RKC (ROSEMEAD KIWANIS CLUB) WEEKLY REPORTER – 06/02/2008

Greetings to our K-Family (Kiwanis affiliated group of clubs), RKN (Rosemead Kiwanis Network) and other friends

          Below are:

· NEWS: Recent developments and activities related to Rosemead – this week: the Muscatel Science Olympiad Team comes to our meeting!

· EVENTS: Activities in and around Rosemead, with emphasis on Rosemead Club meetings and Rosemead Kiwanis Network activities, including a special analysis of the upcoming election.

· FAX OF LIFE: An inspirational email attachment, courtesy of Scott’s Valley Kiwanis. This one is entitled “The Trail of Life.”

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NEWS

Science Olympiad Champs to display skills – see “Special Report” below

.

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS:

TUESDAY, JUNE 3 – SPECIAL ELECTION: Two opposing propositions, each designed to protect property owner rights, will be featured in a special election on the June ballot. Both are designed to restrict local government agencies in relation to the rights of property owners. The difference is in the details. 

The first, Proposition 98, protects home homeowners, farmers, and small business property owners when it comes to the use of eminent domain for non-public use purposes while also restricting government regulation of property through rent control.  Proposition 99 extends non-public eminent domain protection only to single family households, excluding small business owners and farmers (who are the most common targets of such exercise) and does not address the rent control issue.

The topic is significant because of concern over a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision.  That landmark case upheld a Connecticut city's action forcing a homeowner to sell her house in order to accommodate a private development whose primary “public benefit” was simply enhancing local tax revenues.  Many states, but not yet California, have since barred the use of eminent domain to facilitate such so-called "private-to-private" transfers.

California voters will have the opportunity next week to speak on the issue; if both propositions pass the one with the greater number of votes will prevail. A survey by the non-profit Public Policy Institute of California released on May 22 shows a close division of support and opposition with over a fifth of the electorate undecided.  This means that neither proposal at the time of the poll had enough votes for adoption.

THURSDAY JUNE 5, 2008 – RKC MEETING: Science Olympiad Team (Regular Meeting)*

Speakers JUN LUGUE and JEFF TULLEY, Science Teachers at Muscatel  -Also featuring Muscatel Middle School Students – 2005-2006-2007-2008 Los Angeles County Champions! See Special Report below.

THURSDAY JUNE 12, 2008 – RKC MEETING: Rosemead Safety Department and Neighborhood Watch (Regular Meeting)*

Don Anderson, Rosemead Safety Department Administrator, and Mandy Wong, formerly with the Rosemead School District and newly appointed Community Coordinator, will cover Rosemead’s Safety Department with emphasis on the rebuilding of Neighborhood Watch units

THURSDAY JUNE 19, 2008 – RKC MEETING: Internet Tutoring  (Regular Meeting)*

Officers of locally-based Abacusoft illustrate the latest in Internet innovation – new software that allows a tutor in real time to work with several students in real time in any of several modalities: audio, visual, whiteboard, chat, regardless of computer type or operating system.  And its all available for instant replay later!

THURSDAY JUNE 26, 2008 – RKC MEETING: Africa Missions (Regular Meeting)*

Mark Clark, pastor of Rosemead’s Grace Chapel Church, shares his observations from a March trip he took to an orphanage his congregation helps support in Africa

                            * - unless otherwise indicated, Kiwanis meetings are at 12:10 in

                                 California Mission Inn chapel’s multipurpose room, 4807 Earle

                                 (north of Mission and south of Grand ½ block on west  side of

the street), Rosemead. Street parking is normally required.

WEEKLY FAX OF LIFE INSPIRATIONAL E-MAIL: “The Trail of Life” – see file  attached

     (Note: the rosemeadkiwanis.org website now has a two year accumulation

of Fax of Life inspirational monographs available for review  – see the Fax

of Life link at bottom of the “Newsletters” section of the website.)

SPECIAL REPORT – Science Olympiad Display June 5

For the fourth consecutive year the Muscatel Intermediate School's Science Olympiad team has won the Los Angeles County Science Olympiad! They then took second place at the State competition held at California State University Long Beach on Saturday, April 15^th. Congratulations to the Muscatel Mustangs!

Jun Lugue and Jeff Tulley, Muscatel’s science teachers and senior faculty advisors to the Science Olympiad team, will bring the 15 member team to the Rosemead Kiwanis Club for the June 5 meeting. They will demonstrate some of the projects that brought them first place in the county contest. These 15 volunteers have done a tremendous job competing with other schools, especially those in high income areas that have Science Olympiad as a regular classroom study. Muscatel students work on Science Olympiad before and after school and on Saturdays!

The Science Olympiad Mission is to promote and improve student interest in science and to improve the quality of K-12 science education throughout the nation. The purpose of the program is to show how science works by emphasizing problem-solving and by understanding the science concepts. This year’s competition involved 23 events including Amphibians and Reptiles, Tower Building, Balloon Launched Glider, Disease Detectives, and Meteorology.

Know someone who should be receiving these free emails?

Send their name and email address to kcrosemead@aol.com