WELCOME!!
to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning December 11, 2023
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
Please leave a donation to assist our club to do Rotary's good works!
to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning December 11, 2023
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
Please leave a donation to assist our club to do Rotary's good works!
Greeter this week
A compilation
A compilation
***
The Hitchhiker
HeroicStories
by Cathy Weber-Zunker
Minnesota, USA
We never saw strangers — not ever — and here on this sizzling hot evening was a real live one walking up our driveway. A young man, a slightly built hitchhiker, came walking up our long curved gravel road to the house while we kids stood and gawked as he approached our door.
This young man was out in the middle of nowhere. He knew there was a storm coming, and he desperately needed shelter. Not wanting to intrude on our home and family, he asked my dad if he could sleep in our barn for the night for protection from the rain.
Instead of saying yes, my dad loaded us all up in the 1959 Chevrolet: five kids, my mom, and the hitchhiker.
Our family consisted of three older children whose father had died young and three more children from the union of my mother and father. Our older brother Jerry was in the Navy, on a ship somewhere overseas.
It was too far away for me to even imagine what kind of a world he was seeing. All we little kids knew was that Jerry was a very long way from home and that our mom and dad worried about him.
I had never seen my mom sit next to my dad in the car before, but the hitchhiker took her seat near the passenger door, and she scooted to the center next to my dad. Mom watched the man fidget nervously as we drove him 10 miles to the next town, where dad bought the stranger a room for the night along with a hot evening meal.
In the car after we dropped off the hitchhiker, I heard my dad say to my mom, "I just hope that if Jerry ever needs anything, that this kindness will be returned to him."
Weeks later, Dad told my uncle about the hitchhiker. My uncle suggested that perhaps my dad shouldn't have taken the risk of having a stranger in our car. My dad replied, "You are absolutely right. I should have invited him into our home."
Originally published as HeroicStories #698 on March 8, 2007
Canadiana
***
Comments from our guests and members
Members and guests attending our weekly meetings are very important to us. Based on your comments we are able to produce many more educational, inspiring, and entertaining weekly meetings.
Following are some of the comments we have received. Would you please send us your comments?
October 26. Watched all the videos - especially enjoyed the Puffins and Eric Clapton.
-- Patrick Gibson, E-Club of Canada One, District 5370
October 27. Interesting video about fish hatcheries and that the resulting salmon are smaller than if they were bred in the wild.
-- David Werrett, E-Club of Canada One, District 5370
Fellowship Assembly. I like the flexibility that the E-Club offers.
-- Shine Samuel, Rotary Club of Sherwood Park, District 5370
***
|
Archived Meetings
- For meetings before November 12, 2023, please click here.
- All meetings are archived. For meetings after November 12, 2023, please scroll to the very bottom of this page.
***
Announcements
Rotary's theme for December is
Disease Prevention & Treatment
***
In the Zone December 2023 from Bruce Goldsen on Vimeo.
Material Suggestions and Greeter Messages Always Needed!
Please feel free to forward an approx. 150 - 200 word message or any material suggestions in an e-mail, or in a Word document, along with a JPeg picture or two, to E-Club Administration Chair, Kitty Bucsko.
We'd love to hear from you!
***
***
Real-time meetings
Each 3rd Tuesday of the month is our Fellowship Assembly, and we often invite interesting speakers or Rotary Leaders for this entertaining, educational fun event. Plan to join us.
Everyone is welcome to attend and we encourage your participation.
Please click our Event Calendar for details and access Link.
For further inquiries or suggestions please contact: info@rotaryeclubcanada.ca
All our videos can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
***
How do you support our club?
- The Paypal button on our ClubRunner Home Page
- The donation button on the attendance form, or
- Make an Interac transfer to rotaryeclubcanada1@gmail.com
- Send a cheque to:
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
10430 135 Street NW
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5N 2C6
(780) 267 4547
Environment
Humour
***
New members' corner
***
Rotary minute
Rotary International plays a significant role in disease prevention and treatment as part of its global humanitarian efforts. December is designated as Disease Prevention and Treatment Month by Rotary International to highlight the organization's commitment to improving health and well-being worldwide.
1. Polio Eradication: Rotary International is perhaps best known for its dedication to eradicating polio. Since 1985, Rotary has been at the forefront of the global campaign to eradicate this crippling disease. Through fundraising, advocacy, and vaccination campaigns, Rotary has contributed to a drastic reduction in polio cases worldwide.
2. Vaccination Programs: Rotary supports vaccination programs for various diseases beyond polio, including measles, rubella, and more. Rotary clubs collaborate with local health organizations and governments to ensure that vulnerable communities receive access to life-saving vaccines.
3. Health Education: Rotary places a strong emphasis on health education and awareness campaigns. Clubs work to educate communities about the importance of hygiene, sanitation, and disease prevention practices to reduce the spread of diseases.
4. Medical Equipment and Supplies: Rotary provides medical equipment and supplies to underserved regions, improving access to healthcare services. This includes donating items such as hospital beds, surgical instruments, and diagnostic tools.
5. Support for Healthcare Infrastructure: Rotary helps build and improve healthcare infrastructure in areas lacking adequate medical facilities. This includes constructing clinics, hospitals, and health centers to ensure that communities have access to quality healthcare services.
6. Research and Advocacy: Rotary supports research efforts and advocates for policies that promote disease prevention and treatment. Rotary clubs work with experts, governments, and other organizations to advance medical research and public health initiatives.
7. Global Health Partnerships: Rotary collaborates with organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen global health initiatives and maximize the impact of disease prevention and treatment efforts.
8. Fundraising and Grants: Rotary raises funds through various initiatives, including the Rotary Foundation. These funds are used to provide grants to projects focused on disease prevention and treatment, enabling local communities to address specific health challenges effectively.
9. Volunteer Engagement: Rotary mobilizes its vast network of volunteers to actively participate in disease prevention and treatment projects. Members donate their time, expertise, and resources to make a tangible difference in the lives of those affected by diseases.
Through initiatives like polio eradication, vaccination programs, health education, and partnerships with other organizations, Rotary plays a crucial role in reducing the burden of diseases and improving healthcare infrastructure in underserved communities around the world.
***
Food for thought
Words about food you might be mispronouncing
Au jus
oh-ZHOO
This French culinary term means “with the juice.” It typically describes roasted meat served with its own juices (pan drippings). Since the word is French, it’s pronounced “oh-ZHOO” — the “s” is silent. An important cooking note on "au jus" — it’s usually not thickened, which is what makes it distinctly different from gravy.
Açai
uh-SIGH-ee
These dark purple berries have become something of a smoothie-shop celebrity. The generally accepted pronunciation for this Portuguese term stresses the final syllable — “uh-SIGH-ee” — but many people still seem to drop the “ee” altogether, which is incorrect.
BOO(l)-yahn
Bouillon cubes are tiny, flavor-packed additives to make a delicious broth for soup. The word “bouillon” itself is a French term that translates to “liquid in which something has boiled,” AKA broth. Bouillon comes in cubes, powders, and pastes, and in seemingly all flavors, from chicken and beef to fish and mushroom. It was first introduced in 1908 by the Swiss company Maggi. As for how to say it: Despite the word having a double “l," the “l” sound is nearly silent in the American pronunciation — “BOO(l)-yahn.”
eh-SPRESS-oh
There’s no “x” in this one, but the coffeehouse hero sometimes gets mixed up with a similar word in American English, “express,” resulting in the incorrect pronunciation “expresso.” Espresso is a strong black coffee made by passing steam through ground coffee beans. It comes from the Italian phrase caffè espresso, meaning “pressed-out coffee.”
chuh-POHT-lay
This Mexican hot chili pepper rose to fame after its namesake American fast-food chain opened in the ’90s. “Chipotle” is a Mexican-Spanish word that came from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. It’s mispronounced in many ways, but the most common culprit must be “chuh-powl-tay” which swaps the correct placement of the “l” and “t” — the correct pronunciation ends with “lay,” not “tay.”
NYOH-kee
“Gnocchi” comes from the Italian word nocca, meaning “knuckle.” These small Italian dumplings (often made from potatoes) can be found in restaurants and specialty groceries across the country — so why can’t we pronounce the word correctly? This is a tricky term for English speakers because its sounds aren’t very intuitive. The “g” is silent, as in “gnome,” but there is also an extra sound in the first syllable — it isn’t just “NO-kee,” it’s “NYOH-kee.” Americans also sometimes say “NYAW-kee,” which is an incorrect pronunciation of the “o” sound.
yee-roh or zhihr-oh
Americans are infamous for mispronouncing this one. These tasty pitas are often called “je-ye-rohs” in America, similar to the pronunciation of the word “gyroscope,” but this is incorrect. There are two accepted pronunciations for the dish —“YEE-roh” or “ZHIHR-oh” — neither of which has a “je-ye” sound at the beginning. The word “gyro” came into English in the 1970s when it was adapted from the Greek word “guros,” meaning “turning,” which is how the meat for gyros is made while turning on a spit.
mak-uh-ROHN
A “mak-uh-ROHN” (rhymes with “loan”) is a small French sandwich cookie that comes in many colors and flavors, while a “mak-uh-roon” (rhymes with “spoon”) is a fluffy round cookie made primarily of egg whites and coconut flakes. Macarons have been around since at least the 1500s, when they were made for the French court. The history of macaroons isn’t quite as clear, but today, they’re a popular Passover treat in many Jewish households.
Fuh
This tasty Vietnamese soup is often pronounced as “foe” by Americans — a word that rhymes with “go.” But the correct pronunciation is more similar to “fuh” (rhymes with “duh”). Pho is made of broth, herbs, noodles, and meat. The most popular types of this dish are “phở bo” (beef, pronounced “bah”), “phở ga” (chicken, pronounced “gah”), and “phở chay” (vegetarian, rhymes with “yay”).
poh-KAY
Poké bowls have been popping up on many seafood restaurant menus. The word doesn’t rhyme with “coke” — that accent mark over the “e” means that it should be pronounced as “ay.” Poké is a Hawaiian word that describes a salad made from cubed pieces of raw seafood (especially tuna) that is marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.
KEEN-wah
These edible, starchy seeds are popular in salads and side dishes. The plant was originally grown in the Andes Mountains by the Quechua people, and the word “quinoa” was derived from the Spanish spelling of “Quechua.” Often, the pronunciation of this word is overcomplicated. It’s simply “KEEN-wah,” not “kee-no-ah” or “kwin-no-ah” (or any combination of the two).
SHUR-buht
Much to the surprise of many English speakers, there is no second “r” in sherbet. That’s right — it rhymes with “but,” not “burt.” This frozen dessert comes in many fruity flavors and is akin to ice cream. In the U.K., “sherbet” has a different meaning — it's a powder used to add flavor, especially in drinks. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the misspelling of this word (adding an extra “r”) is so common that it accounts for nearly one-quarter of its citations.
WOO-stuh-shir
Worcestershire sauce was named after a county in west central England. Today, it’s often used in marinades, stir-fries, and salad dressings. It made the Reader’s Digest list of “20 Hardest Words to Pronounce,” but “Worcestershire” is harder to spell than it is to pronounce. The most confusing part of the pronunciation is knowing which letters to skip. From the beginning, skip the first “r” and the “ce,” and barely say the second “r.” It should sound like “WOO-stuh-shir” (rhymes with “fir”).
Rotary Jukebox
For a small donation, your favorite musician will be featured on one of our next e-meetings for everyone to enjoy.
Every week we'll have a draw and the lucky person will see their song featured!
THIS WEEK - kd Lang
As Rotarian Patrick comments,
"A great talent who has overcome lots of adversity."
...contributed by Rotarian Patrick
Geoffrey Hinton is a prominent Canadian computer scientist who has made significant contributions to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning. His work has been influential in shaping the modern landscape of AI, and he has been active in the field for several decades, well before 2012.
Here are some key points about Geoffrey Hinton and his involvement with AI:
1. Early Career: Geoffrey Hinton was born on December 6, 1947, in the United Kingdom but later became a Canadian citizen. He received his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh in 1978. He began his academic career as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University before moving to the University of Toronto in Canada.
2. Neural Networks: Hinton is best known for his pioneering work in artificial neural networks. In the 1980s, he and his collaborators developed the backpropagation algorithm, which is a key method for training neural networks. However, at the time, neural networks were not widely popular, and interest in them waned in the 1990s.
3. Revival of Deep Learning: Hinton persisted in his research on neural networks, and by the early 2000s, he was part of a group of researchers who helped revive interest in deep learning and neural networks. His work on "deep belief networks" and "restricted Boltzmann machines" contributed to the resurgence of deep learning.
4. Breakthroughs in 2012: While Hinton's involvement in AI dates back much earlier, 2012 was a pivotal year in the history of deep learning. In that year, Hinton and his research team made significant breakthroughs in the field, particularly in the area of deep neural networks, which had a profound impact on the performance of various AI applications, including image and speech recognition. Their work helped lay the foundation for the success of deep learning in subsequent years.
5. Google and Industry Impact: In 2013, Hinton joined Google as part of the company's acquisition of his startup, DNNresearch Inc. He continued his research on deep learning at Google, which further accelerated the development and application of deep neural networks in various AI projects.
6. Awards and Recognition: Geoffrey Hinton's contributions to AI have been widely recognized. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Turing Award in 2018, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of computer science. This award was given to him for his pioneering work on deep learning and neural networks.
Geoffrey Hinton's work has had a profound and lasting impact on the field of artificial intelligence. His dedication to neural networks and deep learning has played a pivotal role in the AI advancements we see today, and he continues to be an influential figure in the AI research community.
And for your interest, here’s another short video interview of Geoffrey Hinton you may view.
Here are some key points about Geoffrey Hinton and his involvement with AI:
1. Early Career: Geoffrey Hinton was born on December 6, 1947, in the United Kingdom but later became a Canadian citizen. He received his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh in 1978. He began his academic career as a professor at Carnegie Mellon University before moving to the University of Toronto in Canada.
2. Neural Networks: Hinton is best known for his pioneering work in artificial neural networks. In the 1980s, he and his collaborators developed the backpropagation algorithm, which is a key method for training neural networks. However, at the time, neural networks were not widely popular, and interest in them waned in the 1990s.
3. Revival of Deep Learning: Hinton persisted in his research on neural networks, and by the early 2000s, he was part of a group of researchers who helped revive interest in deep learning and neural networks. His work on "deep belief networks" and "restricted Boltzmann machines" contributed to the resurgence of deep learning.
4. Breakthroughs in 2012: While Hinton's involvement in AI dates back much earlier, 2012 was a pivotal year in the history of deep learning. In that year, Hinton and his research team made significant breakthroughs in the field, particularly in the area of deep neural networks, which had a profound impact on the performance of various AI applications, including image and speech recognition. Their work helped lay the foundation for the success of deep learning in subsequent years.
5. Google and Industry Impact: In 2013, Hinton joined Google as part of the company's acquisition of his startup, DNNresearch Inc. He continued his research on deep learning at Google, which further accelerated the development and application of deep neural networks in various AI projects.
6. Awards and Recognition: Geoffrey Hinton's contributions to AI have been widely recognized. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the Turing Award in 2018, which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of computer science. This award was given to him for his pioneering work on deep learning and neural networks.
Geoffrey Hinton's work has had a profound and lasting impact on the field of artificial intelligence. His dedication to neural networks and deep learning has played a pivotal role in the AI advancements we see today, and he continues to be an influential figure in the AI research community.
The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, Rotarian Judy recites the Four-Way Test of the things that Rotarians think, say, or do.
Thank you for joining us. We appreciate your feedback and hope you will return and invite a guest.
Please Click HERE to leave us a comment or send a message.
Scroll down for Program Donations and Attendance links.
***
Our Facebook page. Please remember to check out our posts on the Rotary E-Club’s Facebook page. We work hard to post something every second day, sometimes more often.
Invite friends to Like our page and enjoy our posts. Also, please take the time to Share our posts on your Facebook Page.
***
Attendance Links
Complete the attendance/donation form to have your attendance recognized.
- CLICK HERE to return to our ClubRunner Home Page.
Confirmation of your attendance will be sent to your e-mail address promptly.
Please support our club!
Donate For the Meeting You Have Attended.
Please consider making a small donation in lieu of a meal
to help us help those in need.
We thank you very much!
Program Donations
Our E-Club is a dynamic club comprised of ordinary working and retired people who acknowledge that Rotarians are people who are generous with their time and their resources.
Our club and the program you have just enjoyed, either as a member or a visitor, is funded only by donations.
We are developing ideas for fundraising with our members who are scattered across Canada, USA, Central America, and Europe, but we do need your help.
As you have not had to buy lunch or travel to attend this program, please make a donation of a minimum of $10.00, considering you're saving in time and cost in appreciation for the experience you have enjoyed.
Interested in providing Rotary Service? Unable to attend terra club meetings?
Contact our membership chair for information or
or HERE to learn about Associate Membership
No comments:
Post a Comment