In the beginning....
President Mike Malone presided over the last formal meeting of his term on a lovely early summer day, as Rotarians gathered for friendship and service. President Mike thanked all those who helped make the meeting a success: Terry Becket led the flag salute; Carl Gross gave the invocation; Mike Bee performed the set-up; and, most importantly, Ginger Case for providing the meal with such good cheer.
Lerie Bjornstedt
Several of Lerie’s friends provided some information on Lerie Bjornstedt. She was under the care of hospice, so she was resting comfortably. Marty Pops spoke for many of us when he gave a heartfelt description of how important Lerie has been to him and to all members of the club. Marty encouraged the creation of a $25,000 scholarship fund in her name and made the first donation of $1000.
Update:
On Sunday, June 24, Lerie’s family informed us that she had passed. We will all miss her lovely smile, warm heart, and hearty humor. Rest in peace, Lerie
Announcements/Confessions/Fining
· President Mike’s demotion party will be at Boccali’s on Friday June 29
· Terry Becket thanked everybody for their generosity to the Rotary Foundation.
· Bryant Huber’s wife will have an art show at Bank of the Sierras Thursday, 6/28/18 from 6-7:30
· Matt Clements celebrated his 6th wedding anniversary.
· The fining program focused on the theme of July 4 and the Flag
Rotary Humor
Program: Dr. Dan Cohn
Sid Cohn introduced his son, Dr. Dan Cohn, a researcher and professor of genetics at UCLA. Dr. Cohn specializes in the study of the variations of human stature. According to Dr. Cohn, the final height of an individual is the result of the impact of many hundreds of genes.
Dr. Cohn’s talk had four major topics:
1. Current status of genetic research at UCLA
2. CRISPR technology’s current status and future potential
3. Accuracy and usefulness of commercial genetic testing
4. The Human Genome and individual identity
Dr. Cohn had the knack of making accessible some of the more remarkable aspects of this fast moving and exciting field. Following are some of his most interesting and important comments:
· There are 450 different underlying causes of short stature; researchers now understand the genetics of 380 of these 450.
· CRISPR may soon be used in actual treatment of such conditions as Hemophilia, Sickle Cell Anemia, and other genetic disorders.
· 4% of The genetic inheritance of the average human comes from the Neanderthals.
· Humans are 99.9% identical; .1% represents variations unique to the individual.
· The FBI’s CODIS database has been used successfully to solve many crimes.
· Our genes change during our lifetime due to climate, environment, diet, etc.
· The growth of the technology has exceeded the body of ethics and law needed to govern the use of the technology.
