Where are we? Where are we going? Bob Martin will reflect on Rotary year-to-date with thoughts on the impact of COVID, and leadership changes.
Bits & Pieces | Tom Talbott
After our weekly ski report from Amy Chipman, Erik Greven, and Dick Hall, President Bob Martin called the Zoom meeting of 35 participants to order.
Juliana L’Heureux opened with a poem written by none other than our own poet laureate, John Marr, and chose one of his writings for our invocation. It was titled, “As Time Goes By”. Thank you, John! Scroll down to read the poem in its entirety.
Bob made a special announcement, noting that he had learned in journalism not to bury the lede in a story. Bob has decided to take on a job opportunity in Waterville, and he and his wife Barbara will be relocating to that area. He will conduct his last meeting as club President on January 7th. 1st VP Bruce Jones will step up and assume the responsibilities at that time. Transition will be aided by Dick Hall, who also serves as District Governor. Bob said he would talk more about the transition next week.
Immediate Past President Ellen Niewoehner, chair of the Nominating Committee, followed up with her announcement of a proposed new slate of officers starting July 1, 2022, which we will vote upon next week. Ellen noted that after she presents the names, anyone is welcome to nominate additional names from the floor. Ellen presented Bruce Jones as our incoming President, Secretary Michelle DiSotto, Treasurer Howie Herodes, Club Protection Officer Alan Nye, and Sergeant-at-Arms, Jake Bourdeau. In addition, two new Directors for 2022-2024, John Thompson and Ben Millick. With a Director vacancy right now, John Thompson will start immediately pending the club vote. To finish, Ellen announced we have a new nominee for 1st Vice President, and was very proud to present our current District Governor and former President of our club 2006-2007, Dick Hall. Once confirmed, Dick will be in line to have the prestigious honor of being the first member to serve our club twice as President! Ellen followed by noting that there is one position remaining that needs a nomination, that of 2nd VP, to be President 2024-2025. When a candidate is identified, Ellen will return and present that individual for a stand-alone vote the following week. With that, Ellen opened nominations to the floor, and seeing or hearing none, the nominations were accepted. Ellen thanked the committee, Roxanne Cole, Michelle DiSotto, Erik Greven, Peter Goffin, Paul Tully, and Bruce Jones. Congratulations to all the nominees!
Patti Byers thanked everyone for the strong response to the annual Rotary Foundation appeal, with quite a few new checks arriving this past week. Patti reminded us that you can also go online at myrotary.org, click the donate button at the top of the page, and follow the prompts. If you have any questions, reach out to Patti. She then drew our attention to this week’s Windjammer, where “Foundation News” highlights Rotary’s efforts on saving mothers and children. Nearly 6 million children under the age of 5 die each year because of malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. Read how Rotary is making health care more accessible to those facing those situations.
Bob Martin alerted everyone that we will be receiving information shortly about the in-person meeting procedures that will be in place for when we start meeting at the Italian Heritage Club on January 7th. We will conduct a hybrid meeting, with members at the IHC while others can listen and watch on Zoom. This opens up the pool for member participation, as well as for speakers who are not in the immediate area.
Tom Talbott made a pitch for new writers for our Windjammer newsletter. We are currently short-handed with only five members – Jake Bourdeau, Dick Hall, Erik Jorgensen, Julia L’Heureux, and Tom, and we really need 8-10 people. Many hands make light work. The Windjammer is an essential tool for our club, communicating and recording all we do and accomplish. Our club is filled with smart business people who know how to listen and write a summary. We work out a schedule in advance, with two reporters each meeting – one for the first part of the meeting with club announcements, and the second to report on the guest speaker. Most of us now use our phones to record what is said, and write up our reports with that aid. Please help us out. Reach out to Tom to ask questions. Right after the meeting, Bill Blount said, “Count me in!” Thank you! Be like Bill.
A Memorial to celebrate the life and legacy of Russ Burleigh.
WHEN: Saturday, January 8, 2022 | 4:00pm to 6:30pm
WHERE: Merrill Auditorium | Myrtle Street, Portland, Maine
WHY: To raise a glass to Russ and to celebrate his remarkable imprint on our local performing arts community & beyond. Join us for great music and memories with good friends!
Featuring performances by:
Ray Cornils on the mighty Kotzschmar Organ
Members of the Kotzschmar Festival Brass
Maeve Höglund, soprano
Following the music program and brief remarks, guests will be invited on-stage for a reception. Hors d'oevres, wine, and beer will be served.
Health & Safety Notice
This event, like all others at Merrill Auditorium, requires Proof of Vaccination or a Negative COVID-19 Test for entry. Masks are also required, except when eating and drinking. To read more about health protocols at Merrill, click here.
Dr. Paul Mayewski is a glaciologist professor at the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute, and he presented various findings and thoughts on the topic of climate change to the Club on Friday.
Dr. Mayewski started the presentation noting that he likes to use glaciers as an indicator of climate change because they cannot be misinterpreted. If a glacier is growing, it is cold, if a glacier is shrinking, it is warming. In his research, he also considers what the effect of climate change may have on business. The two largest glaciers he studies are the Antarctic glacier which has ice measured to be 6,000 ft thick in places, and the Arctic glacier at the north pole which covers an ocean and is 2-10 feet thick. The Arctic is basically a large ocean covered in ice, and that is why it is more sensitive to potential climate changes.
Dr. Mayewski let us know that studies of over 800,000 ice cores, showed a small variability in carbon dioxide levels at depth and then concentrations went up in ice closer to the surface. He says this is indicative of the increase in carbon dioxide (which is a greenhouse gas [GHG]) concentrations in our recent history, and which is attributed human activities.
When ice melts, the earth’s surface at those locations changes from white to dark and this causes polar amplification whereby heat is absorbed by the darker surface rather than reflected by the previously lighter colored surfaces. According to Dr. Mayewski, when sea ice is gone, heat from the ocean at those location can double the effect of GHG warming. Over 200,000,000 people use glaciers for their drinking water, and so the world could not survive for very long without glaciers.
The professor let us know that increased warming leads to the thawing of the permafrost. As the permafrost melts it becomes much more difficult to traverse and the structures built into the permafrost begin to shift on their foundations. Large parts of the permafrost are also made of peat. As the peat thaws, it naturally begins to degrade which releases more GHG in the form of methane. Russia, Alaska and Canada have large areas of permafrost and as the earth warms this will lead to increases in costs for overland transportation and structural improvements to buildings built on permafrost.
The professor let us know that climate models are essential to allowing people to converse and understand the issues on a global scale. He let us know that current predictions project the temperature to rise 2-4 degrees Celsius by 2100, and Artic projections are 3.5 – 6 degrees Celsius by 2100.
The professor discussed the potential changes in the jetstream and how adjustments to its path can change the climates of various countries rather quickly. He said as the jetstream reaches further north, the warmer weather patterns increase there as well.
On the flip side, the professor noted that volcanic eruptions can lead to a decrease in the earth’s temperature for many years as the particulates and chemicals released in a major eruption tend to have a cooling effect due to the increase in reflection of the sun’s energy in the upper atmosphere following those events.
Moment of Reflection
As Time Goes By
by John Marr
As time goes by, I know I will sometime die.
I worry not that it’s at my door, I just think of how much more I can do with what’s left.
Then I descend into time spent, some with a bit of great lament.
But just often somewhat triumphant, who knows where this goes.
We think we steer the vehicle we are, yet a randomness takes control and helps us to discover something new.
The stars, new people, a different emotion.
But more than that there’s more to learn, and that’s what makes the fires burn.
Where am I going with this, what will I do, if it means less or more I haven’t a clue.
Unfortunately I guess, it’s the same as before.
It must be the time or the alluring light.
I guess I care, I must join the fight, to help save the world, so good, so bad.
It may seem so sad, while right and bright, be it so because it keeps me rushing to the light.
Editor's Note: John Marr is a long-time member of Portland Rotary. Retired from MEMIC, John enjoys traveling to distant places, volunteering on the Narrow Gauge, and writing.
Speaker Schedule
December 10 | Paul Mayewski, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine
December 17 | Bob Martin, Review, Reports, Reflection
December 24 | No Meeting
December 31 | No Meeting
January 7 | Resume Meeting in Person, Italian Heritage Center, Meeting will be streamed on Zoom
January 21 | Rick Schneider, CEO, Maine Public
January 28 | Christian Cotz, Executive Director, First Amendment Museum
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