PROGRAM: BEST AND BRIGHTEST
Cheryl Sterner and Mary O. Bradley, Patriot News
Kimberly Aquino, Bishiop McDevitt HS
Nathanael Occenad, Camp Hill HS
Caitlin Case, Central Dauphin HS
Glenn Willliams, IV, Covenant Christian Academy
Elaine Sotherden, East Pennsboro Area HS
Silpa Tadavarthy, Harrisburg Academy
Emily Trump, Mechanicsburg Area HS
Monica Colbert, Harrisburg University Science & Technology HS

David Morrison presents the District 4580 in Brazil GROUP STUDY EXCHANGE TEAM
Dr. Claudio Mafra De Siqueira, Team Leader (Profession: Educator
Mr. Antonio de Vasconcellos, Building technician
Ms. Carmem Gomes, Psychologist
Dr. Samuel Jorge, Medical Doctor
Mr. Sandro Soares, Nurse

Please welcome our new members:
Kirt Bardin               The Salvation Army                              1122 Greet St.                    Harrisburg, PA    19335        233-6755 X22                This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Jessica Malone       Clermont Wealth Strategies              200 N. 3rd Street                 Harrisburg, PA   17108       255-7583                  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Thomas Weber       Hilton Harrisburg                                 1 North Second Street        Harrisburg, PA   17101       237-6436                This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

UPCOMING PROGRAMS / MEETING LOCATIONS:   
May 12                                   Best and Brightest Patriot News and Group Study Exchange Team - Hilton
May 19                                   Sgt. Crystal Turner-Childs, PA State Police - Hilton “ From My Side of the Window”
May 26                                   NO MEETING
June 2                                     Tim Holden, US Congressman- Hilton 
June 9                                     Community Service Award and Ange Sauvage, Youth Exchange Student - Hilton

For complete programming go to our website: hbgrotary.org and click on calendar.

NEWS AND NOTES:  
•  Be a Roster Advertiser!  Contact Linda if interested.
•  Please make sure you have paid your $100 Harrisburg Rotary Foundation.
•   HABITAT for HUMANITY Work Day: May 17:  8 AM at 100 N. 13th Street – lunch will be provided.  Contact Fred Hartman.

For meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.... Tune to ABC27-TV
or check your e-mail or call the Rotary office at 234-1208.

ATTENDANCE:
LAST ROTARY MEETING:   5/5/08      41 %                       
Rotarians   65    Active Specials   7   Guests  5  Visiting Rotarians   0  =  77

Minutes by Tom Parker: 
The May 5th meeting of Harrisburg Rotary was memorable for parking problems, which affected dozens of attendees who were forced to metered parking by the City’s overflowing garages, and by an exceptionally engaging presentation by Joyce Davis, an acknowledged expert on the Middle East and Islam.  President Carrie did her best to push the pace of our meeting at the State Department of Education so that dozens of faithful Rotarians who were forced to feed parking meters could avoid tickets, but many stayed for an extended Q&A following Joyce Davis’s discussion of U.S. Middle Eastern foreign policy.

Joyce recently came to Harrisburg to work for WITF as Senior Vice President of Content.  Her extensive background in foreign affairs journalism has focused on the Middle East, particularly Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, and on Islamic movements.  She spoke about these volatile regions of the world and on the deep and widening divide between the U.S. and Islam, examining the contrast between the Islamic and Western worldviews and how these differences have played out in the international arena.  Many Muslims believe that America is at war with Islam, according to Joyce Davis, and U.S. actions abroad tend to reinforce that view.  For example, America ’s “liberation” and “democratization” policies, most recently in Iraq, are seen by the Muslim world as selective and hypocritical actions by a nation acting purely from self-interest.  Why, the Muslim world asks, does the U.S. continue to support repressive regimes in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan?  The answer, of course, is because those regimes are friendly to the U.S.   Islamic extremists play on this “hypocrisy” by challenging these repressive monarchs and despots; and ultimately the radicals are seen by many moderate Muslims as the true champions of freedom.  Joyce emphasized that the next U.S. Administration will have to take a long look at the Muslim world and start to bring reconciliation before the chasm in American – Islamic relations becomes irreparable.

Prior to Joyce’s presentation, Ron Guss discussed Rotary Youth Exchange in “The Rotary Minute”, and Lisa Paige delivered a mini-classification talk.  Lisa is heading up the Harrisburg Public School Foundation after a 5-year stint as editor of Harrisburg Magazine.  Her background and obvious passion is education, and she serves as President of the Harvard Club of Central PA.