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Volume III, Issue 30, July 31, 2017

In this Issue:
 
- It's Crunch Time, says our Head Duck!
- Get ready for family fun!  The DD Stickering Party is Thursday, Aug 10
- Aspen Institute bigwig talks "digital revolution and mobility evolution"
 
Comments? Rotary News? Send to:  AspenRotaryNewsletter@gmail.com
Jeanette Darnauer, Editor-of-the-month 
 
  1. There are lots of adoption papers remaining in Craig Melville's office at the Mountain Chalet.  Please stop by asap to pick up your stack with your custom serial numbers.
  2. Have you set up your online account so that your mother, cousin, ex-girlfriend can buy your ducks? Set up your online account here. Call Maurice for a remedial tutorial.
  3. There are still mall shifts to fill. Instructions to sign up online were sent in an email from Craig Melville on July 20, or go to signup.com. The mall booth opened for on Saturday, July 29.
  4. John Engel is reaching out to downvalley Rotary Clubs to help with the Stickering Party.
  5. Frieda Wallison recognized all Rotarians who are sponsors of this year's Ducky Derby.
  6. Duck Stickering Party - Thursday, August 10, Aspen Sanitation District on North Mill St.  Help is needed to set up at 4pm.  Head Duck Mike Kosdrosky asks all Rotarians to please show up when you can between 4:30 and early evening.  Bring your friends and family.  There will be a BBQ. Bring a pen knife and a low lawn chair. Bennett Branson will forward a letter to Rotarians that we can send out to our friends to invite them to attend. (No Rotary breakfast meeting that morning. No board meeting on Aug 11.)
  7. Mike also called on Rotarians to practice the Four Way Test of Fairness by helping in the following ways on Saturday, August 12, for the Ducky Derby Festival in Rio Grande Park:
  • More help is needed to set up tents and chairs at Rio Grande Park starting at 8-8:30am.
  • 6-8 "strong backs" are needed on the river crew to pull ducks out of the river.
  • More help is needed immediately after the Festival to clean up the park and take down tents.
  • Susan Gomes will email park assignments to all Rotarians.
 speaker photo
Thursday, July 27, 2017
 
Three short quotes from George Bernard Shaw:
  • Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
  • Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.
  • The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
President Scott Russell offered some trivia on traffic signals.  The 1st electronic traffic signal in the US was in Cleveland in 1914.  The world’s 1st electronic lantern came in 1868 in London outside the House of Parliament.
 
Speaker: Charlie Firestone, Director of the Communications and Society Program and former VP of Public Policy Programs at the Aspen Institute. This is his 20th summer in Aspen.
 
The Institute has a $100 million budget; the Public Policy programs comprise 2/3 of that.
They host four to five round table meetings each summer. This year's programs:
 
#1 Diplomacy and Technology - Real politics no longer can manipulate the world. The digital revolution is cheaper, faster and better.  The mobility evolution of migration is causing dislocation. The mentality revolution means people no longer respect authority as they used to.
 
#2 Personal Autonomy - about Artificial Intelligence and what happens to the individual.
 
#3 Regulatory Jocks - people from public interest groups ask how we should think about regulation.
 
#4 A new Knights Commission on Trust, Media and American Democracy
 
Three major issues are in play right now around our polarized society.
1. Is it the fault of the public? Are we just in an echo chamber where we watch what we want to believe? 
2. Is it the polarization of politics? Is the media a symptom and just one manifestation or is it fueling the problems?
3. Is it the fault of technology because everything is being sped up?
 
I guess you'll have to get invited to one of these programs to learn the answers!
 
 A lively Q&A followed with some insightful questions and comments from Rotarians.
 
Guests:
Terri Caine brought her dad, Don Hart, who was celebrating his 86th birthday!
 
Visiting Rotarian, Cynthia Cummings, joined us from Park Cities, Dallas, TX.
 
Duck Stickering Party - Thursday, August 10, Aspen Sanitation District on North Mill St.  Help is needed to set up at 4pm.  Head Duck Mike Kosdrosky asks all Rotarians to please show up when you can between 4:30 to ???.  Bring your friends and family.  There will be a BBQ. Bring a pen knife and a low lawn chair.
 
No Rotary breakfast meeting on Thursday morning, August 10.
 
No Rotary board meeting on Friday morning, August 11.  Postponed until Friday, August 18.
 
Superstar youth duck seller Sky Sonsa and his mom will be attending the breakfast tomorrow. Sky will be sharing his success stories for this year!
 
Upcoming Speakers
 
August 3: Peter Waanders will bring another great Aspen Institute Speaker (Russia Expert)
 
August 10: NO ROTARY MEETING; All hands on deck at the Stickering Party that day, 4:30 til ??? - Aspen Sanitation District on North Mill St.
 
 
Member News
 
Todd Brewer said he is proud of his employer, Vail Resorts, for announcing their commitment to a zero carbon footprint by 2030.
 
Justin Barrow wrangled a whole bunch of 7-year-olds recently for son Jacob's 7th birthday.
 
Teri Caine announced that 600 children would be graduating from their Summer Advantage program on July 29.
 
Jon Kelly is happy about how well Aspen Rotarians are doing in reciting the 4 Way Test.  (Editor's Note: Hopefully, everyone is also doing as well in applying those principles to their business and personal lives!)
 
Committee News
World Community Service - Stayed tuned for an update from Heidi Hoffmann on her amazing trip in July to northern India where she participated in a program sponsored by several Rotary Clubs which installed solar power in various villages.
 
 
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The Weekly Newsletter of the Rotary Club of Aspen.
Comments? Rotary News? send to AspenRotaryNewsletter@gmail.com