Flag Salute & Invocation by John Sleeth 

Visiting Rotarians: Harv and Larry Jubie (Marysville), Patty Leach (Bellingham Club), Sean Hogan (North Delta). 

Guests: Bonnie Dean (on the board of VN Homecare) 

Announcements

  • Bill Geyer will be the program chair next year and is open for program ideas. Please send him your suggestions! 
  • Sean Hogan says District Conference is sold out but still open for Saturday session (June 1st) outside Vancouver Art Gallery with food trucks, then after lunch a flash mob event (a dance); 
  • Nick Caples says we now have six representatives going to RYLA this weekend - great job! 
  • Tyler Byrd, CEO of Red Rokk, Inc (a digital media marketing firm) application was approved by the membership committee and the BBRC board.
  • Dennis says a special recognition to Leena, Mimi and Patti for their amazing job with last week's Boys & Girls Club auction! 
  • Sean Hogan, Harv and Larry Jubie presented Stan Dyer with his 24th, 25th and 26th Paul Harris award: One was given in name of his granddaughter (Madison Rose Dyer), one to grandson (Joseph Glen Dyer) - both live in Marysville - and one presented to Stan's dog, Isabelle Shelby Rose Dyer! Congrats, Stan, that is quite an achievement - we are glad you are a part of our club!
 
Bucks in the Bay 
  • Phil X Hageman said Netherlands got a new king today! 
  • Leena Kirschman happy bucks that the auction is over, $180K gross! 
  • Bryant Engebretson heading south tomorrow to find sunshine, happy bucks for Stan; 
  • Tonja Myers proud mom bucks: Son went to State championships in music with his quartet, and they won!  
  • Kendall P had a great time at the B&G auction, also she is happy that Bellwether hired a new front desk manager so she can go back to 8-hr days!  
  • Sean Hogan happy bucks, thanks for warm welcome, appreciates work of past district govs like Larry and Harv!
  • Stan Dyer said his pants fell down just outside the hospital recently. 

Sergeant at Arms by Frank Chmelik
Fines for no Rotary pins, WWU tuition, Lake Whatcom inspections, John Sleeth's organ playing skills, Vancouver hockey, UW received over $900M in fed grants (second only to Johns Hopkins). 

Program
Steve Swan introduced Professor Ira Hymen. He is both teacher and researcher on memory studies. He was on NBC Today show recently, also featured on many other media news over the past few years. Ira talked about research done on cellphone usage. 

  • "Failing to see the unicycling clowns: Cell phone usage and attention deficit syndrome" Cellphones increase the risk of driving. 
  • But why? selective attention. divided attention, inattention blindness. Simulator studies show that cell phone driving (even hands free usage) caused more inattentiveness than driving with radio on, a talking passenger, even drunkeness! 
  • Collected data on students walking across Red Square with cellphone usage: more weaving, more changing direction, less acknowledging others, more near collisions, and they walk slower. 
  • The "Unicycling Clown" study in Red Square: Cell phone users rarely see the clown, and here's the important part: They are surprised that they missed it! 
  • What about something right in front of them, like avoiding a sign in the way? Cell users move out of the way later, are less likely to remember they walked around it, and less likely to notice what the sign said. 
  • The "Money Tree" experiment. 
  • Cell phone reception issues make conversations more diffecult - poor quality, time lags, simply requires more attention. 
  • The take away? HANG UP AND DRIVE! 

Raffle won by Steve Brummell! 

Respectfully submitted,
Stowe Talbot