very possible, nay probable, that said accomplishment will be achieved right after I win the lottery, or as mentioned in a previous newsletter, cancel the curling tournament on my DVR, which I do know how to do, to provide space to record the return of the NBA on Christmas Day. I am confident that on that day I most likely will not have time for the NBA as I shall have feasted on the traditional wonders of a Christmas dinner, including mince meat pie. What you say, mince meat pie? I thought that was like partridges in a pear tree. Nope. Not true. Should you want to know, Fred Meyer offers mince meat pie for a select few days each year so load up, because I already have done so. They are a taste treat with ice cream, or better still as served in our home, with a “hard sauce” which is an alchemist’s concoction of brandy, sugar and butter which to me, captures all of the necessary food groups.
O yeah. Gyro. It was the largest Gyro Christmas Party in memory. We had reservations for 66 Gyos and ‘Rettes. Good food, good dancing and good fellowship; a splendid way of formally (pun intended) getting into the Christmas spirit. However, and there is one serious issue. Once again the accursed dry cleaners are seemingly part of a vast right wing conspiracy against cookies or other staples, to shrink one’s tux pants. And what is even more insidious, the trouser legs get longer, while the waist gets tighter. There needs to be some Trouser Shrinking sub-committee investigation, or maybe even a Trouser Shrinking Czar. The date for next year’s Gyro Christmas Party has been selected.
As you may have now cleverly detected, not much news for this newsletter, which therefore makes this newsletter a “newsletterette.” But there will be Gyro next Tuesday. It will also be the last Gyro meeting until the New Year. Our speaker next week should be most interesting. Mr. Purvis, as you may remember from previous more news worthy newsletters, and in all likelihood, not related to Melvin Purvis of John Dillinger fame, is a retired Boeing exec who specializes in determining the causes of air line crashes. So be there for year end fun and frivolity.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
OK. For those of you who are a bit anal and filling in your 2012 dance card, the 2012 Gyro Christmas party in Tuesday, December 11th .
Tuesday December 6, 2011
OK, it’s Thursday and I’m a little late getting out the Gyro newsletter. I may have been busy wrapping Christmas presents, but then maybe not. I don’t want to tell any lies two weeks before Christmas just in case the fat guy in the red suit really does know who has been naughty and nice. It’s the old “there are no atheists in foxholes” strategy. I will admit to a wrapping proclivity that at times substitutes skill and deftness with an over abundant use of Scotch tape. But then, that’s better than using the ever popular duct tape. We all have different talents. That’s my position on the whole topic.
Oh yeah, Gyro. 5,4,3,2, 1 … days until the Gyro Christmas party. If you have not gotten your Arthur Murray autographed dancing pumps out of the attic, (do we even have attics in the Northwest?), there is still time. But time is SHORT. There is space for two or three more Gyros and ‘Ettes to start the holiday season in grand style. So give me a call. Also, NO GYRO LUNCH NEXT TUESDAY because of the Christmas party Tuesday evening. Now, that is not to say that some Gyros may just possibly be holding an ad hoc meeting in the bar at the Country Club. As Mr. Gallinatti is want to say, he usually eats lunch on Tuesdays, ergo … We did have a guest on Tuesday. Jim Griffin introduced Henry Griffin. There were no jokes which our speaker Peter Callaghan noted with some disappointment. Peter is a regular as a Gyro speaker about the state of affairs in Washington State; not a bad state for the state it’s in. And the state it is in is currently projecting a potential $2 billion revenue shortfall, The governor has called a special session of the legislature to address the problem and come up with a solution. And, are you ready for this, hold on, the Repubs and the Demos can’t agree on much of anything so therefore they are doing their collective best at doing nothing. Does that have a familiar ring to it? A pox on both their houses. Enough! Enough! Christmas is coming; it doesn’t have to be voted on by anybody to prevail. So why not start with a gala party of good food, fun and adult beverages.
Remember, no Gyro lunch next week. The week after next we will hear from John Purvis (probably no relation to Melvin and the infamous John Dillinger) who is a consultant regarding aircraft crashes having spent 17 years with The Boeing Company and involving airline accident investigation.
So, ’til the anon,
D. Loving
Tuesday November 29, 2011
o come all ye faithful Gyros. If that has sort of a ring to it, good. ‘Tis less than two weeks to the annual Christmas gala. Please let me know that you will be attending, and, oh yeah, don’t forget to tell me what your menu choices are … and send me money. Lots of Gyros supping this week, no guests, no time for jokes. Too much to hear from our speakers. Next week your ever diligent, or is in indigent, Board will meet to discuss earthshaking matters of state such as convening 15 minutes earlier at 11:45 to get our meal orders in and beat the noon rush. This new schedule would provide more time for our speaker as well as allowing us to leave by 1:00 and get back to work (that’s a joke.) If you have any comments or opinions, let your Board know and they may be considered. Then again, they may not. Next week, another great speaker, the TNT’s own Peter Callaghan. He likes to talk politics in WA. but with the likes of the evaporating citizen Cain, the numerically challenged Perry, the over quaffed Mittster and the blowsy Barney retirement, how can we in the other Washington compete?
Mssrs: Jason Biggs and David Smelser from the WDOT brought us up to date on the Point Defiance Bypass Project. The very professional presentation and follow-up Q&A lasted until almost 1:30. Simply stated WA has a $790M portion of the $8B federal high speed rail program. The concept is to reroute trains from the scenic but seriously flawed Point Defiance loop to basically down the 1-5 corridor. The train schedule for the Seattle to Portland run would expand from 2 to 4 per day. Not exactly a bullet train, but the speed would be increased from the current sluggardly rate to 79MPH. But you need not buy your ear plugs yet. The whole process of environmental, noise and vibration, traffic, cost and ad infinitum ad nauseum studies will take 6 to 8 years before a final decision is reached as to whether to even adopt the project. Oh, and add to the mix, lots of politics … who is in office, who wants what in who’s district, budgets, need I say more. So if you are a golfer and worrying about snap hooking a ball left out of play on hole number 4, and having to play your next shot, which will be a long iron indeed, from Portland, don’t worry. Worry more about your snap hook.
Ed note. I am sure we all share the exuberance of the NBA being back in business starting Christmas Day. I shall rush from a laden stocking, as I have been a good boy all year, to record the opening salvo of the season if space permits on my DVR and I don’t have to cancel the curling tournament.
D. Loving,
Irascible Scribe
Tuesday November 22, 2011
‘Twas another great crowd of equally great Gyros. Gyros are sorta like the residents of Garrison Keillor’s home town of Lake Wobegon, MN, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all of the children are above average. Gyro had guests. Harold Mayer introduced son Bob and Ket Ketner and Dave Sheean co-introduced (if that really is a word) Dennis Harlowe. But first to some “Old Business.” Hopefully all of you by now have received the Christmas Gala Menu Choices bulletin and accompanying recap of all of the specifics, It was somehow felt that actually telling everyone where to send their check for the TUESDAY DECEMBER 13 GYRO CHRISTMAS PARTY might have some merit. Send your check for the appropriate amount payable to GYRO, unless made out incorrectly for an amount grossly in excess of what is required, in which case, by all means, make it payable to me, which would make for a very merry Christmas indeed. Send the check, $75 per person or cleverly enough by half, $150 per couple, to: David Loving, 11214 Greystone DR. SW. Lakewood, WA. 98499.
Our guest speaker was Ms .Diane Gallegos, Executive Director of Wolf Haven Int’l which is located right here in Tenino, a mere hop, skip and a howl away. To say that her presentation was fascinating is an understatement as Diane was still unable to get to her free lunch at 1:30 as she was still answering questions about the wolves. We Gyros had long since wolfed down (OK, I really am sorry about that) our lunches and didn’t want her to leave. Wolf Haven is designed to offer sanctuary for wolves that have been raised as pets (so much for some lame Mina bird) and or, abused in a wolf puppy mill farm. Wolves are amazingly social creatures with well defined roles within the pack. All dogs are derived from wolves over thousands of years yet wolves retain some specific traits. They cannot be trained as a dog can with such skills as coming when called, but then neither did some of my dogs, or to recognize their name when called. But they have some marvelously endearing traits. At Wolf Haven, a wolf howled constantly for 4 days after its’ mate died. Howling serves a number of purposes and each wolf has numerous howls which are unique to that wolf. Last, but assuredly not least, wolves playa crucial role in guaranteeing a balance in nature, But Little Red Riding Hood’s “big, bad wolf” stigma unfortunately exists to this day. Wolf Haven is open all year around for visits.
Next Tuesday, the DOT and Davis Smelser and Jason Biggs will tell us how the little engine that could, could and will impact Lakewood. I trust that you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Remember: gala Gyro Christmas party, TUESDAY DECEMBER 13, no host bar will be open at 6: 15 for thirsty Gyros with dinner at 7: 15.
D. Loving,
Scribe
Tuesday November 15, 2011
After some previous fiery discussion as to the appropriateness of cremation as we munched on our well done hamburgers, it turns out that the presentation by “Good Cremation” was not a very hot topic, and to be honest, somewhat underwhelming. One need not have worried about the exuberance of Gyrettes warming to the subject. The very title of “Good Cremation” naturally raises the specter of a “bad” cremation. One could only speculate at the embarrassment of premature eradication. Our speaker did bring our own Buck “Digger” Thompson off the bench for a post game response and to address some Bob Costa like questioning by fellow Gyros. Washington State, always in the vanguard of burning issues, is the number one state in the nation for cremation-63%. One of the primary reasons is cost. A funeral may cost as much as $10,000 or more while cremation is c. $4500. Other reasons abound but price is easily identifiable and seemingly we Washingtonians are a parsimonious bunch.
Next week Diane Gallegos will show (not actually in the f1esh/fur) and tell us all about the wolves at Wolf Haven. I don’t know for sure but I think she will most likely rebut the slander by the little girl in the red riding hood of the much maligned wolf. However, having recently returned from the metropolis of Melrose, MT., population 70 probably counting dogs, one hears a different story. Like many such burgs, Melrose has 2 fly shops, 2 saloons, a one room school and a post office. As to the latter, the Postal Service announced that it lost a mere $5.1 B and just possibly Melrose might be a candidate for elimination. The clientele at the Zagat rated Hitchin’Post restaurant and bar is composed of fisherman and cowboys … and I mean GEN-U-INE cowboys; boot, spurs and a spectacular assortment of hats that never come off. They are bringing the herds in (how’s that for cowboy lingo) and the subject of wolves and the newly initiated Montana wolf hunting season was bantered about. I am extremely confident in my prognostication that there will be absolutely NO correlation between the number of wolves killed and the number of tags issued. Get along little doggies.
Other great speakers are in the offing so there will be no excuses for absences; but if so, there must be a note from a parent or guardian. November 29, we will hear from the DOT about the little engine that could and will be coming through Lakewood, the always in the know Peter Callahan 12/6 and John Purvis from Boeing, who you really don’t want to come in contact with on a professional basis as he an engineer who investigates plane crashes for The Boeing Company. 12/20. You very cleverly may have realized that 12/13 was missing in the preview of coming attractions. That’s because DECEMBER 13 IS THE DATE OF THE ALWAYS WONDERFUL GYRO CHRISTMAS PARTY which I am confident is already on your calendar. You will be receiving more details in the next several days. “Tis an annual Gyro tradition; no sugar plum fairies but still a gala not to be missed!
So, ’til the anon,
D. Loving,
Scribe
Tuesday November 8, 2011
There was a cast of thousands (that just possibly might be a wee bit of Donald Trumpish hyperbole) of Gyros at lunch last Tuesday to hear our speaker John McGrath from the TNT, to sup with friends and eat cookies. Wewere deluged with princes, poobahs and potentates of Gyro. There were no sashes, swords, feathered hats or diadems. OK, I had to sneak that in as “diadem’ was # 57 across in yesterday’s McPaper (USA Today) crossword puzzle, But we did have as guests Mathew johnson, President of Gyro District IV, Dan Durbin, Olympia Gyro president, and web master (“) and Glenn McKay Chairman of the 2012 Convention to be held in Ocean Shores September 7-9. For those of you not steeped in Gyro lore, there are 23 Gyro clubs in District IV and Tacoma Gyro is the largest, by far. Some of the clubs have as few as 5 or 6 members. Think how many cookies each person would get with only 6 members. In addition to the above said biggies, Dave Sheean, our all-world recruiter for new members, introduced his college roommate Jim Boyd. Snarky comments could be made about “college” and Dave but then that would reflect badly on our guest Jim and the well deserved Gyro congeniality.
John McGrath is an oft-time Gyro guest speaker and visits with us each year to share his insights into the successes and foibles of our sporting adventures in the Great Northwest. Suffice to say, there was a dearth of good news. An example of same. Question: “How many players away are the Seahawks away from having a good team?” Answer: “22.” The next question was about the NBA lockout and his response mirrored those of the audience … who cares. Obviously the hot topic was Joe Paterno and Penn State. I shall not elaborate on this whole sordid affair other than to predict that like the proverbial wool sweater where a loose thread is pulled and the whole sweater unravels, there will be lots of victims and lots of villains.
Next week we will have a most interesting speaker, Ms. Kathy Parslow, PhD. from Smart Cremation. Needless to say, it probably isn’t necessary to expand on her probable subject matter as it has been duly reported that this has been a topic of heated discussion. As mentioned earlier as well, it was thought that this might be an ideal time to extend an invitation to Gyrettes to attend. The idea was quickly squelched as it was feared the Gyrettes might enthusiastically enlist their respective Gyro in the Early Bird Special. It was deemed inappropriate to refer to Ms. Parslow as “the Incinerator Lady” and to be politically correct as our scribe sometimes is, I shall refer to her as “The Incinerator Person.” Anyway. “tis a hot topic and not to be too glib, a truly relevant issue and we should all look forward to hearing from Kathy.
Finally and if I may add an Andy Rooneyesque curmudgeon comment, I am glad that the election is finally over and the deluge of Prop I adds is over. But I dread 2012 and the general election and the millions/billions of dollars to be spent trying to convince us how to vote yet studies indicate very few actually change from their preconceived position. On that cheery note,
’til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday November 1, 2011
Ed. Note: Gasp! Some Gyrosclaim they are not receiving their Gyro Newsletter. So, if you are reading this but not receiving it, let me know. Huh?
Tuesdays with Gyro was again blessed with a good showing but there was a last minute cancellation by our speaker from Smart Cremations. The whole cremation issue had generated some earlier heated discussion whether it might be too hot a topic for a Gyro luncheon. Our intended speaker was unable to be with us because she had to attend a sales meeting. I must admit I have some difficulty visualizing a cremation sales meeting: charts and graphs, power point presentations, awards for getting the most new customers, the sales manager’s speech to fire up the crowd, the works. Anyway, the incinerator lady (Ihave been asked not to refer her as “The Incinerator Lady”) will be with us, possibly the week after next. The question had been posed whether this might be an occasion to invite Gyrettes to attend the presentation. Some nervous discussion followed and it was obvious that some Gyros feared that their Gyrettes might become too enthused about the whole concept and sign up their spouses for the Early Bird Special.
We DO have a speaker next week so be sure to be there. Long time Gyro speaker John McGrath, sports writer for the TNT, will share with us the scintillating exploits of the Mariners, Cougs (where is Ryan Leif when they need him?) and Seahawks. Being a native Chicagoan and a Cubs fan, I am hardened to disappointment but buoyed with the forever mantra of “just wait ’til next year.” Looking at my Ouija Board the only thing it can say for those teams is “2012.” But Huskie fans may have reason to hope and John will give us the inside scoop on all of the above.
We ‘oft speak of Gyro jokes and some don’t have Tiger Woods in the punch line.
“A cabbie picks up a nun last week-end. She gets into the cab and the cabbie notes she is very attractive. He says that he doesn’t want to offend her but he has always had the fantasy of kissing a nun. The nun replies that she might grant his wish on two conditions: he must be a Catholic, and must be single. He says he is both. They pull into the next alley and the nun gives the cabbie a kiss that would make a hooker blush. When they get back into the cab, the cabbie begins to cry. “Why are you crying my dear child” the nun asks? “Forgive me for I have sinned” replies the caddy, “I’m married, and I am Jewish.” The nun says, “That’s OK, my name is Bruce and I’m on my way to a Halloween Party.”
Next week!
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving, Scribe
Tuesday October 25, 2011
There was a big crowd of orderly Gyros for lunch ‘n stuff last Tuesday, If you weren’t there, you were missed, We had a speaker. We had jokes. We had cookies. Come on, what more can you ask of life and for only a measly $15. A deal at half the price … or is twice the price. Either way, a good time was had by all.
Nick Malden last year’s first among equals vice president of 2010 Tacoma Gyro along with Dugald Stewart and 2011 speaker chairman par excellence Dave Sheean attended the Founders Day Dinner at Johnny’s Dock in Fife. Our club has become the Eighth Wonder of the Modern World because of our robust membership. Other clubs in attendance were Seattle and Olympia, and I forget which of the two has a flourishing membership of 8 members. We have invited the dudes from Olympia to come join us for lunch which they heartily accepted to get a first hand exposure of what we do. I know you have anxiously awaited this information so without further ado and I am pleased to announce that the District Four bi-annual (?) meeting will be held at Ocean Shores next September 7th thru 9th• Mark your calendar.
Our speaker was our own Nick Malden who shared with us audiolly {sic} and visually the excitement of attending the Dirtfish Rally Driving School. Through the magic of Groupon, the 1/2 day price was reduced from $390 to $290, and for that paltry fare you learned how to do four wheel drifts through corners … in someone else’s car! The cars were standard transmission Subarus and each driver was accompanied by a trained pilot. The trick was to co-ordinate down shifting, braking and the gas pedal. Though never getting out of second gear nor above 40 miles per hour, it does get one’s attention going through a comer sideways. There were no restrictions on age, experience or common sense, with the exception of the ability to crawl into the roll cage. There was one additional expense and that was $50 insurance for their car. ‘Seems like a wise investment. All of the acquired expertise will play well in driving on Bridgeport Way.
Next week’s speaker will be neither Whitey Bulger who has been found after 16 years nor our all-time favorite D.B. Cooper, who has yet to be found. We were to have, and still will in the future, have Kathy Parslow from “Smart Cremation” talk with us. Her presentation has been a burning topic of discussion among us Gyros that it might be a too inflammatory issue to discuss over cookies. Cooler heads have prevailed and she will be a future guest. There are still several calls being made for a speaker next week so I suggest you just show up and be surprised.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving, Scribe
PS. Don’t forget. The Great Pumpkin comes Sunday night.
Tuesday October 18, 2011
OK, mea culpa. In Eye-talian I think that means mea sorry. Having been back as your occasionally dutiful scribe for one whole week, I thought it only fair to take a sabbatical for a week and thus did not confirm who would be my more than capable replacement. Ergo, that’s another one of them foreign words, no weekly Gyro newsletter last week. And one could only hope that said tome is as anxiously awaited as a draft notice (I guess that really dates your scribe) or the Visa bill. This week, we did have Tuesdays with Gyro, and this newsletter, but alas, not too many Gyros were luncheoning. One could only naturally assume that the absence of a scintillating newsletter last week resulted in the aforementioned low attendance. That same empiricism would also lead one to believe that the earth is flat, though “only a theory” to coin a phrase ‘oft used by others which I do believe has pretty well been disproved. So, we did meet and sup with congeniality and jokes. Tiger Woods made one of the punch lines so probably best not to elaborate.
Party Czar/Tsar John Winters shared that the opening fall dinner held at the TC&GC was a great success. For those of you who have an active Christmas social season, put this down right now and call your Gyrette, significant other or social secretary and tell same to mark DECEMBER 13, which is a Tuesday, as the date ofthe annual Gyro Christmas party. Speaking, so to speak rhetorically, of parties which we do often, we are still hoping to have the traditional Chili Party. We need a place large enough to comfortably accommodate 40-50 people with access to a TV or two so that the Gyros can watch football and fall football widows can do something else. For the life of me, I find it hard to explain why anyone finds it difficult not to be mesmerized by 17 hours of nonstop football. All that is needed for the Chili Party is the appropriate space and a couple of TV s to watch the Huskies, Cougs, Beaver, Ducks Cal Bears to humor Gallinatti, or Our Little Sisters of Charity game. Give John a call if you want to volunteer or have a suggestion.
Next week Nick Malden will share with us his experiences at “The Dirtfish Driving School” outside of Snoqualmie. ‘Afraid I can’t tell you more but I am assuming it was for neither hydroplanes nor gliders so come next week to hear more.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving, Scribe
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Alas, your undutiful {sic} scribe returns, forsaking the long languorous, warm, sunny Northwest sum¬mers (now that really is sick) for northern Michigan. Northern Michigan geography and topography evokes an oft vacant acknowledgment which equates to that of those myriad of countries in southwest Asia whose names tend to end with “stan.” For those not sure, Michigan is east of the Cascades, west of the Alleghenies, north of the Mason-Dixon Line and south of Canada, except of course, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan which is on the west side of Lake Michigan and abuts Wisconsin and Minnesota. But that is a whole different story. They speak funny up there, long vowels with sentences oft ending with “you betcha” and “eh.” Anyway I shall forego additional pithy observations but would be remiss not to thank Phil Hayes who so ably filled in for me. Speaking of which, having been back for a whole week, I deserve a sabbatical and hope Phil will regain his honorary position of Ass’t Scribe next week.
ANNOUNCEMENTS!! NO GYRO MEETING AT THE TC&GC next week. We will assemble at 11:30 for lunch at Cheers Downtown, 2611 South Pacific Ave. and then proceed for a private tour of McKays auto museum, starting at 12:30. October 20 is Founders Night Dinner at Johnny’s Dock, Fife. Cocktails (of course) at 6:30 followed by dinner. Party Czar/Tsar John Winters needs to hear ASAP if you/youse (the plural of you, what can I say, I’m from Chicago) are planning to attend the first Gyro party NEXT WEEK, October 13, at the TC&GC; cocktails, dinner, price TBD; lobby Rick Carr for a good deal. Call John TODAY. Tom Murray is now an official Gyro with appropriate ruffles and flourishes, the secret password, handshake and, of course, and quarterly dues invoice from the aforementioned Rick Carr. Welcome Tom. Send the check.
We had a wonderful albeit, serious, presentation by staff of the Carol Milgard Breast Center featuring Dr. John Piexotto. CMBO is quickly being recognized as a world class diagnostic center. Though often rebutted, possibly even by Gyros, size really does matter. .. we are speaking of tumors. The sooner a tumor is identified the better the long term prognosis. Here are some facts: 85% of women with breast cancer have no family cancer history, for every 100 females, one male is diagnosed with 6 males YTD , have a mammogram every year after 40, WA. and CT. have the highest incidence of breast cancer and Pierce County, the highest county in WA, 1-8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, in 2009 at CBMC, over a 1,000 women were diagnosed, no one is ever turned away due to financial conditions with charity situations exceeding $300,000 in 2011. The CMBC is a private non-profit facility but works closely both with the Franciscan and Multi-Care organizations, Breast cancer has a 90% survival rate. “Early diagnosis IS the cure.” A sobering but marvelous presentation.
‘Til the anon, the week after next,
D. Loving
Scribe
September 27, 2011,
NEXT MEETING – Tuesday 10/4 
DR, JOHN PEIXODO is the senior Imaging radiologist at the Carol Milgard Breast Cancer Center, a joint venture of Multicare and Franciscan, It provides consolidated imaging services focusing solely on the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, and is a model for realizing effeciencies in delivering health care, There will be a video about a CMBC patient who credits the center’s amazing team of physicians and technologists with saving her life,
LAST MEETING – GARY FOREMAN runs the assessing end of the Assessor/Treasurer’s office, With 40 years of experience he needs little help from his politician/boss, Dale Washam, Municipal budgets drive the tax system – they used to run 50% for police, jails and judges, now take 79% which doesn’t leave much for parks, planning, etc. Tough, complicated, thankless job, Great presentation,
OOPS – CORRECTION – COCKTAILS AND DINNER will be on Thursday 10/13 at the TCGC, 6 pm. Please show JOHN WINTERS the courtesy of indicating your desire to attend, He needs an accurate headcount
Do this by calling his home, 582-6373, Note: This is not at the Yacht Club, Forget the phony date printed last week by your incompetent interim editor. Skill and experience will return next week so you can once more beiieve everything you read in this prestigious rag, No baloney,
BULLETIN BOARD – JIM BLAIR is now a full-fledged GYRO by unanimous vote of the Board .. “ROGER RUE is home, doing well..”TOM FORDE was a guest of DAVE SHEEAN
COMING UP – On 10/11 a field trip to the McKay Auto Museum (not the LeMay .. .vet), between Jefferson and Pacific Ave’s, with lunch first at Cheers East, Map and more information next week,
MAN DRIVING TO TOWN ON A COUNTRY ROAD –
Neighbor lady driving up the same road. they slow down, pass each other. Woman veils out her window, “PIG!” Man yells out his window, “BITCH” Man rounds the next curve, crashes into huge pig in the middle of the road and IS killed. Thought for the day: If men would just listen.
September 20,
NEXT MEETING – GARY FOREMAN comes to us from the Pierce County Assessor 
Treasurer Office to explain what really goes on down there and whyhe thinks your humble dwelling looks like the place (above right) while you think the lower picture is more accurate. Mr. Foreman wears lots of hats – expert witness appraiser, electronic/computer innovater, fielder of calls from irate Gyros who think they’re being overcharged. Beneath all that lie the upheavals caused by the perilous journey of FOREMAN’s boss, DALE WASHAM, through volleys of slings and arrows cast by gov’t 
watch dogs and the News Tribune. Maybe he’ll talk about that.
LAST MEETING – JIM BIGELOW’S ammunition business is the ultimate entrepreneur/success story. He started out selling knives at gun shows, now runs a million $ internet business selling ammunition (US made) mostly to target shooters and gun clubs. He’s right here in Ponders, also Tacoma right next to the LeMay Museum. Want to see that LeMay Museum? A special Gyro preview trip is coming up soon. GUESTS: TOM METSKER and STEVE ANDERSON.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR – Thursday, Oct. 16, 6 PM, cocktails/dinner at the Country Club – More details coming.
BOARD MEETING next Tuesday 11 AM before the Regular meeting. Where else but at the CC cocktail lounge? Who is supposed to attend? Pres. NEEB, VP SHEEAN, Sec’y STEWART, Treas. CARR, Social Chief WINTERS, Bulletin Guru LOVING, Computer Wizard McGOWfN – and all other Gyros who want to help make Tacoma Gyro’s 87th(?} year the best ever.
JIM BLAIR is proposed for membership, sponsored by DAVE SHEEAN.
A Marine in Afghanistan got a “Dear John” letter from his girlfriend saying she’s slept with 3 different guys since he left and asking him to send back all the pictures of herself. Dutifully, the marine circulated around the barracks gathering up all the unwanted girlfriend pictures he could find. He then mailed about 25 pictures to the girlfriend with the following note: “I’m sorry but I can’t remember which one you are but please take the one that belongs to you and send the rest back.’
September 13, 2011
NEXT MEETING – Tuesday 9/20 – President Marty Neeb is pictured (right) blasting off a greeting to next week’s speaker, Jim Bigelow, whose Tacoma operation, www.surplusammo.comm, sells to all kinds of the stuff to characters-some of them good and others who – well, you just don’t ask what they’ll do with it. So if you like zest and top performance 
from your AK-47 this is your kind of place. Note: Gyros who want to create real mayhem can take advantage of the “Hundred Weight” discount that’s offered on orders weighing over 200 pounds.” Maybe even bigger discounts if you live in Chicago – a hunter’s paradise, right? Thanks to Phil Sloan for recruiting this speaker.
LAST MEETING – Tom Tuell, the Golfing Gorilla, travels with the great and near-great golfers with his gorilla stunts and exhibitions. He entertains people all over North America. The stories are as tall as he is, including the one about how he bluffed his way into Jack Nicklaus’ fancy Florida living room – and his confidence as well. We wish him a speedy recovery from a recent car accident and a quick return to the “circuit.” It’s true – gorillas hit the ball off the tee farther than ordinary mortals. Trouble is they do the same thing off the green.Social Czar John Winters is still aiming for a fall party, perhaps the second week of October.
The population of this country is 273 million. 140 million are retired. That leaves 133 to do the work. 85 million are in school, which leaves 48 million to do the work. 29 million of those are employed by the federal government, leaving 19 million to do the work. 2.9 million are in the armed forces doing what the rest of us aren’t doing. That leaves 16.2 million. Take from that the 14.8 million who work for state and local governments. That leaves 1.4 million. Also at any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals and 1.211,998 in prisons. That leaves just 2 of us to do the work and there you are, sitting at your computer reading jokes. Real nice!
September 6, 2011
At the Country Club next 
Sept. 12 under the steadfast leadership of President Martin Neeb. You’ll see, hear and laugh with what Speaker Chairman Dave Sheehan came up with when he mated (no, not in his garage) a gorilla with a golfer. Turned out to be the Golfing Gorilla, aka Tom Tuell (same family that runs that funeral home on 6th Ave.). He roams the nation entertaining golfers with trick shots and jokes. Luckily, he’s fit us into his schedule. There’s a good chance he’ll threaten water skiers on the lake with a few shots from the front lawn. Go to www.thegolfinggorilla.com for more.
And that’s not all-MORE EVENTS coming your way as Marty’s efficient Gyro machine comes up to full seasonal speed:
Sept. 20· Jim Bigelow’s company, Surplus Ammo, is right here in your back yard selling all sorts of ammunition on the internet. Hunters pay attention.
Sept. 27 – Gary Foreman may (will?) reveal all the awful secrets ofthe County Assessors office. Get the real skinny on Dale Washam?
DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED – Fall dinner event per the efforts of Party Czar John Winters.
Want to help us get speakers? Of course you do – and you can do just that by firing up your imagination. look around at the people in your business and residential communities – you’re certain to find someone interesting who will sing in return for a free lunch. Tell VP/Speaker Chairman Dave Sheean.
Joke for grandchild – What do you call a smart duck? Wise quacker
Gyro story- “I have reviewed this case very carefully,” the divorce court judge said; “and I’ve decided to give your wife $775 dollars a week.” “That’s very fair, your Honor,” the husband said. And every now and then I’ll try to send her a few bucks myself.”