The speaker at the next meeting, February 21, 2006, will be the speaker who was almost the speaker at the last meeting. Stefan Koehler is the winner of a Regional Toastmasters competition, and will give us his perspective as an immigrant from Germany who lived there when that country was divided, and who now appreciates the opportunity to live here in what he calls “the land of freedom and opportunity.” It should remind all of us how fortunate we really are, and has some humorous elements as well.

Our last meeting began with the announcement that SAL AL-ASHKAR would not able to give his scheduled program due to the death of his wife’s mother. Our sympathy goes out to SAL and his family.

The meeting opened with OTTO FESTGE directing the singing of “America”, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation related to service by TERRY SCHAR. There were no guests.

The first "announcement" came from JIM BRADLEY, President of Home Savings Bank. He announced that our Immediate Past President LINDA BERGREN had joined the bank as a financial advisor, offering investment products through Raymond James Financial Services. She will have an office in the new building which Home Savings Bank has under construction on East Washington Ave. and which has been honored for the many energy-saving and environmentally friendly features in its design. Sounds like a double winner, and certainly the "announcement" by JIM and LINDA demonstrated the ability to achieve maximum benefit from the fine extracted in return by TailTwister ROSS ROYSTER.

This was followed up by JERRY MILLER’s reference to the recent article in the Wisconsin State Journal on Black History in Madison, in which his family was one of the ones featured. His grandfather, William Miller, came here to work for “Fighting Bob” LaFollette. The family lived in the 600 block of East Dayton Street, not very far from our meeting place, and were prominent in the black community around the turn of the 20th century. Don’t know whether it cost JERRY or not, but he has a place in history. On a current note, he’s going to take a shot at being Chairman of our Ink Cartridge Recycling fund-raising effort.

DON NEVIASER said we are trying to establish a date for participation in the Lions State Bowling Tournament, which will be in Sheboygan sometime between February 18 and April 1. Competition would be on Saturday and Sunday — we just have to settle on which weekend. It probably would not be fair to speculate about our team(s) competing on April Fools Day, so we won’t. Yet.

Pres. CHUCK and Membership Director LINDA have Membership Application Forms, and CHUCK also reminded us that Directory information is on our website. If you need the username or password contact CHUCK or SCOTT GROVER. There will be no printed directory this year, but if you need one it can be printed off the web page. If you are maintaining your ‘04-‘05 printed version, add JON WINSKI and drop George Albright, John Coppock, Don Golembiewski, Paddhe Heinen, Mark Larson, Carroll Metzner, Lori Shinstine and Henry Turville.

DON NEVIASER raised the possibility of changing suppliers for our Rose Day sale. We might get different rose colors, a mixed flower bouquet, and lower cost. Consensus seemed to be that it was worth looking into.

TT ROSS ROYSTER had sold raffle tickets as usual, and in a last minute drawing HAL OTTERBACK won six tickets to the Shrine Circus donated by LOUISE FRITZ. He didn’t win the cash pot, however - drew a king, which would have been useful in almost any other game, but not this one.

Board of Directors meets Tuesday, February 21, at 6:00 PM.. At the Doubletree as usual.

And Even More Sayings From The Dalai Lama:
   16. Once a year, go some place you’ve never gone before. (Our State Convention, perhaps.)
   17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
   18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
   19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.