Dodge City (noon) Lions Club commentary

Day 3 of the Dodge City Noon Lions 2012 pancake feast

2012-01-23T15:40:00.002-05:00

Day three of the January 2012 Dodge City Lions Club pancake feast was from 7 am to 1 pm. This web page features a number of photos. I hope to have short little movies processed in the next week.

Lion Herb field testing the food.

Something I've never seen in the armoury before.

Lion Kathie getting breakfast.

Lions dining before the guests arrived.

Another view of Lion dining pre-guests.

One of the "Pink Ladies" helping the Lions.

Back view of a Lion flipping pancakes.

Guests

Lion Rick, a Pink Lady and a customer (Police Officer)

A second guest (Police Officer)

Mike Casey

Mike Casey and grandson

Sausage cookers caught up on the sausage cooking,

A voluenteer we hope to recruit as a Lion.

Mickey Mouse ears

The Pink Ladies handing out milk, coffee and sausage

day 3

2012-01-22T11:41:00.001-05:00

Something new at the armoury.

Lion Kathie preping pancakes

pancake feed photos Fri 20 January 2012

2012-01-21T17:22:00.002-05:00

night 1 DDC pancake feed 2012 (please foreward to Dennie)

2012-01-20T15:07:00.001-05:00

An early family on night one.

Lions cooking pancakes and customers.

Lions cookinhg pancakes and customers.

The front desk

The pancake mixer's tools...

Pancake cooking, the backroom view.

Customers

2011-09-02T17:43:00.000-04:00

Lion Kathie Nominates Lion Craig

Kansas Lions 90th Annual Convention in Lawrence Kansas

2011-06-03T09:11:00.000-04:00

We arrived and checked into the hotel. Then, we visited with old friends and went to the bar (Holiday Inn) and had a couple of drinks with folks we've known for years. It was pleasant.

Dinner was fine and there was good entertainment. First, a presentation from a Lion who went on a Medical Mission to Kenya. By the time he was done speaking, I was ready to voluenteer for the next mission! (I have basically no medical skills but can count out pills with the best of them.)

Birthday cake for Lion Bruce

2011-02-16T23:01:00.001-05:00

This was Lion Bruce, his wife and his birthday cake. I am going to have
a similar picture taken of my next birthday cake.

Dodge City Lions Bell Ringing at Dillions

2010-12-12T07:30:00.001-05:00

This is the money bucket we used while Bell Ringing for the Salvation
Army on 11 December 2010.

Lions MD 17, District L, Zone F, Zone Meeting, 15 May 2010

2010-05-15T19:49:00.003-04:00

Trying to get anyone from the five (5!) clubs in my Zone to a Zone Meeting is like trying to get that damned rock to the top of that hill in hell and keep it from rolling back down! (OK, an exaggeration but I'm feeling frustrated!)

Well, my wife came so it wasn't like I was sitting in an empty library room by myself...

This would have been the last Zone Meeting of my five year stint as Zone Chairman" (not a "Zone Chair"!). I am burned out and tired of feeling that I haven't accomplished anything and have let down LCIF. I want simply to go back to being a "back bencher" at the Dodge City Lions Club, working on club projects and encouraging others.

I had a lot of good material I wanted to present but there was no point when it was just my wife and I. I would be more comfortable presenting the material over this kitchen table than at this little library room.

a nice letter from PID Earnie Young

2009-11-11T14:40:00.003-05:00

This nice letter came from Past Int

Sylvia at the Kansas State Fair

2009-09-21T10:54:00.004-04:00

Sylvia was at the Kansas State Fair and was talking about becoming a donor. She will be at the Health Fair in Dodge City around 16 October 2009. Sylvia has a lot to say and is worth listening to!

I did this "interview":

Dodge City Lions playground in use

2009-09-12T15:33:00.004-04:00

The Dodge City (noon) Lions Club has done a number of projects in the past decades. Easily the most visible project was when we formed a partnership with the City of Dodge City and built this excellent playground for local children. We thought the local children needed some place to have fun. It is nice to see that we were right and that local kids are enjoying themselves. While I doubt they have any idea that a group of Grandparent or Parent aged folks built the part or feel the urge to say "thanks" (I certainly didn't at that age!), their enjoyment is our reward. The parents watching their kids certainly seem to appreciate what they have!

The Dodge City (noon) Lions Club had a picnic the evening of 10 September 2009. It seemed natural to "film" those using the gym set.

Lions end of summer picnic

2009-09-10T08:13:00.002-04:00

Karla Miller, photos from 2006

2009-02-07T18:37:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken in late December 2006. Karla had lost her hair to chemo and was hopeful that she was in remission.

This photo was taken at an earlier Relay Walk For Life.

Carla Miller - Rest in Peace

2009-02-04T16:36:00.002-05:00

At the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club meeting today, we learned that Lion Carla Miller had died either last night or early this morning. I did some calling around and found her services will be the coming Saturday, at Ziggler's Funeral Home, at either 10 am or 10:30 am.

I suspect the leukemia or a side issue is what killed our Carla.

The body is just a shell; she is no longer there but is in Heaven. Still, even knowing that our Carla is in a better place, I can't help but miss her. Our hearts go out to her husband Bill and son Mike.

2007 Pancake Feast

2008-11-29T08:29:00.002-05:00

This video is of various Lions working at the 2007 Dodge City (noon) Lions Club Pancake Feast.

DG Lion John Lee installing two Lions...

2008-11-25T18:40:00.002-05:00

On 22 October 2008, Kansas Lions District Governor John Lee (Kismet Club) installed two Lions at the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club. DG John is District Governor of Multi-District MD-17 (District "L").

Enhanced Leadershp Skills

2008-10-09T09:47:00.005-04:00

At the USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, a great new idea was presented. Leadership Enhancement Training for Club Presidents and Zone Chair[men}. I was one of many who did the "Zone Chair[man] training.

Time to brag:

Out of vanity, I present a bigger version of the signed plaque:

so much for social events...

2008-10-08T21:32:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago, I had the notion that we could have a Zone Social here in Dodge City. I sent an invitation to some local folks and to all five of the clubs in my zone. I had not gotten a reply when I asked the Dodge City club members last week and this morning if they wanted to come. Only one person responded and that to say he had other plans.

I called the Presidents of three clubs and one said his club had a function that night. The rest simply said their Lions weren't interested.

I did email one Club President who didn't answer his phone and I hope he'll call me back tomorrow morning. Given that we're probably going to call off the Zone Social at our board of directors tomorrow, I'm slightly afraid that he'll say his club members are willing to attend but I suspect he'll report a club of no shows.

Maybe it is fear of bad weather or maybe we're just in a social phase where we can't get folks to leave their town.

If so, how does that explain club members not wanting to attend?

I'm rather frustrated...

I Am Woman...

2008-09-15T18:23:00.003-04:00

This was an image I wanted to put on the back of my business card but my wife insisted that I not do so...

Around 1977, my wife and I were still dating and we were going to school at the realOSU (Oregon State University). We went to a county fair, where we listened to Helen Reddy.

My least favourite of her songs is "I Am Woman" [here me roar].

Anyway, when she rolled into "I Am Woman", all the women stood and then bullied or cajoled their male dates into standing. I was maybe 26 at the time and to see men in their 50s being prodded to their feet was a "bonding moment". I got rueful grins from a number of these other men...

It was rather funny!

Ah, here is a different type of "woman" song.

Kathie's convention!`

2008-03-18T12:43:00.001-04:00

Well, Kathie's convention has come and it was well done!

Details to follow.

day 1 of the 2007 pancake feast!

2007-10-28T12:40:00.001-04:00

Dr. Depah Chopra

2007-09-03T14:53:00.000-04:00

Dr. Chopra spoke at the 2007 Lions International Convention in Chicago Illinois. (This was on Sunday 1 July 2007) His speech was very esoteric and had me confused at times; other times, I wished I could have gotten a tape of his talk.

Now, I don't have specific permisison to have taken these images but I don't believe this is a crime of any sort. I'm including this as a sample of what he said.

My "ride" at the 2007 International Lions Convention in Chicago ILLinois...

2007-08-28T10:42:00.000-04:00

Here I am on the scooter I rode at the 2007 International Lions Convention in Chicago Illinois. We were at the McCormick Centre near the sales area.

Day 1, Chicago Convention 2007 (the arrival)

2007-07-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Day 1 (Tuesday, 26 June 2007):

Leaving Dodge City

_____Over the years, I’ve gotten tired of flying. When I was a child, one dressed up before going to the airport. There, men and boys in suits, women and girls in nice dresses, would board the plane. You could be assured of a nice meal (if the flight was long enough) or at least a nice snack and soft drinks. Adults could have free or cheap alcoholic beverages.

_____Years later, it was obvious that planes had become little more than flying Greyhound busses with wings. There was nothing to dress up for since flying was not a special occasion. Where once one could have a menu with a choice of two (2!) well prepared meals on medium or long flights, we were being given a choice of peanuts or no peanuts. Then, the airlines "discovered" peanut allergies and peanuts went away; in came baked crap. Yes, where one once could have a salad, small piece of chicken, rice and gravy and a drink, one now had a little bag of some kind of crackers. Yumm! Yummm!

_____I asked a United Attendant (remember when they were attractive young women?) about this and was told: "Nine Eleven".

_____“Nine Eleven?”

_____“Do you have any idea how hard security would be if we had to give meals to everyone? The security risk involved in the kitchens and getting the food on the planes is immense.”

_____“The first class passengers are getting meals.”

_____“They are also paying twice what you are for their ticket.”

_____My wife said “thank you” and her look said “shut up”. The answer was there and it was a simple one: This had nothing to do with “security” and was all about cutting costs. I decided to take my own snacks onto the next flight. Then, of course, there was edict from “Homeland Security” –er- TSA, about lugging bottles and etc onto planes and we couldn’t bring our own meals. Also, it seemed cruel to have a hamburger and eat it in my “luxurious” seat whilst others went hungry. I decided to forgo the “privilege” of doing so.

_____Anyway, I talked my wife into going on Amtrak.

_____The price of round trip tickets was very reasonable and if we were to leave Dodge City at 12:35 am, well, that was too bad. We left for the train station and showed up around midnight. After a few minutes, Kathie called the Amtrak number to find if the train was still on schedule. It was not!

_____We left for home and contemplated the two hour delay in arrival. Kathie wanted to hang out at home but I talked her into going back to the depot. We returned and Kathie sat in the car for a while. There was another car near us and we figured these were the “railers”, a group of volunteers who showed up to the station and opened it up to provide a nice resting place for those awaiting a train.

_____The railers never showed up. I don't blame then as they are voluenteers and I dont' think I'd want to spend most of a night waiting for a train to finally show up. Anyway, it was a nice night...

_____It was a Mexican couple who didn’t seems to eager to talk to “an old white guy”. I told them the train was delayed a couple of hours and stumped back to our car. I talked Kathie into moving to the benches in front of the train station.

_____I broke my ankle 13 days and some hours before this trip. I was on crutches and couldn’t carry anything. Kathie had to load the suitcases into our car, drive to the train station, unload the baggage and park the car in an authorized place. I trundled over to a parking spot, with the computer case over one shoulder and an “large carrying case” (men don’t carry purses) over the other. Then, we sat down to wait.

_____The waiting area was two benches made of black metal bands. There were actually comfortable but after a while, I moved around and used my crutches to brace my left leg in an upright position. It helped.

_____The Amtrak train arrived at 3:20 am, almost three hours late.

_____A new crew was waiting: this was a conductor and three stewards. They were hustling to get the passengers aboard the train.

_____I yelled “help”!

_____The conductor (a formidable looking woman) came over and quickly saw that I was gimped up. She grabbed a couple of our suitcases and one of the stewards grabbed two other and they put them on the train, on the bottom level, in a seat area. Kathie had already put two other suitcases on the train at a different car and she later had to get help to retrieve them.

_____We were lucky it didn’t rain since we would have been stuck in the open.

_____We pulled the leg rests out, pushed the seats back and tried to sleep. It was impossible because my back hurt. I put my legs on one of our suitcases and this didn’t help. I fell asleep from pure fatigue and woke up a couple of times. When I finally realized the leg rest was screwing me up, I “retracted” the leg rest and was immediately more comfortable.

_____The trip was otherwise fine. Kathie went for a walk and came back with a large cinnamon roll and coffee for me, the same and decaf for her. Later, we bought breakfast and still later lunch. The view was excellent and the toilets not too bad, at first.

_____About five hours into the trip, as I went to the handicapped head for the second time, I noticed it wasn’t flushing. About three hours before we arrived, I went in to take a healthy piss and noticed the remnants of someone’s previous visit: there was shit and toilet paper in the bowl and I didn’t look. Well, I tried not to look but the simple process of “aiming” negated that.

_____About two hours before we arrived, the Conductor announced in a disgruntled voice that Amtrak had decided not to pump out the toilets in New Mexico. They were behind due to having to put some nutcase off the train, storms in southeast Colorado and possible track flooding. It was inexcusable.

_____When the Conductor showed up later to apologize, she muttered “Amtrak doesn’t think”. So, the little plan of Amtrak management to save some time results in all but one of the toilets being plugged and in really bad publicity for Amtrak. I still have to write a bitching letter to Amtrak management and I will do so!

_____About our fellow passengers:

_____There was a black gentleman from LA, in his 60s, who graduated from Law School 35 years ago and who is a Democratic Committeeman from the LA area. His name is “Joe” and we had some nice conversation. I can see why he is a politician…

_____There was a rather fearful white woman who was freaked by the (apparent) Muslims.

_____One alleged muslim was an older lady (50s?) who wore a dark patterned dress, matching scarf and sensible shoes.

_____There was the very demure young lady (20s?) who wore a white head scarf, white blouse, white shirt, sensible shoes and a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a Scimitar (the traditional Arabic/Islamic sword).

_____There was a teenaged boy who dressed like American teenage boys but was very well behaved.

_____I’ve heard that Muslin women have to be escorted by Male Relatives. Well, this boy was firmly under the thumb of his Mother (the older lady) and so much for the “man of the house” business.

_____A man had hustled their luggage onto the train and then left. I suspect he was Momma's husband. This strange white woman got it into her head that the Muslims were trouble. She whispered to Kathie and me: “I’m worried about those Muslim. Call the Steward”.

_____Kathie started giving her a lecture on how most Muslims were harmless. This pissed her off and she retorted:

_____"I don’t need a sermon! Just call the steward!”

_____I tried pushing up on the “call button” so “Joe” told me to pull it down. This lady then went and “hid” in the toilette to await the steward. Well, the steward called on the intercom and we said “we need to talk with you”. The steward didn’t show up so Kathie went up to the upstairs and found the stewards, “chilling out” in the lounge. Our steward came down, explained to “Miss Fearful” that the young man had simply helped the Muslims move their stuff onto the train and then he left. She was mollified and ended up sitting near the Muslims.

_____The three Muslims were simply a rather harmless family taking a train trip; there was nothing threatening about them.

_____When we arrived in Chicago, our steward helped Kathie get our suitcases (6 of them!) off the train. Then, we started waiting for “The Red Hat” to come by on his luggage carrier. We literally got the last one and there were only four of us waiting for the Red Hat. The Red Hat lugged our stuff out through the lobby and left it off near some other Lions.

_____The arrival folks were supposed to provide a free bus to get us to the hotel. They didn’t show up and someone called the hotel. They didn’t show up so we hired a large taxi to take us (a group of maybe 8 Lions) to the hotel. The price was shockingly reasonable.

_____When we arrived at the hotel, we saw there were three (3) busses waiting to go to the Amtrak.

_____I was disappointed…

_____We trundled in and Kathie checked us in. We checked out my scooter and it turned out to be easy to use. Kathie used a cart to haul our stuff up to the room.

_____Then it was time for dinner.

_____The dinner was horribly expensive and completely unbundled. The steak cost US$36, the “rock salt rubbed baked potatoe” was $7 and the soup was $5. They only charged $1.50 for the “Diet Pepsi”. Obviously, they are trying to encourage folks to eat at local restaurants!

_____Future observations proved this to be true! There were Lions everywhere at the local restaurants!

_____We crashed for the night.

As an aside: The people in local stores are all quite friendly. I guess they’ve embraced the notion of happy customers are money spending customers.

Pictures of International President Jimmy M. Ross and his wife

2007-06-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

International President Jimmy M. Ross dancing with his wife; they look very good out on the dance floor.
Velda Ross, wife of International President Jimmy M. Ross.
Velda again...
Back view of Velda Ross with DG Tom Badger and Past Counsil Chair Jim Ketron
The same group...
Loin Velda and (new) DG Tom Badger
International President Jimmy M. Ross and his wife Lion Velda; this appears to be a shot also of the back of PDG Bob Courtney.
A Lion, DG Tom Badger, IP Jimmy M. Ross and another Lion.
The same "crew" as in the previous picture

The webmaster will finish annotating these pictures later.

old and new district layout in Kansas 2007

2007-06-23T21:44:00.000-04:00

The new district distribution effective as of June 2007.

The old district distribution, which was superceded at the State Convention in early June 2007.
A "clean" map of Kansas showing the county locations and their names.

Lion MIke Bell broke his left ankle...

2007-06-23T21:34:00.000-04:00

Lion Mike Bell (moi) broke his angle in a work accident and broke three ankle bones. At the risk of stating the obvious, this was very painful. The accident happened at about 6:20 pm on Wednesday, 13 June 2007. I saw my family MD (Dr. Hofstetter) the morning of the 14 and couldn't get in to see the surgeon (Dr. Shaw) until 19 June 2007. He showed me on the x-ray that I had three broken bones, a bone fragement "floating around" and a torn ligament near the bone fragment (just where it could cut the ligament). So, I not only agreed instantly to the offer of surgery Kathie and I both asked for the surgery as soon as possible. This was scheduled or 1 pm the next day. The surgery started a bit late but no matter; the surgery was done well and was successful.

Pictures of my left ankle the night before surgery.
The plate to secure my broken ankle and the screws holding it in.

redistricting 2007

2007-05-25T20:05:00.000-04:00

pictures of IP Jimmy M. Ross

2007-05-24T09:55:00.000-04:00

The best of my three phtoes of IP Ross:

If you look carefully and maybe apply a little image processing, you can see IP Ross!

Yup! That's IP Ross under the white blob of his cowboy hat.

I'll have to get better photos come the State Convention at the end of May 2007!

Winter Weather Information - Day 7

2006-11-18T09:48:00.000-05:00

ZCZC TOPWRKSAT ALL
TTAA00 KTOP 102211

WINTER WEATHER CAN PROVIDE SPECTACULAR SITES BUT CAN POTENTIALLY BECOME TRAGIC IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THIS WINTER...ENJOY THE OUTDOORS BUT STAY INFORMED.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES DISCUSSED EARLIER THIS WEEK. OTHER SUCH TOPICS AS WINTER WEATHER SAFETY...BLIZZARDS...WIND CHILL AND HYPOTHERMIA AND FREEZING RAIN AND ICE STORMS WERE ALSO COVERED. A COUPLE OF COMMON THEMES EMERGED THROUGH THIS WEEK...BE PREPARED FOR THE UPCOMING WINTER SEASON AND KEEP UP TO DATE ON CHANGING FORECASTS.

BEFORE WINTER WEATHER THREATENS THIS SEASON...PREPARE YOUR OWN WINTER SAFETY KIT FOR YOUR HOME AND VEHICLE. IF YOU BECOME STRANDED WITH YOUR VEHICLE...STAY WITH IT. RUN THE MOTOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES EACH HOUR FOR HEAT AND OPEN THE WINDOW A LITTLE FOR FRESH AIR. BY OPENING THE WINDOW...YOU CAN DECREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. MAKE SURE THE EXHAUST PIPE IS NOT BLOCKED BY SNOW.

IF WORKING IN THE OUTDOORS...AVOID OVEREXERTION. HEART ATTACKS CAN KILL DURING AND AFTER STORMS DUE TO STRESSFUL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS SHOVELING SNOW OR FREEING STUCK VEHICLES. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE...TRY TO LIMIT OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES OR POSTPONE THEM IF POSSIBLE.

A VALUABLE COMPANION DURING THE COLD SEASON IS A PORTABLE NOAA WEATHER RADIO. THIS IS THE VOICE OF THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THE LATEST WEATHER FORECASTS AND CURRENT CONDITIONS ARE AUTOMATICALLY SENT TO THIS RADIO. IF YOU DO NOT YET OWN ONE...THEY CAN BE PURCHASED AT YOUR LOCAL ELECTRONICS OR DEPARTMENT STORM.

IF YOU NEED ANY MORE INFORMATION ON WEATHER SAFETY...WINTER WEATHER BROCHURES OR MORE INFORMATION ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO...PLEASE CALL OR E MAIL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN DODGE CITY

620-227-7140

w-ddc.webmaster@noaa.gov

HAVE A SAFE AND PLEASANT WINTER WEATHER SEASON IN WESTERN KANSAS.

Winter Weather Information - Day 6

2006-11-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

ZCZC TOPWRKFRI 000
TTAA00 KTOP 101828

EVERY YEAR...NUMEROUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS OCCUR AS A DIRECT RESULT OF ICE. EVEN A LIGHT COATING OF ICE CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS. A SMALL AMOUNT OF ICE CAN CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE. IF WALKING...ICY SPOTS CAN EASILY LEAD TO A FALL. A MORE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ICE CAN BRING DOWN TREES...TOPPLE UTILITY POLES AND COLLAPSE COMMUNICATION TOWERS. IN EXTREME EVENTS...ICE CAN BE THE DIRECT RESULT OF POWER OUTAGES THAT CAN LAST FOR DAYS.

FREEZING DRIZZLE OR RAIN OCCURS WHEN SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE COLD ENOUGH TO FREEZE DRIZZLE OR RAIN ON CONTACT. IF YOU SUSPECT NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES WITH FALLING RAIN...KEEP IN MIND THAT PATCHES OF ICE MIGHT BE POSSIBLE. USUALLY BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES ARE THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE THIS EFFECT AS ROAD TEMPERATURES COOL QUICKER IN THESE LOCATIONS.

ROAD THAT APPEAR TO BE CLEAR IN THE WINTER TIME MIGHT ACTUALLY BE COATED WITH A THIN LAYER OF ICE...KNOWN AS BLACK ICE. THIS NEARLY INVISIBLE LAYER OF ICE CAN CAUSE A RAPID LOSE OF CONTROL OF YOUR VEHICLE. BLACK ICE IS OFTEN FOUND IN THE OVERNIGHT HOURS INTO THE DAWN.

THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT DANGEROUS TRAVEL ON SNOW OR ICE COVERED ROADS IS TO AVOID IT. IF TRAVEL IS NECESSARY...KEEP INFORMED OF THE CURRENT WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS AS WELL AS THE LATEST WEATHER FORECAST. INFORMATION ON ROAD CONDITIONS IN KANSAS IS AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT WWW.KSDOT.ORG OR BY DIALING TOLL FREE 511 OR IF OUTSIDE OF THE STATE 1-866-511-5368

PHONE NUMBERS FOR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ROAD REPORTS IN OTHER STATES ARE AVAILABLE BY CALLING INFORMATION OR BY DOING AN INTERNET SEARCH.

Winter Weather Information - Day 5

2006-11-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

ZCZC TOPWRKTHU 000

TTAA00 KTOP 101829

WINTER STORMS ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS USUALLY CAUSE SNOWFALL THAT LEADS TO SLICK ROADS...TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS AND STRANDED TRAVELERS. WHILE MOST PEOPLE FOCUS ON THE SNOWFALL ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS...MANY TIMES THE STRONG WINDS AND EXTREME COLD FOLLOWING THE EVENT ARE OVERLOOKED. THE COMBINATION OF THESE WINDS AND EXTREME COLD CAN BE POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING. THE WIND CHILL IS A MEASURE OF THE BODYS HEAT LOSS DUE TO WIND AND COLD. TWO CONSEQUENCES OF WIND CHILL ARE FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.

THE WIND CHILL IS NOT THE ACTUAL TEMPERATURE BUT RATHER HOW WIND AND COLD FEEL ON EXPOSED SKIN. AS WIND SPEED INCREASE...HEAT IS CARRIES AWAY FROM THE BODY MORE RAPIDLY. THIS WILL DRIVE DOWN THE BODYS TEMPERATURES. FOR EXAMPLE...IF THE AIR TEMPERATURE IS MINUS 5 WITH A WIND OF 30 MPH...THE WIND CHILL WOULD BE MINUS 32. THIS MEANS THAT YOUR BODY WOULD LOSE HEAT AT THE SAME RATE AS IF THE AIR TEMPERATURE WERE MINUS 32 WITH NO WIND. MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO EXTREME WIND CHILL ARE INFANTS AND ELDERLY. REMEMBER...ANIMALS ARE ALSO VULNERABLE TO WIND CHILL. A WIND CHILL VALUE NEAR MINUS 24 DEGREES MEANS THAT FROSTBITE CAN OCCUR IN AS LITTLE AS 15 MINUTES.

WHEN WIND CHILL PLUMMETS TO DANGEROUS LEVELS...FROSTBITE CAN OCCUR. FROSTBITE IS DAMAGE TO BODY TEMPERATURE...SUCH AS FINGERS...TOES...EAR LOBES OR THE TIP OF THE NOSE...AS A DIRECT RESULT OF EXTREME COLD. MAKE SURE TO KEEP ANY EXPOSED BODY PART WELL COVERED. IF A LOSS OF FEELING OCCURS IN THE AFFECTED BODY PART IN CONJUNCTION WITH A WHITE OR PALE COLOR...OR IF YOU SUSPECT YOU ARE GETTING FROSTBITE...HOLD THE AFFECTED BODY PART CLOSELY AGAINST WARM SKIN TO RETURN BLOOD FLOW AND WARMTH TO THE AFFECTED AREA.

THE MOST COMMON WEATHER KILLER IN THE WINTER IS HYPOTHERMIA. HYPOTHERMIA OCCURS WHEN THE BODYS CORE TEMPERATURE FALLS BELOW 95 DEGREES. MOST PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT HYPOTHERMIA DEATHS CAN OCCUR WITH AIR TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 30 TO 50 DEGREES. WHEN CLOTHING GETS WET...THE LIKELIHOOD OF DEVELOPING HYPOTHERMIA INCREASES.

WARNING SIGNS OF HYPOTHERMIA ARE...UNCONTROLLABLE SHIVERING...MEMORY LOSS...DISORIENTATION...INCOHERENCE...SLURRED SPEECH...DROWSINESS AND APPARENT EXHAUSTION. IF THE PERSON IS EXPERIENCING ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS AND NO MEDICAL HELP IS AVAILABLE...THE VICTIM SHOULD BE WARMED SLOWLY WITH WARM LIQUIDS ALONG WITH DRY CLOTHING AND BLANKET. DO NOT GIVE THE PERSON ALCOHOL...COFFEE OR ANY HOT BEVERAGE OR FOOD. WARM BROTH IS THE FIRST FOOD TO OFFER.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN DODGE CITY WILL ISSUE WIND CHILL ADVISORIES AND WARNING WHEN THE DEADLY COMBINATION OF WIND AND COLD ARE EXPECTED. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WIND CHILL CHART...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INTERNET SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/OM/WINDCHILL. USE LOWER CASE LETTERS WHEN ENTERING THIS ADDRESS.

REMEMBER WHEN OUTDOORS IN COLD CONDITIONS...STAY DRY AND KEEP ANY EXPOSED BODY PARTS COVERED. IN ADDITION...WEAR A HAT ON YOUR HEAD. AT LEAST HALF OF YOUR BODY HEAT IS LOST IF YOUR HEAD IS NOT COVERED.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO STAY INFORMED. BY KEEPING UP TO DATE ON THE LATEST FORECAST...YOU CAN DRESS PROPERLY AND...IF POSSIBLE...LIMIT YOUR EXPOSURE TO THE OUTDOORS.

Winter Weather Information - Day 4

2006-11-15T09:41:00.000-05:00

WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF WINTER TIME...THEY THINK OF SNOW AND COLD TEMPERATURES. BUT DO YOU KNOW THAT BLIZZARDS CAN BE A DEADLY EVENT OCCURRING ON A MUCH BROADER SCALE.

ONE DISASTROUS EXAMPLE OF WHAT A BLIZZARD CAN DO OCCURRED IN THE BLIZZARD OF 1997. THE DAYS PRIOR TO THE BLIZZARD WERE FILLED WITH MILD TEMPERATURES AND OVERALL PLEASANT WEATHER. FEW PEOPLE COULD IMAGE THE IMPENDING CONDITIONS THAT WERE BEING FORECAST FORE WESTERN KANSAS.

BY THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 25...HIGH WINDS AND SNOW HAD LED TO BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS. FEW PEOPLE WERE PREPARED FOR THE AFTERMATH OF SUCH A POWERFUL STORM. THE SIX STATE REGION OF WESTERN KANSAS...EASTERN COLORADO...SOUTHEASTERN WYOMING...WESTERN NEBRASKA...THE PANHANDLE OF OKLAHOMA AND NORTHERN NEW MEXICO...EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS CAR ACCIDENTS...STRANDED MOTORISTS...SEVERAL INJURIES AND 12 FATALITIES. IN WESTERN KANSAS ALONE...OVER 22000 HEAD OF CATTLE PERISHED.

OTHER MEMORABLE BLIZZARDS THAT HAVE AFFECTED WESTERN KANSAS INCLUDE NOVEMBER 1992...OCTOBER 1991...TWO SEPARATE EVENTS IN MARCH 1987...JANUARY 1971 AND MARCH 1957.

THESE STORMS CAN HAPPEN AND WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. NOW IS THE TIME TO PLAN AND PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE. IN A MATTER OF MINUTES...CONDITIONS CAN GO FROM LIGHT FALLING SNOW TO WHITE OUT CONDITIONS.

BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OCCUR WHEN SNOWFALL COMBINES WITH WINDS APPROACHING SPEEDS GREAT ENOUGH TO REDUCE VISIBILITIES ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN DODGE CITY WILL ISSUE A BLIZZARD WARNING WHEN THESE CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST.

THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE SAFETY THIS WINTER SEASON IS TO STAY INFORMED. REMEMBER TO CHECK FORECAST FREQUENTLY. THIS UPCOMING WINTER SEASON...AS WITH EVERY WINTER SEASON...IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE PREPARED SHOULD BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OCCUR.

Winter Weather Information - Day 3

2006-11-14T07:06:00.000-05:00

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
1010 AM CST WED NOV 15 2006

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER THIS WINTER SEASON? WHETHER YOU ARE NEW TO THE STATE OR HAVE LIVED HERE ALL OF YOUR LIFE...NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO REVIEW THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CRITERIA FOR WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES HERE IN WESTERN KANSAS.

A WINTER STORM WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY SNOW OR SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS...USUALLY AT LEAST 24 TO 36 HOURS IN ADVANCE.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN A WINTER STORM IS PRODUCING OR IS FORECAST TO PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 6 INCHES IN 12 HOURS OR GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 8 INCHES IN 24 HOURS. THE HEAVY SNOW WOULD BE ACCOMPANIED ONE OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING...SUSTAINED WINDS OR FREQUENT GUSTS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 34 MPH CAUSING BLOWING AND DRIFTING...REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND MINOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS.

A HEAVY SNOW WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN HEAVY SNOW GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 6 INCHES IN 12 HOURS OR GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 8 INCHES IN 24 HOURS IS OCCURRING OR WILL DEVELOP WITHIN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

A BLIZZARD WATCH IS ISSUED WHEN BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO.

A BLIZZARD WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR A AT LEAST 3 HOURS...

SUSTAINED WINDS AND OR FREQUENT GUSTS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO 35 MPH...AND CONSIDERABLE FALLING...AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW CAUSING VISIBILITIES OF ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS.

AN ICE STORM WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH OR GREATER.

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET FOR 1 HOUR OR MORE...

SUSTAINED WINDS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER COMBINED WITH ANY WIND GUST AT LEAST 57 MPH.

A WIND CHILL WARNING IS ISSUED FOR WIND CHILL VALUES EQUAL TO OR COLDER THAN MINUS 25 DEGREES FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS.

REGARDING ADVISORIES...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ISSUED FOR FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH.

A SNOW ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN 12 TO 24 HOURS.

A BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN WIDESPREAD BLOWING SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES LOCALLY ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS.

A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN FREEZING RAIN OR FREEZING DRIZZLE IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN ONE QUARTER.

A SLEET ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SLEET ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ONE HAVE INCH OR LESS.

A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED...

WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL AND BLOWING SNOW THAT RESTRICT VISIBILITIES TO ONE QUARTER MILE OR LESS LOCALLY.

A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 MPH OR MORE WITH GUST TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED TO LAST FOR AT LEAST ONE HOUR.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN WIND AND TEMPERATURES COMBINE TO PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES BETWEEN MINUS 15 DEGREES TO MINUS 24 DEGREES FOR AT LEAST 3 HOURS.

Winter Weather Information - Day 2

2006-11-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS

820 AM CST MON NOV 13 2006

WINTER WEATHER CAN BE QUITE TREACHEROUS BUT DOES NOT NEED TO CATCH ONE OFF GUARD. BEFORE WINTER ARRIVES IN FULL FORCE... IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT ALL PERSONS PREPARE YOUR VEHICLES FOR WINTER TRAVEL.

VEHICLES SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE TIRES... CHAINS... TOW ROPE... SAND OR CAT LITTER FOR TRACTION... SHOVEL... TOOL KIT... WINDSHIELD SCRAPER AND BRUSH... BATTERY CABLES... FIRST AID KIT... FLASHLIGHT AND EXTRA BATTERIES...A BLANKET OR SLEEPING BAG... EXTRA CLOTHES... WATERPROOF MATCHES... HIGH CALORIE SNACKS AND AN EMPTY CAN TO MELT SNOW FOR DRINKING WATER.

IF YOU DO TRAVEL AND GET STRANDED OUT IN A WINTER STORM...STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE AND DO NOT PANIC. IF YOU ARE TRAVELING WITH OTHERS...TAKE TURNS SLEEPING. MAKE SURE TO RUN THE MOTOR EVERY HOUR FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES TO MAINTAIN WARMTH. YOU MUST KEEP A WINDOW OPEN A BIT TO PREVENT BUILDUP OF CARBON MONOXIDE. ALSO MAKE SURE THE EXHAUST PIPE IS NOT BLOCKED BY SNOW. KEEP A BRIGHTLY COLORED CLOTH TIED TO THE ANTENNA SO OTHERS CAN FIND YOUR CAR. MAKE SURE YOU EXERCISE PERIODICALLY THROUGH VIGOROUSLY MOVING ARMS...LEGS...TOES AND FINGERS.

ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING STRANDED IN YOUR HOME THIS WINTER SEASON? NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO CREATE A FAMILY DISASTER PLAN AND DISASTER SUPPLY KIT. A FEW ESSENTIALS TO HAVE IN YOUR KIT INCLUDE...A 3 DAY SUPPLY OF WATER FOR EACH PERSON...FOOD THAT WILL NOT SPOIL...ONE CHANGE OF CLOTHING AND SHOES PER PERSON...ONE BLANKET OR SLEEPING BAG PER PERSON...FIRST AID KIT...PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES...EMERGENCY TOOLS...BATTERY POWERED NOAA WEATHER RADIO...PORTABLE RADIO...FLASHLIGHT WITH EXTRA BATTERIES...EXTRA SET OF CAR KEYS...CASH AND A CREDIT CARD AND SPECIAL ITEMS FOR INFANTS...ELDERLY OR DISABLED FAMILY MEMBERS. DO NOT FORGET OUTDOOR PETS. THEY WILL NEED PLENTY OF FOOD...WATER AND SHELTER.

IF A HOME OR AT WORK AND A WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED...A FEW ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT ARE NOT IN THE SURVIVAL KIT SHOULD BE OBTAINED. MAKE SURE THERE IS PLENTY OF HEATING FUEL...AN EMERGENCY HEAT SOURCE...A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND SMOKE ALARM. IF BY SOME CHANCE THE POWER IS LOST DURING THE STORMS AND NO HEAT IS AVAILABLE...CLOSE OFF UNNEEDED ROOMS. STUFF TOWELS OR RAGS IN CRACKS UNDER DOORS AND COVER WINDOWS AT NIGHT. EAT AND DRINK PROPER FOOD. FOOD PROVIDES THE BODY WITH ENERGY BY PRODUCING ITS OWN HEAT. LAYERS OF LOOSE FITTING...LIGHTWEIGHT...WARM CLOTHING...SHOULD BE WORN TO HELP RETAIN BODY HEAT.

REMEMBER...THE BEST WAYS TO SURVIVE A HARSH WINTER STORM IS TO STAY INFORMED AND BE PREPARED.

Winter Weather Information - Day 1

2006-11-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
1250 PM CST SUN NOV 12 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COOPERATION WITH KANSAS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS HAVE DESIGNATED WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 15 2006 AS WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS DAY. THE PURPOSE OF WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS DAY IS TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS FOR THE COMING WINTER SEASON ACROSS THE STATE OF KANSAS. NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS... FAMILIES... BUSINESSES... SCHOOLS... AND MEDIA OUTLETS TO REVIEW THEIR WINTER STROM PLANS AND MAKE NEEDED PREPARATIONS FOR THE UPCOMING WINTER SEASON.

WINTER WEATHER CAN PROVIDE A VERY SCENIC LANDSCAPE BUT THAT BEAUTY CAN QUICKLY TURN TREACHEROUS. WINTER STORMS CAN RESULT IN HARD TRAVEL CONDITIONS LEADING TO POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS. KNOWING WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS IS ESSENTIAL AND COULD MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

STARTING TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NOVEMBER 18 2006...THE DODGE CITY FORECAST OFFICE WILL ISSUE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING...

WINTER WEATHER SAFETY ON MONDAY

DEFINITIONS OF ADVISORIES...WATCHES AND WARNINGS ON TUESDAY

BLIZZARDS ON WEDNESDAY

WIND CHILL AND HYPOTHERMIA ON THURSDAY

FREEZING RAIN AND ICE STORMS ON FRIDAY

REVIEW OF WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS ON SATURDAY

B.A. Leonard

2006-11-11T01:23:00.000-05:00

The obituary of Lion Bernard A. "B.A." Leonard (copied from the Dodge City Globe, 10 November 2006) and is being used without their permission; I believe this to be legal and "fair usage" as I'm not charging any money. If this is a problem, contact me (mikebell @ netins.net) and I'll remove this entry.

Bernard A. "B.A." Leonard, 84, died Thursday, Nov. 9, 2006, at the Good Samaritan Center, Dodge City.

He was born May 7, 1922, in Ulysses, the son of Guy E. and Grace Frances (VanValkenburg) Leonard. On March 1, 1943, he married Madelene McGee in Lincoln, Neb. She survives.

He was a graduate of Dodge City High School. In 1940, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he was a ground crew mechanic. He and his family returned to Dodge City in 1945 from Riverside, Calif.

A far more detailed obituary can be found at the

Hutchinson News.

For those interested in sending Donations, this quote from the Hutch News is revelant:

"Memorials may be sent to the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, in care of the funeral home." [address below]

Additionally from the Hutch News:

"Funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church, with Dr. Jim Godbey presiding. Visitation will be from noon to 8 p.m. Friday at Swaim Funeral Home, Dodge City. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery, with Masonic graveside rites conducted by the St. Bernard Lodge No. 222 AF&AM."

Swaim Funeral Home (www.swaimfuneralhome.com)

1901 6th

Dodge City, Kansas 67801

My contact email is: mike bell @ netins dot net (You'll need to remove the spaces and replace dot with a period.)

Voting Day 2006

2006-11-07T15:05:00.000-05:00

Truth about political ads...

2006-10-27T12:09:00.000-04:00

This cartoon tells the horrible truth about "modern" political ads.

The Zone Chairman's club visits...

2006-10-27T00:11:00.000-04:00

Zone chairman visits in late October 2006

Here are my visits for the fall of 2006. We were well received and our hosts uniformly courteous and excellent hosts. It was a pleasure to visit every club.

Montezuma on Tuesday, 24 October
(The webmaster, who is also zone chariman, had thought the Montezuma meeting was the evening of the 26^th and scheduled for that night. The zone chairman (me) had previously committed to going to a Diabetes Seminar at the Dodge City Senior Senior. So, being a diabetic, I went to the seminar and VDG Lion Kathie went to the Montezuma meeting instead. She talked about what I'd planned on talking about and I enjoyed my seminar. Also, it helped that DG Dennie Smith and his wife Fran spoke.
Cimarron, noon on Wednesday, 25 October.
Spearville, 6:30 pm on Wednesday, 25 October.
Jetmore, noon on Thursday, 26 October.
Montezuma, TBA as their November club meeting sounds more like a members and families party than a "real" meeting and I'll suggest that I visit in December or perhaps January 2007. Since all but one of their club came to my Zone meeting in September and VDG Lion Kathie spoke for me, the urgency is low.
Dodge City, TBA in December as VDG Lion Kathie and I are in charge of getting speakers for December and both VDG Lion Kathie and I can "be" the "programme".

I talked about:

Encouraging poeple to get out and vote.
Our usual problem of "R and R" or Recruitment and Retention
Visiting other clubs as a way to building solidarity within Lionism
Reading DG Denny Smith's monthly reports
Continuing eye car such as collecting glasses, buying glasses, referring the needly to eye doctors and telling people how diabetes can destroy vision
Performing outreach to their communities about Diabetes and encourage folks to take the American Diabetes Assocition "are you diabetic" test (Web verson or Written Version) and outreach to schools.
Finally, I asked the various Presidents to brag about what their clubs have done.

vici lautus mortuus or Results of the Park Cleanup...

2006-08-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

vici lautus mortuus

______Roughly speaking "I came, I cleaned, I left". This was from a web page I found.

______Lions Kathie and Mike cleaned "Lions Park" yesterday (26 August 2006). The park was remarkable clean. There were broken pieces of glass (from beer bottles) near the stone steps and small stuff near the playground. From the ages of the kids walking with parents toward the park as we left after cleaning the park, it is obvious the park is now being used by "young families", with a young kids.

______This is very good. It may mean the recent crop of teenagers has "moved on" and we won't be seeing the large number of cigarette butts and empty beer bottles we have in the past. As an aside, we've never found anything that looks like "drug paraphernalia".

______We were also pleased the playground we Lions bought and constructed (with significant help from the city) is still in fine shape! It seems the park "users" (nearly all Mexican) are treating our Park with respect. This is a sign of good neighbors.

about the 2006 Rodeo ushering...

2006-08-09T19:24:00.000-04:00

______From Wednesday, 2 August 2006 to Sunday, 6 August 2006, the 2006 Dodge City Rodeo was held. Members of the Lions served as ushers. For this, we've been promised a nice amount of money. (I was going to ask about this but forgot...)

______We had to "muster" at the front gate and were allowed in. We had a hamberger meal the first night. It was the usual affair of Lion Kathie standing at one end of the south seating and I was in the center. We had the usual lot of folks with general admission tickets claiming they'd gotten confused about where to sit and folks just confused about where their seats were. It wasn't too bad.

We didn't do as well as last year. Last year, the Lions were paid $750; this year, we were paid $500. There is fear that we might not be hired on to do this ushering next year. I dont' know who the Rodeo might get to replace us but they could probably get the Boy Scouts...

Ths comments on payoff were added in late September 2006.

The Rotarian Menace

2006-07-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Rotarian Menace or What does Osama have against Rotary clubs?

Well, it seems that Rotary and Masons and Lions are evil and out to "get" Muslims.

Here is a not so lovely quote:

In 2000, British police discovered an al-Qaida manual titled "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants" in the home of a Bin Laden disciple. Its introduction learnedly explains:

After the fall of our orthodox caliphates on March 3, 1924. ... Colonialism and its followers, the apostate rulers, then started to openly erect crusader centers, societies, and organizations like Masonic Lodges, Lions and Rotary Clubs. (emphasis added) ("Lions" was emphasised by this blogger...)

I wonder how Lion David - who is both a Lion and a 32^nd Level Mason - will react to this. Being a retired Navy Master Chief, he'll probably just be disguested...

Dodge City (noon) Lions Clubs change of command (change of officers) 28 June 2006

2006-06-28T17:05:00.000-04:00

Big Lion Keith Tallent preparing to "pass the torch". In Navy terms, "change of command".

Lion Bruce Mock accepts position as Lion Tamer.

Lion Arthur Foote accepts the position as Tail (Tale?) Twister.

Another shot of Lion Art.

Lion Loyal Johnson accepts the position as Membership Chair(man).

Lions Lee G. and Russel Gall accepting Board of Director positions.

Another shot of Lions Lee and Russell.

Lions Larry Druer and David Milford (on the extreme left) accepting their positions as Board Members.

Lion Vernon Everhart accepting the position as Treasurer.

Another view of Lion Vernon.

Lion Donna Marconnette accepting the position of Secretary (she is on the far left)

Lions Donna and Vernon...

From left to right, Lions Donna, Vernon, Dorthy, Keith, Loyal, Arthur, Bruce and David.

Lion Dorthy Everhart accepting the posion of President for Lions Year 2006 to 2007!

2006 Relay Walk - final report...

2006-06-18T17:45:00.000-04:00

______This is the last year the "Roaring Lions" will exist. Unless someone picks up the challenge, the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club team ("The Roaring Lions") has walked in its last "Relay [Walk] For Life". The club members are simply getting too old to come out or to sit in the stands at 7PM. We had a somewhat weak team presentation, with the stalwarts (Lions Mike and Kathie Bell and Lions Bill and Carla Miller) attending. Non-Lion Larry Ruthie and non-Lion Lori Gerald were also there. (Both have walked in past years, Lori for the first time in 2005). One Lion (Lee G. was too ill to attend) and one Lion was simply AWOL! It has been fun, but life moves on and our future personal plans basically preclude further attendance (for the Lions Bell anyway). If I had a taping of "Taps", I'd put in on this webpage and you could listen to it...
______The 2006 "Relay Walk For Life" (AKA "Relay") has come and gone. This event occurred from the afternoon of 9 June 2006 to shortly after dawn on the 10th. While I'd like to say "it was a smashing success", that would be lying. The event was deeply flawed. The best explanation for this failure of execution has to be the comparative inexperience of these in charge and the fact that last year's Walk was "held" at the National Guard Armoury.
______The last time we held Relay at the Dodge City High School stadium ("Home of the Red Demons!") was in 2004; that was the last time the incomparable Lynette was in charge. In 2004, we mustered at the stadium. Unfortunately, it had been raining heavily and the area where tentsnormally went was under a couple of inches of rain. We held the Introduction of the Survivors under the east bleacher. The Survivors then grouped together for a ceremonial lap and the various teams lined up in order. This was a photo op and various folks were quite happy to take pictures of the teams. Relay ended around midnight that night. The track was wet, more rain and thunderstorms were coming in and very few people were interested in sitting or standing under the stands waiting for the chance to walk.
______In 2005, the Relay Committee realized that it had rained during the day and was going to rain all night. We held Relay in the National Guard Armory. The Guard was quite gracious in offering us this haven. (Much thanks to SFC Gary Salmons and God Willing, he will survive his current tour in Iraq! If they hold a "welcome home" for Gary and his "Soldier boys and girls", I want to bethere to shake his hand and offer him a beer.) The Armory "grinder" (well, meeting hall) simply isn't large enough to do any real walking. Plus, the tables were in the center of the hall and food venders lined the walls. It was a place for strolling and squeezing between folks; walking was nota viable activity. Also, when they read the names of the team members, they left out a great chunk of names. This event ended around midnight.
______Having said this, I'll now wander on to a description and discussion of this year's flawed Relay. It was rather sad...
______This being a typical June, I worked the 5 am to 1 PM shift and then went home to get our stufflaid out. I found the tent and both cots. I had to hunt for the tent and cots because the last place Ilooked was where I stored them in 2004; somehow I'd gotten it in my head that I'd moved them...
______I found the tent poles for holding the tent up but I couldn't find the tent stakes. So, when LionKathie (my wife) got home, we went to Ace Hardware to buy tent stakes. They didn't have any. I asked where I could buy some. The only place she mentioned as Walmart (she didn't mention theother hardware store in town). Kathie and I loaded the car and went to the 2nd Street Dillions,where I bought a large bag of ice (we had already put a case of bottled water in the ice chest). Then, it was onto Walmart. The clerks there were very helpful. I went into the outside their Garden Shop and asked a girl where the tent stakes were sold. She had me ask on older lady, who said "Sporting Goods". I went through the inside Garden Shop, hung a right and started looking for Sporting Goods. I couldn't find it. I did find a very helpful lady in the paint shop who directed me towards the Sporting Goods department. I asked a young man (a clerk) if he knew where the tent stakes where? He said he'd just put out some and showed me where they were. (It's nice when the clerks don't say "We're out and we don't have any more in the storeroom.") I dreaded the thought of having to wait behind Mothers buying milk on the WIC program or folks seemingly doing a month's worth of shopping. I asked this clerk "Is there anyplace I can check out without having to wait in line?" He said "come with me" and not only "opened" a register but picked the register closest to where I was standing.
______Like I said good clerks. This was a case of "small town hospitality"...
______At the Relay the tent sites are located in a small grassy area off the north end of the football field.We parked near then are lugged the tent, tent poles and stakes, sleeping bag and both cots, four folding chairs and finally, the ice chest (to which I'd added a couple of cans of Diet Pepsi).
______I started putting up the tent whilst Lion Kathie moved our car to an approved parking spot. The kind of tent we have is such that it takes two people to put it up. When she got back, it only took a couple of minutes to erect the tent. The next problem was in putting the tent stakes in. We had forgotten the hammer! But, I'd brought a couple of wrenches for putting the cots together. Instead of using them, Kathie was able to borrow a hammer and we used that! Then, Kathie asked me if Iwas going to put the cots together. In past years, I'd put the cots together and team members would nap on them after midnight. It occurred to me that we might not have any team members wanting to nap. I was right; the only team members who stayed after midnight were Larry Ruthie and Lion Mike Bell. Neither were inclined to nap. After we'd been there a while, Lions Bill and Carla Miller arrived and sat in our folding chairs for a while. Lion Kathie got some dinner for both of us and the Millers decided they'd eat dinner at home.
______Non-Lion Lori Gerard arrived shortly before the 7 PM start time and hung out at out camp site. Then, we walked over to the stadium and sat down. There was a nice introduction and the survivors were asked to gather on the track. (I took "moving pictures" of this.) Each survivor was called forth by name, walked ("movies 1 and 2") to the microphone and announced their name, the cancer they had and how long they'd been a survivor. This was quite moving.
______Next was the Survivor Walk ("a, b and c") and the Releasing Of The Balloons! This was when things really started going wrong! (The survivors did not get a free meal and that probably presaged the evening!)
______Normally, the Survivors start their walk with "The Survivors March" playing. That did not happen. Instead, someone started saying "Go Survivors Go". This "rah-rah" was repeated several times as the Survivors began trundling around the track. (I took two "moving pictures" (or .mov files of this.) It was not impressive and wasn't professional; several Survivors expressed this displeasure after their walk.
______It is (was?) traditional for the teams to form up behind the last of the Marching Survivors in numerical order. Then, photographs can be taken. This did not happen this year! Lion Kathie yelled at the organizing folks "what about the team walk"? [or words to that effect] The organizers appeared baffled. Finally, they announced that teams should start marching. So, the various teams formed up, announced who they were and trundled off around the track. There didn't seem to be any stopping for displays of banners or for photo opportunities. It was a real shame!
______We did the ritual "team lap" and the crowd broke up. Teams starting sending walkers out and our team did as well. We consisted of Lions Millers (Bill and Carla), Lions Bell (Mike and Kathie) and non-Lion Lori Gerard. While some of us went back to the campsite, one or two members walked. The Millers left about 8:30.
______We spent the evening walking and talking. Shortly before 10 PM, Lion Kathie was tired, because she was shaking off the flu, so I drove her home. Since I didn't think we'd have more than Larry and I to walk after midnight, I took the sleeping bags, cots and three of the chairs home. I returned at about 10:15 PM and this was shortly after the 10 PM event started. One of the more touching and moving of the Relay events is displaying the light luminaries. Unfortunately, they only sent out three men to light perhaps 2200 luminaries (they should have sent out a Boy Scout troop or two and several members from each team). It probably would not have mattered as they used cheap candles that apparently were nearly impossible to light. Most of the candles either couldn't be lit or there was no attempt to light them. The most moving events of the night are the reading of the meaning of the night and when they shut off the lights so we can see the lite luminaries and, most importantly, so we can see the lite luminaries arranged in the word "HOPE" across from us on the eastern bleachers. As far as I know, the lights weren't turned off and the"HOPE" luminaries were not lit. This was most disappointing. They may have read the "meaningof Relay" letter but if so, it was done when I wasn't there and the one or two people I asked said they hadn't heard it. That is a real pity!
______The next several hours was very quiet.
______There was no karoke and no kids wailing out songs out of key. As much as the bad singing irritated me in past years, it was something kids could do and for that reason alone they should have done the karoke. They didn't...
______The 1 am meeting actually started around 1:25 am. It was a lot of nice talking but nothing worth waiting around for.
______Around 4:15 am, Larry Ruthi helped Lion Mike break camp (it took two people to break down the tent) and they bought took the tent parts and ice chest to Mike's car. Then, Larry went to histruck and left; Lion Mike drove home, showered and got a good morning's sleep.
______As for people hanging around: at 10 PM, the number of walkers was what you normally see at 3am. At 3 am, there was literally a handful of walkers on the track. I rather doubt that more than10 or 15 folks were present at the closing ceremonies. I guess the threat -er- promise of "coffee and donuts" wasn't enough to get people to hang out till 6:30 am...

2006 Relay Walk - preliminary report

2006-06-13T11:42:00.000-04:00

My preliminary report is a simple one: It was not well organized and not well attended but the spirit was there. Regretably, not all the members of our team could make it. Lions Bill and Carla Miller, Mike and Kathie Bell and a non-Lion, Lori Gerard were present. Lion Lee G. was ill and wasn't able to attend; non-Lion Larry Ruthi arrived just in time for the 10 pm presentaton. The last team member didn't arrive.

Pictures of the 2006 Relay Walk For Life

2006-06-13T11:28:00.000-04:00

Survivors 1

Survivors 2

Survivors Lap part 1

Survivor's Lap part 2

Survivor's Lap part 3

Balloons!

Ulysses "Leo Club" Chartering...

2006-05-21T19:03:00.000-04:00

The "Way Out West" (WOW) Leos Club was chartered on Saturday, 20 May 2006. The Leo's Club can be thought of as the "farm team" for Lions; these teenagers are (we hope!)future Lions as well as good citizens within their communities!

District Governor Robert (Bob) Courtney

Several of the "almost" Leos waiting for the ceremonies to begin...

Back view of Governor Bob and the Minister in whose Church this was taking place.

Lion Kathie Bell (left) and Lion Marian Courtney (center)

One of the Leos...

Several (i.e. 3 to 5) Ulysses Lions and Vice District Governor (Elect) Lion Kathie Bell (foreground)...

The Leo's sponsor...

Primarily a view of the "kids"

Here, the Leos are being told their responsibilities.

Another view of the Leos...

Fareware to (former) Big Lion Jeff Swaim

2006-05-20T15:02:00.000-04:00

Funeral service was held for (former) Big Li0n Jeffrey Lee Swaim the morning of Saturday, 20 May 2006. There was a fine turnout, with five Lions in attendance as well as a numbrer of his family and friends.

Lion Jeff will be missed.

Jeff's family has asked that donations be given to either

Boot Hill Museum of Dodge City, Kansas

Lions (of Kansas) or (International)

Bad News! Lion Jeffrey Swaim was died...

2006-05-14T14:59:00.000-04:00

We've very bad news!

Former Big Lion Jeff Swaim passed away at his home in Colorado; the cause of death is unknown and is believed to be heart failure (heart attack), possibly as a result of liver disease.

It is a sad day indeed for all Lions.

audio blogging...

2006-04-22T12:10:00.000-04:00

I just tried entering an audio blog but it hasn't shown up on this blog. I'm wondering if there is something I have to set for this???

The FAQ doesn't say anything about this...

City election...

2006-04-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

We had our city counsol election and ythe three candidates I supported won!

Since I thought I worked in a room full of people who didn't support these folks, I went to another room and cheered! I later found out I wasn't the only person there who supported those who won...

(Oops...I'm not supposed to be partison about a local election but OH, WEll!, it's my blog...)

Election Results...

2006-03-01T10:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's field of nine candidates was reduced to six candidates. We'll have to pick among them this coming November. I wasn't pleased with the results: two of "my" candidates lost and a candidate who should have lost, won. (I resent this as that candidate wants to "defund" facilities the public voted for!) One candidate who came across as a completely clueless amateur won. (I guess it was the politically correct vote...) Another candidate that I thought would ride the politically correct vote into office candidacy didn't make it. I figure too many people have know about this man and what he did when he was on the Police force. (Or maybe not, it may have been simple racism?)

Well, at least I can say I discussed the issues with my wife and I voted...

Voting Day!

2006-02-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

This is Voting Day in Dodge City!

This is your chance to vote for City Council members, the folks who will decide on how to spend (or is it misspend?) your tax money!

If you can't decide who to vote for, decide who to vote against!

Remember, if you don't vote, you don't have the right to gripe about the results of the election and to openly disdain those you didn't vote against!

failed autioblog recording...

2006-02-28T10:52:00.000-05:00

I attempted to make an "audioblog" recording this morning but it did not save to this web page. This is irritating...

Second night...10 February 2006

2006-02-10T23:42:00.000-05:00

The second night went well. The ventillation system is working well and we've "spoke down" to a good pattern. When we were done for the night, we simply put the "premade batter" in the refrigerator and figure it will be fine the next morning.

We did have a problem with getting used to cooking. One of our cooks had a bad habit of overcooking the pancakes and either burning them or letting them get too tough. "Big Boss Lee" moved this "overcooking Lion" to a different position; this Lion did well there and we reduced our losage.

The preliminary figures show that we did quite well! I'll have to post the figures later.

First night efforts and results...

2006-02-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

Here is my "hot washup^*" of last night's pancake feast!
^*_{"Hot washup is a US Navy term referring to the first reports of an exercise.}

Before going to the Armoury, I washed "Taz", our large bucket we were going to use at the pancake feast.

I arrived at 4:01 pm and found a number of other Lions already hard at work. The pancake mixer was already set up and I began mixing the first batch. I mixed in the amount of water recommended on the package (3 boxes of dry mix and 6 cups of water). The result looked like a bread dough. So, the big Lion poured a box of mix into the water contained (which I had dried out) and it turned out the water required was a bit more than twice what the box suggested. I adjusted the water level and the batter looked better. Oh well...

After Lion Kathie arrived and took over running the mixing, we realized that I had not been putting sausage grease into the mix. We couldn't find any of the clunky coffee cups the guard had stored in their kitchen in previous years. So, we used vegetable oil. I eventually was able to borrow a coffee cup from the NCOIC in charge of the Armoury and we were able to use sausage grease. (I later scrubbed his coffee cup and left it in one of the cubboards.)

The batter mixing went well, the sausage cooking went well and once the cooks got used to the grill, the pancake cooking seemed to go well. (There was one Lion who seemed to have a prepensity for burning pancakes but he was relieved and things smoothed out after that...)

The cleanup wasn't a real problem. I simply rinced off our mixing equipment and we stored it in the refrigerator. There were four "Pink Ladies" (high school girls in a local club) who did a lot of washing, rincing and drying of our utencils. These young ladies (pictures forthcoming) did a really nice job!

The folks who remodeled the Armoury did a truly wonderful job on the vent system! The hood over the grill worked very nicely and the webmaster did not even come close to needing his ashima inhalor. However, after the place closed for the night and the cleanup crew started using a cleaning compound on the grills, the smoke produced was incredible. This smoke set off the smoke detectors. To say they were loud would be an understatement.

Lion Bruce not only heard the smoke detector but jumped.

Lion Bruce is rather deaf but was able to clearly hear this alarm. The webmaster is also somewhat hard of hearing but heard the smoke detector alarm very clearely. After Lion Kathie left the Armoury, she said she could hear the alarm sound echoing off the fire station...

Back to the the turnout:

Although the lines never got very long, we had a lot of visitors. From the first guesstiment of the turnout, it is my opinion that we easily paid for the cost of next year's pancake feast. We're hoping for another good turnout tonight and that money would go for our various charities.

We would normally do somewhat better but we didn't do the Pancake Feast during the Tournament of Champions; folks wondering over from the Tournament of Champions have provided a number of guests to our pancake feast.

All in all, it looks like we had a very nice night and we're hoping for another great night tonight!

current listing of our older webpages on the "Wayback Machine"

2006-02-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

The "Wayback Machine" records for the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club webpages:

Apr 23, 1999

Apr 24, 1999

Apr 27, 1999

Apr 19, 2000

May 20, 2000

Oct 20, 2000

Jun 26, 2001

Aug 27, 2001

Nov 02, 2001

Dec 02, 2001

Feb 13, 2002

Jun 13, 2002

Aug 10, 2002

Dec 22, 2002

Apr 16, 2003

Jun 21, 2003

Aug 09, 2003

Oct 10, 2003

Dec 09, 2003

Dec 10, 2003

Feb 24, 2004

Jun 22, 2004

Oct 15, 2004

Feb 12, 2005

Mar 10, 2005

Although I've requested the Archives "scan" the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club webpage for my updates, they have not appeared on their system. Apparently there is quite a delay in presentation.

new email address for Dodge City (noon) Lions Club...

2006-02-08T11:26:00.000-05:00

The webmaster has obtained a new email address for the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club. That is:

dodge_city_lions @ hotmail.com

If any luck, those obnoxious spammers won't find out about this email address. Hopefully, they will continue to bombard our old email address (ddc_lions@hotmail.com) with their written feces.

Actually, I lost the password and the MSM password recovery system was not working!

preparations for the Pancake Feast, status of...

2006-02-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

At the meeting today, the Big Lion asked for voluenteers to help with final details for the pancake feast tomorrow. Needed were folks to be the plastic table cloths on the tables. I (being one of the two pancake makers) arrived a bit late becasue I'd tried selling a couple more tickets at work. Anyway, I cleaned both mixing bowls and the two different types of mixing "thingies".

"Thingies" is a highly descriptive and technical term used by then Colonel Jack O'Neille (a character on the TV show "Stargate: SG1".)

Saturday working party (5 days to the pancake feast!)

2006-02-05T12:10:00.001-05:00

xxx

Saturday working party...

2006-02-05T12:10:00.000-05:00

.....

Saturday working party and 5 days till the 2006 Pancake Feast!

2006-02-05T11:33:00.000-05:00

Lion Kathie and I arrived at the National Guard Armoury just after 9 am and found only Lion Bruce there. We were just a bit worried but several more Lions had arrived by 9:15. We then started hauling out the chairs. There were on very nicely made racks constructed by Brian Shirley of Dodge City. After hauling them, we started putting the tables on racks, also constructed by Brian and hauled them out.

I noticed a man with a what appeared to be a working party of four younger men. They were. It seemed that someone (the Big Lion?) had arranged for a working party from CREW (Community Recycling Environmental Waste) to come over and help. (Working at CREW is often assigned as public service for those who'd gotten traffic tickets.) These fellows helped set up tables and put our chairs. They did a nice job and their boss Jane Longmeyer can be proud of them. They left without asking the "Boss Lions" and I'm afraid I'm guilty of not asking them to stay.

The next task was trying to clean off both grills. These had been covered with the plywood floor plates the grills sat on and then more clutter was placed on them. We cleaned them off, put the floor plates at the proper place on the drill floor and began to clean them off. At one point, I resorted to using a broom to sweep the majority of dust and dirt (from the remodeling) off. Big Lion Keith used his knife to scrap off the crap in the corners and another Lion did the same for the little grill. They were a mess!

Our big worry was that all three of the knobs were missing on the big grill. We were convinced the construction crews had torn them off. I pointed out that the knobs had each fitted into a screw and that we could probably turn them with a screw driver and maybe a wrench. Lion Lee G. was talking about getting a repair man to fix this. Fortunately, it turned out the "constructos" had removed the knobs. We could find two of them, so we're going to have to rotate one between two "posts". After the pancake feast this year, we're going to remove the knobs and put them someplace safe...

Lion Lee G. and I both worked on cleaning off the interior of the refrigerator; it wasn't too bad but definitely needed the cleaning. After that, I started wiping off tables and chairs and Lion Lee G. swept the kitchen floor. He didn't get too far as there was no dustpan...

While I was wiping tables, a family of five arrived and wanted to knew "when the pancake breakfast will be"? I told them "this coming Thursday and Friday nigths and Saturday morning. Why do you ask?" It seemed the Dodge City Globe had reported that our pancake feast was starting on the 4^th and not the 9^th. Oooops!

While this was happening, Lion Vernon and Lion Dave worked on fixing a couple of broken tables.

About 10:40, Lion Vernon went out for coffee and about 10:50, we all sat down for that most Lions of activities for our club: drink coffee and talk!

Lion Kathie left early (about 9:40) because she had a "Relay For Life" meeting to go to.

Something odd happened...

I was checking out the fixtures in the men's room (using the urinal, actually), when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the back of a slender, medium height soldier rush into the Men's Room and disappear into a stall. I didn't think much of this.

About a half hour later, I was standing in the kitchen door and using the broom to dust off racks. A slender, medium hight young woman in cammie uniform walked by with a cell phone plastered to her left ear. She glanced back and me with a little smile. A couple of minutes later, she walked in through the front door and glanced at me again. I got the feeling she knew me from somewhere...

She might have been the one who'd shown me the batter mixing gear and the kitchen?

It later occurred to me that I hadn't seen any male soldiers at the Armoury that morning and this young woman was the only one I'd seen. I strongly suspect she had used the Men's Room at the same time I did...

can't give them away...

2006-02-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

I took my bundle of tickets for the Lions Club this coming
week. I went to the library, with the intention of giving
three tickets to the reference librarian (Sam); Sam has
helped me greatly over the years when I was looking for
material. He wasn't there...

I went to the clinic, with the intention of giving tickets
to my MD and his nurse. The nurse sounded offended that I
would even offer them (I now believe that she really means
it when she said she didn't want them). My MD was with
patients and so I left.

I'll have to go back to the hospital and the library on
Moanday.

summer in January 2006???

2006-02-03T12:32:00.000-05:00

A nice discussion of the overly warm January we just had!

There is a problem with viewing this with "IE"
(Internet Explorer) and you'll want to use other browsers.

I edited this the next day and had to erase the URL, find it on the "weather.gov/ddc" webpage and re-enter it. Bummer!

...SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER...

2006-02-03T10:28:00.000-05:00

More on this rather tepid January. For those whose browser may fail to display this product, here is the text of this rather interesting message:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
1221 PM CST THU FEB 2 2006

...SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER...

SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER? WHAT WINTER? THIS HAS BEEN AN UNUSUALLY MILD WINTER SO FAR ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS WITH SEVERAL DRAMATIC STATISTICS EVOLVING.

AFTER A COLD START TO DECEMBER AND ANOTHER BRIEF SPELL OF COLD IN MID-DECEMBER, WINTER SIMPLY VANISHED ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL FIRSTS SINCE THEN. AS OF TODAY, THERE HAVE BEEN 44 DAYS IN A ROW THAT THE DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE HAS BEEN ABOVE
NORMAL. THE LONGEST SPELL SINCE 1948 WAS 48 DAYS FROM JULY 26 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 11TH IN 1983.

JANUARY OF THIS YEAR ENDED UP AS THE WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD, SMASHING THE PREVIOUS RECORD. THIS YEAR THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 42.9 DEGREES OR A WHOPPING 12.8 DEGREES ABOVE THE NORMAL OF 30.1! THIS JANUARY WAS ALSO THE WARMEST ABOVE NORMAL OF ANY MONTH SINCE 1875!

JANUARY WAS ALSO THE FIRST MONTH (OF ANY MONTH) SINCE 1948 THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY HAD AN AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE ABOVE NORMAL. THE MONTH ALSO SAW AN UNUSUAL AMOUNT OF 50, 60 AND 70 DEGREE DAYS. AT
DODGE CITY THERE WERE 26 DAYS THAT THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 50 DEGREES, 13 TIMES THAT 60 WAS REACHED AND FIVE TIMES THAT 70 DEGREES OR HIGHER WAS REACHED.

ANOTHER RECORD THAT WAS SET (SINCE 1948) IS THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL FOR A 31 DAY PERIOD. THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE FOR THE PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 21 THROUGH JANUARY 20TH WAS 14.2 DEGREES ABOVE
THE CLIMATOLOGICAL AVERAGE FOR THE SAME PERIOD. THIS IS THE HIGHEST 31 DAY TOTAL SINCE 1948.

AND FINALLY, THIS IS THE 3RD WARMEST START TO WINTER SINCE 1875. THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE FOR DECEMBER AND JANUARY WAS 38.0 WHICH IS 6.4 DEGREES ABOVE THE 1971-2000 NORMAL. THE WARMEST START WAS IN 1876 WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE FOR THAT SAME PERIOD WAS 40.0 DEGREES.

A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE UNUSUAL WARM WITH DETAILED GRAPHS AND TABLES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEB SITE...WHICH IS:

WEATHER.GOV/DDC

CLICK ON THE LINK UNDER TOP NEWS OF THE DAY AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

$$

HUTTON

hot January in Kansas...

2006-02-03T07:34:00.000-05:00

A nice discussion of the overly <a
href="http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=ddc&storyid=1358&source=0">hot</a>
January we just had.

2006-01-26T14:25:00.000-05:00

status of the mixer

I went to the armoury today and it was locked up. The 2^nd time I went, I was able to get inside. I stuck my head into an office with this grumpty "old" (in his late 30s) Sergeant and told him "I'm with the Lions and I want to check the pancake mixer". He told this young (early 20s) spec 4 to take me there and that it was "under the garbage bag". Well, she showed it to me and everything was there:

* the mixer itself,
* both mixing bowls,
* the Mineora (actually, a form of mixer) and
* the whisk style mixer.

She then showed me the kitchen and I found there are no deepsinks. However, I should be able to buy a plastic hose with spray end at Ace Hardware and use that for cleanup. Otherwise the kitchen looks fine.

When I left, I said "Thank you, Sergeant" to the young lady who'd escorted me. I thought she'd correct me about her rank but she smiled and said "you're welcome".

About 20 minutes later, as I was leaving Dillions, it occurred to me that she'd been grateful for the thanks and after the quick impresison I'd gotten from her boss, I can see why! I can only hope she gets transferred to a better working environment...

2006-01-23T12:16:00.000-05:00

New email address for the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club (for webmaster usages):

dodge_lions @ hotmail.com

Lion in the News...

2006-01-18T16:47:00.000-05:00

Lion Mike was quoted:

http://dodgeglobe.com/stories/011806/loc_20060118003.shtml

Report on the 2006 Mid-Winter Lions Rally

2006-01-18T10:51:00.000-05:00

First day: Friday, 13 January 2006:

We checked into the hotel (Holiday Inn in Salina Kansas), went to lunch and mustered for dinner about 6:15 pm. We sat with some Lions we know from other clubs and enjoyed the evening. There were no meetings for the "common Lions" and we retired to our rooms.

Second day: Saturday, 14 January 2006:

This was the heart of the rally. First, we had breakfast, then Lion Kathie and I split up the meetings we went to. I can only address the meetings that I personally attended (I'm still bugging Lion Kathie to type up a discussion of the rally, from her view point.)

Band: There was a great deal of anger over Lions Band members who either didn't show up or left early. One student, who left after only 20 minutes! This irresponsible lad did not tell anyone he was leaving; it was only when he came up missing at evening roll call that anyone knew he'd split. Apparently, not even his family knew he'd deserted the camp Lions had paid for!

Had something happened to this ingrate, you can bet that Lions International would have been held responsible for failing to supervise and failing their duties of being in loco parentis! That is a burden my brother and sister Lions don't deserve!

Anyway, there was talk about holding back some of the funding paid to the student musicians should they fail to show or leave early but that was (I think) tabled.

The band folks said they needed help with the Country Store and State Band at Convention.

Special Seminar: Hearing problems: This was a no-show; I don't know what happened to the presenters...

Special Seminar: Diabetes Care and Lions Eye Health Programme: This was very well done and had a number of good handouts. They also gave the attendees a $15⁰⁰ briefing CD for free! I was quite happy to receive one and will have to present it at various places such as a Lions meeting, maybe at work, perhaps a Kiwanis meeting (I know their President and hope I haven't angered her lately...). I'll have to think of any other places I could go with this. Perhaps the Diabetes Support group that meets at the local hospital 3^rd of each month?

Historical and State Publications Committee: A couple of very nice and very dedicated Lions are running the Historical section of Kansas Lions and managing the State Publications. They told me how much it costs for the big newsletter (US$ 109/page!) and are thinking of doing their bound books on "print on demand".

I suggested that folks could simply download their documents in PDF form and put them in loose leaf notebooks. I also suggested they could do this as well. It seems to me the important thing is the history and not if it is in a bound book.

I told them about "blogs" and promised that I would create a "Lions History blog". This would be set up so that the Presidents or Secretaries of each club could then submit material. (I would set them up as "members" as I don't want "administer" access to go beyond these two ladies and me; "administer access" means a person can delete the entire blog!

There was some concern whether the "blogs" would meet the International Lions standards for web pages but I assured them that while a "blog" is published on a webpage, it is not a webpage. I also told them that I doubted if my Lions Web page would meet Intenational's standards (I have my own ideas of what a webpage should look like and I doubt the "bells and whistles" happy professional webpage makers would agree with me). No matter! Freedom of the press belongs to the owner of the press!

As an aside, while I intended to be the webmaster of the Lions History blog, I'm since decided that two professionals (Roberta Funke and Thelma Brown) should do this as they're the pros and I am basically an ego driven scribbler (well, touch typist). I'll have to ask the ladies tomorrow.

LCIF: There was a proposal to create a manual on getting publicity.

Past District Governor Dan Funke: We're losing clubs and Lions and need to reverse this trend. PDG Funke spoke very eloquently on this subject. It boiled down to

* getting the Lions Clubs more involved in their communities and
* getting good publicity for our Lions activities.

It would be hard to top PDG Funke's speech (homily?) and tis a shame it wasn't filmed for playing at ever Kansas Lions Club!

Finally, a leadership seminar had this title:

Manage with your mind
Lead with your heart

Of all the leadership classes I took in the Navy (1980s) and Lions Leadership Seminars, this one made about the most sense. The speaker (I didn't write down his name.) also said: "Challenge others to meet your vision and to embrace your vision." He had some handouts and they not only made sense but they revealed why leadership can be so very hard and yet so vary rewarding. This business of getting others to "embrace your vision" revealed the root cause for something that always bothered me about the United States Navy: why was the leadership so damn bad? Probably because the "leaders" were all "managers" who gave orders knowing they would be obeyed. I'm not even sure there were visions to be sold...

We broke for dinner in the late afternoon. I even did the barely thinkable and wore a suit coat! Lion Kathie wore a very nice dress and she looked smashing! I'll have to link in photos when I get them developed and digitized (that'll be next week probably...)

The International President, Ashok Mehta is from Mumbai, India, is from India. It didn't occur to me until later that the meal choice of ham or cod (which avoided the usual beef) was made out of respect to his probably being Hindu. Well, I'll give up "the muscle tissue of immature, castrated, male bovines" (to quote a line from "If This Goes On" by Robert A. Heinlein if it will display good hospitality. (Did you know that scholars think the true sin at Sodom was inhospitability?)

Our own International Director Ernie Young introduced the International President, who gave a very nice speech (albeit a bit hard at times to understand as Indian English is a bit different the U.S. English...)

It was quite an honour to meet this outstanding gentleman and his wife. Speaking with him alone was worth the time and expense of attending the mid-winter rally!

Two ornate tea pots were given to the two Lions with the least membership time. Then, the tea pots, which served as centre pieces at each table, went to the "Junior Lions" (that is, those with the least time in Lions).

After the dinner ended, it was getting late and Lion Kathie and I retired to our room. (I should point out that Lion Kathie and I have been married for 26+ years...) We passed the bar on the way but neither of us are willing to enter a smoke filled room to drink overpriced beer - even a good lager.

Third day: Sunday, 15 January 2006:

The day began with breakfast and then we attended a rather nice church service. After than, we checked out and drove for home. Actually, we went to a meeting of the Santa Fe Trail Association.

Re: Celebrating Dr. King's Legacy Everyday

2006-01-16T16:53:00.000-05:00

VADM Conrad C. Lautenbacher Jr., USN (Ret.) wrote:

Celebrating Dr. King's Legacy Everyday

January 13, 2006

Celebrating the birth and legacy of Martin Luther King provides us the perfect opportunity to reflect on the great potential lying within each of us. By example, Dr. King taught us that a single person firmly committed to principles can overcome any challenge. He also firmly believed in the power of diverse individuals coming together to achieve a common goal.

We are all familiar with Dr. King’s great dream. We know how far we’ve come and yet how far we still must go to achieve that dream. Our collective hope is that the country and the world will continue to move toward a society where people are judged by the content of their character. We should indeed embrace and participate in that essential effort. I would also urge each of you as NOAA team members to work together to accelerate our progress internally in building an organization which embodies and exemplifies Dr. King’s philosophy.

At NOAA, I believe that we should strive to create an environment where each individual feels empowered to achieve their personal and professional goals to the very utmost of their desire and ability. In addition, NOAA’s greatest value in public service to the nation is created by the sum of its parts. To that end, all of us must remain firmly committed to the principles of diversity. Only by encouraging and seeking a wide range of viewpoints and experiences can we fully capitalize on the potential of the entire NOAA family working together.

So, let us celebrate Dr. King’s birthday in gratitude for the change he led, in appreciation for the valuable life lessons he taught, and in recognition of his eternal optimism when he had every reason to see the glass empty, much less half full. Let us also remember and reflect on how those valuable lessons he taught still apply to our lives today. In doing so we can ensure that Dr. King’s legacy will continue to flourish!

Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr.
Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator
___________________________________________________________
This message was generated for the Under Secretary of Commerce for
Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator by the NOAA Information
Technology Center/Financial and Administrative Computing Division

2006-01-15T21:17:00.000-05:00

A lovely set of religious songs.

At the Winter 2006 Mini Rally in Salina today (15 January 2006), the religious service was provided by a minister of the Church of Christ. He lead us in prayer, lead us in singing th eLord's Prayer (with some non-traditional wording that works for me better than the traditional version) and then a series of songs.

I don't know the copyright status of these songs but strongly suspect that Preacher would give me permission to display the words. I think of this as an "archive copy" and I believe it to be legal. If not, I will humbly remove this pdf file.

The songs

"I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar"...

2006-01-12T15:25:00.000-05:00

I am Woman

(Lion), hear me Roar!

2005-12-29T14:20:00.000-05:00

Great News! The Lions have won!

As of this morning, the Dodge City (noon) Lions Club raised the most money for the Salvation Army!

We'd like to think it was all our bell ringing but the Salvation Army Secretary told Lion Kathie that an anonymous donor had kicked in a "check for several thousand dollars" yesterday and that had put the Lions well above the rest. Now, the official figures won't be out until tomorrow so I probably should not be publishing this (lest the dreaded "K" - Kwanias!) learn of this and scroung up a few thousand dollar$ extra but I think it will be safe to publish.

Actually, I kind of wish the Kwanias could raise some extra money. The Salvation Army is a very good cause and unlike the Red Cross, the "Army" does not hire crocked temps. Said croked temps dispensed lots of money to their relatives in southenr California. (Yet another reason to dislike southern California...)

To recap: Whos the first place winners?
Answer: The Dodge City (noon) Lions are the winners!

Happy New Years!

Presidental "Happy Holidays" message (AKA "Merry Christmass Message") for 2005

2005-12-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

To all DOC employees (DOC is Department of Commerce)

President Bush sends the following Holiday Message to the
Employees of the
Federal Government:

"I send greetings to all Federal employees and your
families as you
celebrate this holiday season.

Federal service is a high calling and an expression of
responsible
citizenship. By working to improve lives, advance
prosperity, and protect
our homeland, you strengthen our country and help many
realize the promise
of America. Your spirit of professionalism and dedication
reflects the
best of our society and contributes to the success of our
great Nation.

Laura and I send our best wishes to you and your loved
ones during this
season of hope and joy. May God bless you, and may God
continue to bless
America."

Signed George W. Bush

A facsimile of the letter can be viewed at
http://www.osec.doc.gov/hm.tif

__________________________________
This message is authorized by ExecSec

Nice job, Lion Art!!!

2005-11-06T21:07:00.000-05:00

After last Wednesday's meeting, Lion Art Foote told me
that he had some cans for the Relay Walk For Life. We got
to the parking lot and I could tell he had three huge bags
of cans. As I was hauling them to Lummox (my '84
Suburban), we found another two large bags and a small
one. I already had three bags from work in the back of
Lummox.

I hauled them to the recycling centre before going to work
that afternoon. Since the proceeds were going to fund
Cancer Research, we get an extra nickle a pound.

We ended up with $17.25!

This may not seem like much but every penny counts! Maybe
if folks had kicked in this amount years ago, my Mother's
best friend might not have died of brain cancer a couple
of weeks ago...

NOTE: My Suburban is the only vehicle I've every names.
"Lummox" since it has a p--s poor turning radius.

Highway pickup ended...

2005-11-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

Around May 2004, Lion Kathie announced at the general club
meeting that we were going to stop doing highway pickup.
There just were not enough people turning out for it!

Well, some of the board members jumped her about this at
the next board meeting (June 2004). It seemed they were
offended that they had not been consulted. Such a change
needed the blessings of the full board and simply could
NOT be done by a mere Person-In-Charge!

My wife (Lion Kathie) didn't think I supported her enough
on this matter and I heard about it for the next year...

The spring 2005 cleanup up was somewhat well attended but
Lion Kathie wasn't pleased. The October 2005 cleanup was
the one that ended it!

We had eight (8) Lions signed up. The night before highway
cleanup, Lion Kathie began calling around to remind
people. Three (3) of the Lions who had signed up thanked
her for the call with "I had forgotten about it". The next
morning, only four (4) Lions showed up. It was a complete
disaster.

Lion Karla should not have been walking the grass because
her immune system is damaged. Another Lion has a very back
back and should not have been there. Anyway, Lion Kathie
swore she would never have another highway cleanup. She
called the county folks and arranged for returning the
county equipment. Then, I swore that I'd back her
absolutely at the October board meeting!

I was primed!

Immediately after Lion Kathie had announced the poor
results of the highway cleanup and her recommendation that
it be ended, the club secretary (Lion Donna) jumped in
with: "We should stop doing highway cleanup. It's too hard
on people and we just don't have enough members [to do the
work]".

We were stunned; last year, Lion Donna was one of the
board members who had been upset at Lion Kathie wanted to
shutdown our highway pickup. Now, she was backing Kathie
so hard it almost seemed like it was her idea all along...

The measure passed with all board members voting to end
the highway pickup.

I guess this means I won't have to find filled diapers
near one mobile home park and won't find racist rap music
and won't find bottles filled with dark fluids which
probably came from crystal meth labs, etc...

Lion Mike!

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Newest future Lion!

2005-11-05T21:23:00.000-05:00

Lion Don has just become a great-grandfather! (We figured
his was an outstanding if not great GRANDFATHER anyway!)
His grandson, Hal Jerrod has just added another "Jerrod"
to the family tree. Mother and son are doing fine and if
GREAT- grandpa Don mentions the newborn we will FINE him.

Come to think of it, if Don doesn't mention his great-
grandson, I will and I think I can can get Don fined for
the mentioning!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A nice cartoon!

2005-10-29T00:33:00.000-04:00

A funny cartoon for Lions!

I am Lioness, hear me roar!

map to new meeting place...

2005-08-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

Since today (17 August 2005) is the last day the Lions
will be meeting at the Dodge City Knights of Columbus
hall, I thought it might help to put in a map of the
location of the new lunch and board of directors meeting
place: Casey's Cowtown at 503 East Trail.

I also wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to Linda, at
the Knights, for all the good things she had done for the
Lions. This includes the meals, the 75th Birthday
celebration and just be a nice person to deal with.

We will miss Linda but then I've known Mike Casey for
years and I know we've got a fine place to go to!

orphan drug patients dying for lack of profits...

2005-08-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

There was a "Dr. Gouta" {sp} article on CNN about a little girl who was
dying from a rare cancer. She was treated with an expensive drug. She
was beating this disease when her MD was told that there was only enough
of the drug for sixty (60) patients.

The unnamed drug company's bean counters decided that they would never
be able to recoup the development and manufacturing costs for this drug
so the company would stop producing it. After all, the company had to
account to their stock holders and would be held accountable for
deliberately losing money. That "wouldn't be prudent"! The fact that
future patients would die is incidental and too damn bad!

Why not give other companies the patient rights to manufacture this
needed drug? Oh, if this compnay can't make money off a drug, then no
one else should be able to. "Wouldn't be prudent!"

My wife and I were furious when we heard this. We can just hope this
company gets buried under "wrongful death" suits. But, pessimistically,
this company will probably get judges to throw the suits out or more
likely, buy politicians who will pass special laws to protect the
unnamed company. (Opps! I can't say "buy politicians". That could be
slander. I guess I should say "give big donations to politicians who
then pass bills to benefit given drug companies". My question: will
these politicians be what Robert A. Heinlein called "honest
politicians"? That is "politicians who stay bought". We'll see.)

----------------------------------------------------------------

possible problems with the January 2006 Lions Pancake Feast...

2005-08-12T15:04:00.001-04:00

The Armoury, where the Lions and Kawanis hold their annual Pancake
Feasts, is doing more than just remodel their kitchen. They are
remodeling their entire facility!

We were told they would be done around 6 January 2006 but we all know
how construction schedules can slide. The Kawanis are not going to be
able to hold their pancake feast there at the start of Pheasant Hunting
Season. They will have to use the Knights of Columbus hall. If the
Armoury isn't finished in time, the Lions will have to also.

Then, given how everything is likely to be moved from the Armoury, we
have to worry about the state our chairs and tables will be in. How many
will be destroyed or damaged beyond usage from careless moving. For that
matter, the more skilled worriers (like me) will be wondering if tables
and chairs will simply disappear?

Another worry is that Lion Mike Ryba, the highly capable Master of the
Pancake Feast, is refusing to do it this year. (Lion Mike has some very
serious medical problems.) We're hoping that he will do the brain work
and will have others (like me) to do the labour. I hope so. I sincerely
do not want to take over the pancake feast planning and execution. There
is a lot more work involved that club members seem to realize...

Several years ago, I forecast that our Pancake Feast wouldn't make it to
2010. I am now wondering if the 2005 Pancake Feast was our last or if
the 2006 Pancake Feast will be our last.

If we lose the Pancake Feasts, we will lose our major fund raiser and we
(the club) will be firmly in our (the club that is) death spiral. God, I
hope not!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

a parting shot...

2005-08-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

We have held our monthly board meeting at The Inn Pancake House for
several years now. We decided last month to stop meeting there when we
started meeting at Casey's Cowtown. I wonder if someone told them?

Anyway, when the Board of Directors meet there yesterday, they were told
a different group had our meeting room and we would have to take a
couple of tables in the smoking section. Lion Kathie had been looking
forward to free lunch at her job when Lion Courtney asked her to attend
the meeting. It seemed that Lion Courtney (the District retention
person) wanted to talk with our club about recruiting and retention.
Against her will, Lion Kathie attended. She had to buy her own lunch and
the person Lion Courtney wanted to see didn't attend the meeting...

This eviction had the feel of a preemptive "stick it" and not much of a
last meeting. Suzy, the person who runs the restaurant, wasn't there and
she would have seen to our getting a private room. However, it will be
easier for our Board to start meeting at Casey's. There will be a lot
less guilt anyway.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

2005-08-09T19:52:00.000-04:00

Comments on Lions ushering at the 2005 Dodge City Rodeo...

Lions sered as ushers at the 2005 Dodge City Days Rodeo...

I think the Lions service as ushers at the Dodge City Day’s Rodeo went
well. Several of us served
in this manner. Possibly the most
complicated was the south end, where we had nine sections to
direct
people to and a number of people to firmly direct to “general
seating” (at the north end of
the seating).

height="431" width="212">

src="http://www.dodgecity.net/lions/arena.gif">

We will be paid for this work. Many years ago, we
sold the programmes for the Rodeo but that has been going to other
organizations. The Lions has been doing the ushers. This work is
easier and we’ve gotten paid better for this than when we sold
programmes. I think the audience would rather be
“ushered” by an older group (Lions) than a much
younger group (i.e. high school kids). The kids, on the other hand,
probably do a better job of selling programmes due to that “kids
selling stuff for the school...” (Perhaps not but it is a
hypothesis.)

The most amusing part was the last night (Sunday
the 7th) when it started raining. We had to go beneath the south
bleachers and discovered the water pouring between the planks above
simply turned rain into a shower. Oh, well, it was over fairly
quickly and everyone seemed to take it well. Especially the folks
who left for a beer tent...

My only frustration was that the
Lion in charge of seating on Saturday thanked Lion Kathie for her
help and said to me “Mike, we really didn’t need you
tonight”. What a way to say “thank you for standing in the
heat for over two hours”. Oh, well, it was about what I expected
and I’m wondering just what this Lion will be like when she is
President...

NOTE: The purple squares at the bottom are for
"General Admition Seating". In this image, North is to the bottom
and East is on the right side.

On a different subject, the Rodeo was very nicely done. I like the
barrel chase (rider goes around three barrels and rides back to the
starting point). My wife (Lion Kathie) prefers the last act: the bull
riding. I like it as well as it is quite impressive.

We didn’t like the act where a monkey was tied to the back of a Border
Colly. The dog then herded three antelope like sheep around the stadium
and finally into a trailer. A lot of folks apparently liked this monkey
but we didn’t. There was too much praise of the “Cowboy Monkey” and none
for the dog which actually did all the thinking and work. Perhaps they’ll
come up with a better act next year?

Dr. R.C. Trotter, the head of the Rodeo, “accidentally” got a
more spired horse that he’d expected on the third night. This horse
apparently took Dr. Trotter, at better than a Trot(ter), around the
stadium.

On the lighter side, there was a John Deere tractor which was used to
pull a tiller around the stadium and fluff up the
dirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Glorious Landing!!!

2005-08-09T09:13:00.000-04:00

We watched the landing of Discovery on the TV at work. The
whole office sat around from about 6:45 am CDT to about
7:15 CDT to watch this.

It was quite a relief to see that everything apparently
went well. As one fellow said "I bet there are no atheists
on there!" He was probably right. Any atheists on-board at
the start of the mission most likely were not at landing
time!

It was glorious and well worth watching!

It's nice to know that NASA can still do stuff correctly.
Now, they just have to come up with a far better orbiter
and I fear that they won't be able to do so...

the webmaster at age 25...

2005-08-05T21:43:00.000-04:00

This
<"http://users.pld.com/mwbell/scared.jpg">
picture</> was taken when I was 25 and was about
to experience my 2nd parachute jump. It was both a
memorable one and my last. You can't tell but my hair was
red then; it has turned mouse brown with white sideburns
since

Two upcoming meetings in Great Bend and Dodge City...

2005-08-04T21:24:00.000-04:00

We are having a State Counsel meeting in Great Bend Kansas
on the 13th. This will be at the usual place, the Holiday
Inn.

On the 20th, there will be a Cabinet meeting in Dodge City
Kansas at the Boot Hill Museum conference room.

Crisis over! We've got a new meeting place!

2005-08-03T21:21:00.000-04:00

Crisis over!

The Dodge City Lions will move our meeting place from the
Knights of Columbus to Casey?s Cowtown on Wednesday, 24
August 2005.

Over the past couple of days, Lion Kathie talked with the
folks at Boot Hill Museum about using their dining room.
They offered soup and sandwich at a reasonable price but
there are access issues for the older Lions.

At the meeting today, Big Lion Keith held a board meeting
after the speaker talked. He had contacted the Inn Pancake
House (the place where our board meetings are held). They
will willing but one Wednesday a month, the meeting room
is taken by another club. Keith thought about contacting
the Dodge House but didn?t because Dodge House has a very
bad reputation for changing managers every three or four
months. The outgoing managers have had a bad habit of not
?passing down? pre-arranged meetings. This happened when
the Santa Fe Trail Association meet there and they did
worst to the Kiwanis. (Several years ago, the ?new chef?
charged the Kiwanis a $60 set up fee and wanted so much
for food that the Kiwanis skipped lunch. The Kiwanis
refused to pay this setup fee as they had not been warned
it could be levied. The police were brought in and
arranged a settlement. A month or so later, the ?new chef?
was sent back to New York City by the new owner.
Admittedly, there is a fine bunch running the restaurant
now but to quote a Japanese proverb: ?The reputation of a
thousand years can be set in an hour?. ) Actually, our
main reason for rejecting Dodge House was we were told
we?d have to order off the menu and we were concerned
about how slow this would be on a busy day.

The Freight House offered a very nice price for sandwiches
and a meeting room and we weren?t too concerned about the
drink, tip and tax being extra. We were concerned that
we?d have to order off the menu and on a busy day, they
could take a very long time. Otherwise, they would have
been fine as they have a fine meeting room. However,
getting there required a turn off of Wyatt Earp Blvd and
that can actually be difficult at the lunch hour.

Mike Casey (Casey?s Cowtown) offered us a choice of three
(3) ?ready to go? entries each week. That is, three
different choices each week. The price of meal, drink, tip
and tax would be about $7 or so. This is a nice price and
there is easy access both from the road and getting into
Casey?s Cowtown.

We are delighted by this and we unanimously voted for
Casey?s Cowtown!

We?re looking forward to the move!

2005-08-01T12:10:00.000-04:00

The statue of Pope John-Paul II (a photo that belongs in a nice book!)

It may be vanity on my part but I think this photo deserves to be in a nice book.
Everyone reading this note should read the entire note and write the Government of Guam or their Member of the U.S. House of Representatives!

This statue was origionally built in 1980 to commerate the visit of His Holiness, the Saintly Pope John-Paul II to Guam. The statue was made of bronze, with a "weather proof motor" and was supposed to rotate once per day and to give a blessing to the entire island.

When my wife and I arrived for my first Navy tour on Guam in 1981, the statue's motor had already stopped due to corresion. Since GOV GUAM (Government of Guam) was forbidden to repair the statue, it didn't move again until around 1984 or 1985 (or so I was told) when GOV GUAM repaired the motor. It was not rotating when we arrived for my second Navy tour on Guam in 1986 (and my wife's disasterous last tour working for a sexist Naval Captain).

I've written Guam's Respresenitive in the U.S. House of Representatives many times since asking about the status of this statue and have never gotten a reply.

I'm not surprised!

Guam District Office
Suite 107
120 Father Duenas Avenue
Hagåtña, Guam 96910
phone: 671-477-4272
fax: 671-477-2587

Washington, D.C. Office
427 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515-5301
phone: 202-225-1188
fax: 202-226-0341

major aggreviation...

2005-07-27T16:05:00.000-04:00

A fellow Lion was reading the programme for next month and pointed at the name of the person who was to speak at one meeting. This is a person
my brother Lion and I have worked with and someone we both dislike intensely. The idea of this person invading our club was repugnant to us. My wife (also a Lion) was equally appalled.

We all thought of skipping the meeting but I decided that I wouldn't give this person the satisfaction of knowing that he'd caused me to skip my Lions Club meeting. I won't do this! I will attend and try to be diplomatic.

But, I will avoid the head table come hand shaking time...

a crisis of the meeting place...

2005-07-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

Big Lion Keith held a director's meeting right after the speaker was
though. In a soft voice, he told us that Linda, the Knights of Columbus
manager, has decided to stop serving lunches to the Lions, etc. We've
been asked to leave as quickly as possible.

So, we talked about different places we could meet. One suggestion was
Boot Hill Museum; this would be a good place to meet as it would help
the museum. An alternative would be the luncheon meeting place at The
Freight House restaurant. Their owner has offered better food for a
lower price. There are one or two other places we could meet. Anyway, a
couple of the board members will be looking into the matter.

The irony is that several of us on the board of directors have been
fighting for over a year to keep the club meeting at the Knights of
Columbus! So much for our loyalty...

rained out again or will I really be able to get out of setting up the tent?

2005-06-10T09:18:00.000-04:00

Heavy rain last year made a swamp of the place we were to
put up the tents. No one was allowed to set up tents.
Continued light rain that night reaffirmed this decision.

It rained 0.72 inches at my house in Dodge City this
morning and was still raining after my wife read the 4"
rian gage. There was at least .80 inches at the National
Weather Service about 7:30 this morning. Since the
forecast for rain, thunderstorms and large hail looks good
for tonight, I'm guessing that I won't have to:

* find the tent and cots
* set up the tent this afternoon (spot 4)
* put the blasted cots together
* take them apart and store them tomorrow

I probably shouldn't be so happy at the prospect of not
having to mess with tent, etc. but there you have it!

*******************************************

2005-06-09T14:18:00.000-04:00

"Deadlines and Commitements" (both a Bob Seger line and a comment...)

When I was a child, my parents spent years getting my brothers and I to honour our committments and getting us to meet deadlines. You would think that grown adults would be old masters of this art. It doesn't seem to be the case...

We don't ask much: Try to sell ten (10) "luminaries" for $10 each. If you plan on being on a team, you could ever put aside $10/month over the course of a year. Yes, I know, times are tight, money tight and it might not be possible to save much. Still, the members on our team seem to make enough ca$h to pony up a $100/year.

They could even sell luminaries and other folks can pony up the cash!

We had two team members who didn't raise much ca$h and announced that they would not be attending the "Relay Walk For Life". It seemed that they had business to take care of. Hummm, they'd known about the Relay Walk for months so you'd think they'd be able to arrange their affairs...

One Lady didn't raise any money, didn't sign her sheet and told me (via her husband) that she could not make it to the walk. I was quite disappointed as she had made it to pervious walks since about 2000.

On a positive note, a woman I didn't know was a survivor will be making the Survivor Walk and hopefully, will make one lap with our team.

I probably shouldn't get upset but I learned that "Deadlines and Committements" all too well from my parents...

2005-06-09T14:08:00.000-04:00

Why are the Feds trying to reduce fund raising for non-profits?

Up to three years ago, the Dodge City Elks would host an annual garage sale for the American Cancer Association. All the money raised when to the ACA for anti-cancer research. (Lion Karla has had leucamia(sp) twice. The second time, she would have died but for newly developed medicines!)

Two years ago, we were told the local committe could not directly raise money. The teams would be given shares of the profits and then the teams would turn the money over to the committee. This was great for the "Roaring Lions" as it made us look good! Of course, it was unfair to teams which sent ten or so members to work given that our team could only get two members out to work. (The webmaster and his wife, also a Lion and team President.)

This year, we did not have this fund raiser. It seems that some schmuch in the IRS (the same "gentleman" who was "cracking down on the non-profits") discovered this subterfuge and forced the local committee to call of the garage sale. (Personally, I never enjoyed the garage sale as it was a lot of work; still, I keep thinking of the amount of money that wasn't raised this year...)

Maybe we should send a bill to this schmuck for the missing money???

A Eulogy for "Karl Clore 'Cotton' Bastian", Lion Karla's father

2005-06-07T07:23:00.000-04:00

Here is the eulogy for a fine old gentleman, Cotton
<a
href="http://www.dodgeglobe.com/stories/060605/obi_20050606009.shtml"?>
Bastian</a>. May he rest in Peace!

Mr. Bastian's funeral will be a 10 am CDT today.

President Bush on Memorial Day...

2005-05-27T13:34:00.000-04:00

MEMORANDUM FOR ALL
COMMERCE
EMPLOYEES
 
 
From:    
   
       Secretary Carlos M.
Gutierrez
 
 
Subject:  
   
 Memorial
Day 2005
 
 
 
On Monday May 30, we
will
celebrate
Memorial Day and honor the memory of all members of the
Armed Services
who lost their lives defending and protecting the freedoms
we enjoy and
cherish as Americans.  Each of the men and women who
gave their
lives
was someone’s child, someone’s friend,
possibly
someone’s parent, and
each remains a valued son or daughter of America.  I
ask each of
you
to take time this Memorial Day to remember the courageous
and often
times
difficult service to our country by our fighting men and
women, and to
give thanks for how their dedication and sacrifice have
preserved and
protected
our great Nation.
 
 
I am now honored to
share with
you President Bush’s Memorial Day proclamation.
   
   
 
 
 
     
 
 
               
      ********************
 
Prayer
for Peace,
Memorial
Day, 2005 

A Proclamation by
the
President
of the United States of America 

On Memorial Day,
we honor the
men
and women in uniform who have given their lives in service
to our
Nation.
When the stakes were highest, our Soldiers, Sailors,
Airmen, Marines,
and
Coast Guardsmen answered the call of duty and made the
ultimate
sacrifice
for the security of our country and the peace of the
world. 

Throughout our
Nation's
history,
members of the Armed Forces have taken great risks to keep
America
strong
and free. These proud patriots have defended the innocent,
freed the
oppressed,
and helped spread the promise of liberty to all corners of
the earth.
In
serving our Nation, they have been unrelenting in battle,
unwavering in
loyalty, and unmatched in decency. Because of their
selfless courage,
millions
of people who once lived under tyranny now are free, and
America is
more
secure. 

On Memorial Day,
we remember
that
this history of great achievement has been accompanied by
great
sacrifice.
To secure our freedom, many heroic service members have
given their
lives.
This year we mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World
War II, and
we remember the Americans who died on distant shores
defending our
Nation
in that war. On Memorial Day and all year long, we pray
for the
families
of the fallen and show our respect for the contributions
these men and
women have made to the story of freedom. Our grateful
Nation honors
their
selfless service, and we acknowledge a debt that is beyond
our power to
repay. 

In respect for
their devotion
to
America, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved on
May 11, 1950,
as amended (64 Stat. 158), has requested the President to
issue a
proclamation
calling on the people of the United States to observe each
Memorial Day
as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a
period on that
day when the people of the United States might unite in
prayer. The
Congress,
by Public Law 106 579, has also designated the minute
beginning at 3:00
p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to
observe the
National Moment of Remembrance. 

NOW, THEREFORE,
I, GEORGE W.
BUSH,
President of the United States of America, do hereby
proclaim Memorial
Day, May 30, 2005, as a day of prayer for permanent peace,
and I
designate
the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that
day as a time
to unite in prayer. I also ask all Americans to observe
the National
Moment
of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on
Memorial Day. I
urge
the media to participate in these observances. 

I also request
the Governors
of
the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and
the
appropriate
officials of all units of government, to direct that the
flag be flown
at half staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all
buildings,
grounds,
and naval vessels throughout the United States, and in all
areas under
its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of
the United
States
to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the
customary
forenoon
period. 

IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have
hereunto
set my hand this twentieth day of May, in the year of our
Lord two
thousand
five, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two
hundred
and twenty ninth. 

GEORGE W. BUSH


<div align="center">
# # #
</div>

"Days of Remembrance" (relay of a message origionated by the Secretary of Commerce)

2005-05-09T22:27:00.000-04:00

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">
"From
Liberation to the Pursuit of Justice" has been designated by
the U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum as the theme this year for the Days of
Remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.  The
Holocaust Day of Remembrance this year is May 6, with the observance
continuing through May 8, to memorialize the sixtieth anniversary of
the liberation of Nazi concentration camps by American, British and
Soviet soldiers and the prosecution under international law of major
Nazi war criminals.   In remembering the
millions
of men, women and children who suffered and died during the Holocaust
as a result of racial, ethnic or national persecution, let us remain
ever vigilant against hatred and prejudice and rededicate ourselves to
the principles of freedom and justice for all.
</body>
</html>

2005-04-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

?The April Board of Directors meeting

At the 14 April meeting, we talked about “should we continue highway pickup?” if we don’t get a good turnout. Issue was tabled pending outcome of the forthcoming Highway cleanup scheduled for 16 April 2005. A possible fund raiser idea was brought up by Lion Vernon and will be investigated. The idea sounded good but I want to make sure that we:
a) have enough Lions to carry it out and
b) don’t go into the hold deep enough to endanger the 2006 pancake feast.

Being that we’ve got the summer and fall between then and now, this seems like a very long time from now. It won’t be! That was the meeting...