Bloomington Rotary Club #3430

ROTA-LETTER for Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Bloomington Rotary Club ( www.bloomingtonrotary.org ) –Founded 1918

Rotary 2009-2010 : “The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands”

NEXT MEETING :

PLACE : Frangipani Room, February 2

SUBJECT : Randy White, Cardinal Stage Company.

January 26 Meeting
GREETER : Ron Johnson

PLEDGE & REFLECTION : Chris Molloy

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS : Tony Stonger introduced the following guests: Darrin Eaton, guest of David Albright; Andrew Bratton, guest of Chris Molloy; Geoff McKim, guest of Kim Gray; Jackie Parkes, guest of Tina Swanson; Shabrelle Pollock and Jen Voges, guests of Jim Bright; and Robert Kariuki, Ambassadorial Scholar.

ANNOUNCEMENTS :
• President Susan Bookout announced the following winners of our election of Officers for the 2010-2011 Rotary Year:
President-Elect – Jon Dilts
Treasurer – Lance Eberle
Secretary – Joy Harter
Board Members – Ann Wrenn
Rick Cunningham
• We are still taking orders for our Annual Valentines Day Rose Sale. The cost is $ 40 per dozen and the final day for orders will be February 2. Checks should be made out to the “Bloomington Rotary Club”. The Roses will be distributed in the circle outside the
Memorial Union on February 13.

PROGRAM :

David Albright introduced our speaker, Roy Gardner, Economics & West European Studies, who spoke on “Ukraine – Today & Tomorrow”. Mr. Gardner also teaches Economics in Ukraine.

Ukraine was the largest, and one of the founding Republics, of the Soviet Union.
It became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The Soviet Union had treated Ukraine like a colony and had banished the Ukrainian language and destroyed churches and synagogues. Since independence it has been struggling to re-build its identity and re-build the many churches.

Crimea, a part of Ukraine, had been mainly Muslim, but Stalin had deported most Muslims to Siberia. However, they are now returning.

Ukraine has had a difficult economy since independence. Industrial production declined by 2/3, similar to our own Depression in the 30’s. However, since 2000, reforms have been successful. Europe, and particularly Sweden, have been very helpful, and the standard of living is now similar to what it was before independence. The current GDP, per capita, is $ 2,000 per year.

They now have a lively democracy and the latest elections have been considered free and fair. The country held a presidential election on January 17. The two major candidates were Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and Viktor Yanukovich, but neither candidate received a majority and a runoff will be held on February 7. The current President, Viktor Yushchenko, was eliminated in the first round. Mr. Yanukovich is favored in the runoff.

However, corruption is rampant. A recent example was a Delta Airlines problem in obtaining a part that was needed for a flight to take off. They were asked to pay an extra $ 250,000 for the part and had to change their flight plans to avoid the pay-off. Due to the problems in doing business both CitiBank and Cargills have left the country, but McDonalds has chosen to stay.

PROPOSED NEW MEMBERS APPROVED BY THE BOARD:
Marsha McCarty, Catholic Charities Bloomington, Agency Director. Sponsor: Leslie Green. Classification: Agency Director.
Geoff McKim, Technology Service Corporation, Program Manager, and Monroe County Council, President. Sponsor: Kimberly Gray. Classification: Program Manager.

FUTURE MEETINGS :

February 2 - Randy White, Cardinal Stage Company.
Location: Frangipani Room
February 9 - Elinor ”Lin” Ostrom, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economics.
Location: Frangipani Room
February 16 – Norm Holy, author of “Deserted Ocean: A Social History of
Depletion”, will speak on the depletion of the oceans.
Location: Frangipani Room
February 23 - Beth Cate, I.U. University Counsel, “The Future of the Supreme
Court”.
Location: Great Hall, First United Methodist Church

Today’s Reporter : Lee Caulfield