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Tuesday, November 28, 2006 No. 9 Vol. 85 Today’s Speaker: Dr.
Sydney K. Pierce, Emeritus Professor of Biology, University of Maryland
and Professor of Biology, University of South Florida
Sea Monsters
Our speaker today deals in mysteries of the deep and his research
suggests he may be, if not mysterious, at least deep! Born in 1944 in
Holyoke, MA, Dr. Pierce received his bachelor’s from the University of
Miami in Education and his doctorate at Florida State in Philosophy. The
mid-to-late ‘60s found him assistant teaching and doing research at
Florida State as well as training in the Marine Ecology Program at the
Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole, MA. In 1970, he became an Assistant
Professor in the department of Zoology at the University of Maryland and
spent four summers as an Instructor at the Marine Lab in Woods Hole.
During the ‘80s, Dr. Pierce served in many capacities as Affiliate
Senior Staff Scientist, Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of
Maryland, as Acting Associate Director, Agriculture Experiment Station,
University of Maryland, as Program Director, Biological Instrumentation
Program, National Science Foundation and as Professor, University of
Maryland. Over the years, he continued to advance in his career and
research becoming the Director of Graduate Studies in Zoology, the
Associate and then Acting Chairman of the Department of Zoology,
Professor and Chair, Department of Biology, University of South Florida
and Professor Emeritus, Department of Biology, University of Maryland.
With dozens of publications to his
credit, Dr. Pierce continues to teach and do research. Three main
research projects are underway in Dr. Pierce's laboratory. First, he is
investigating the molecular biology of an intracellular symbiosis
between the digestive cells of a sea slug. He is particularly interested
in the role the viruses may have in synchronizing the life cycle of the
slug population as well as providing the means by which algal genes have
been moved into the slug DNA. Since moving to Tampa, he has expanded
these investigations to include another sea slug, Tridachia crispata,
which lives in the Keys. Second, Dr. Pierce is continuing a decades-long
investigation of the biochemical and molecular mechanisms regulating
cell volume recovery from osmotic stress, with a particular interest in
the salinity tolerance mechanism of marine organisms. Finally, on
occasion, he investigates sea monsters. Of particular local interest, he
has determined by biochemical and microscopical analyses on pieces of
the 100 year old carcass, that the St. Augustine (FL) giant octopus was
in fact merely a piece of whale skin. Similar analyses on pieces of the
Bermuda Blob and the Tasmanian West Coast Monster, and most recently on
the Chilean Blob, produced similar results. On these subjects, Dr.
Pierce is collaborating with monster investigators around the world.
Welcome, Dr. Pierce. We are impressed with your erudition and look
forward to learning more about sea monsters, as the rest is beyond us!
What’s Happening?
Community Service Meeting Today
Please plan to join Jane Baldwin, Bob Piplitz and the
gang at the home of Jane Baldwin -- 922 39th Avenue NE, St.
Petersburg, 5:30-6:30 pm today for a one-time-only community service
meeting in which the projects for the year will be decided. Food and
drinks will be provided. Please RSVP at
Robert_Piplitz@ML.com.
Also Today, Be An Angel and Help a Foster Child
The Christmas Angels Program needs gifts to provide a happy
holiday for 100 foster children. Ron Scoggins co-chair of the
Young Children Priority One Committee, will have information at today’s
meeting from the South Pinellas Foster Parents Association on the
infants and children to age 13 who need our help creating happy
memories. Pick your angels to buy a gift for and put the holiday spirit
in your holiday!
Governor’s Party on December 8th
Information on Governor H. Phillip Yorston’s party will be given at
our meeting today.
Have a Merry, Merry!
Don’t forget -- space is limited at our upcoming holiday party, a
progressive dinner to be held Saturday, December 9th, so
please purchase your tickets now. For $45 per person, you and your
spouse or friend can enjoy the following with old friends and new:
5:00 – 6:15 p.m. Drinks and Appetizers hosted by Scott and Terri
Boyle
6:45 – 8:15 p.m. Dinner hosted by Steve and Charlene Koch
8:30 p.m. till ? Dessert hosted by Harvey and Kathleen Ford
Checks should be made payable to "Kiwanis Club of St. Petersburg" and
given to Lorin Bridge or Cynthia Mulligan ASAP.
Help A Child needs volunteers on Friday, December 16th,
to help with gift wrapping and toy assembly, and Dr. Ron O’Neal
is conducting a Healthy Smile event for 40 children on Saturday,
December 9th. He needs volunteers to help with the kids. This
is your chance to put a REAL smile on children’s faces.
Announcement From J. C. Russell –
Competitive Bell Ringers Still Needed
Bell ringers are needed to staff the
Salvation Army kettle on December 21. One hour slots are available
beginning at 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. These are two person shifts.
The kettle will be in front of Publix at the Northeast Shopping Center.
As we are combining our good will effort with a competitive spirit, we
encourage you to make a year-end donation to the Salvation Army, but
specifically on December 21st.. This year, we want to be
#1 in collections and beat the St. Pete Rotary Club! For those
willing to contribute, yet unable to participate on the 21st, bring your
check payable to the Salvation Army to the Tuesday meeting on December
19th. J. C. Russell and Skip Carr will be available to collect them for
placement in the kettle on the 21st. A little healthy competition should
spur both groups to raise increased dollars for the Salvation Army.
LAST WEEK AT KIWANIS
Colonel John M. Bate, National Chief Secretary for the United
States of America, Salvation Army, Retired
Kiwanian-of-the-Day J. C. Russell was reminded of the Johnny Cash
song “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man” when he learned of the wide-ranging
travels of our last week’s speaker, Colonel John M. Bate. Recruited to
speak to us at our Thanksgiving program by Bernie Lodge, Colonel
Bate entertained and inspired us with anecdotes from his interesting
career and urged us to practice “actions of grace” the South American
version of “thanksgiving.”
Colonel Bate, who with his family traveled all over the world,
retired at the end of 1999 after completing almost forty-one years of
active service in more than seventy countries.
Colonel Bate told us the story of meeting the young Major Bernie
Lodge, Mrs. Lodge and their young son when Bernie and his family visited
traveled abroad and called Bate up to introduce himself. Bernie asked to
attend his services and the families had a wonderful time, launching a
life-long friendship.
Colonel Bate spoke movingly about Thanksgiving, how we celebrate our
families, our blessings and the beautiful world we live in.
Nevertheless, we should never lose sight of the face, he reminds us,
that despite the importance of appreciating the beauty of life, there
are 4,800 homeless people in Pinellas County alone, 300 of which, in St.
Petersburg, sit down to a Salvation Army-supplied dinner at Thanksgiving
and Christmas. Bate said that although the Pilgrims buried seven times
the number of people as there were huts, they still celebrated
Thanksgiving because they strongly appreciated the life they’d been
given. In South American countries, Bate went on, “Thanksgiving has
nothing to do with turkeys and feasting. Like the Pilgrims, South
Americans understand it has to do with appreciation; in fact the day is
called De Accion de Gracias and means ‘actions of grace’.”
Colonel Bate closed his talk with an inspiring story, incredible, but
true. A casual friend, with whom the Bates had exchanged Christmas cards
for years, sent an unexpected letter to Bate, then living in Santiago,
Chile, to tell him of a strange experience. The man had been waiting in
line at the bank, growing more and more frustrated at the wait and
irritated at the waste of his time. He happened to look up at a sign
that said “Foreign Currency.” Suddenly, he was struck with the idea that
he should take whatever money he had on him, convert it to pounds (Bate
was from New Zealand) and send it to Bate to do whatever it was that was
needed in his work. He had the equivalent of 5 pds on him and sent it
off with the letter. Colonel Bate was astounded. Bate knew a man from
church named Fernando, who was very poor. No one could drink the milk in
Santiago, so he used to share milk powder with Fernando and his
daughter. He decided to exchange the 5 pds to 15,000 pesos and deliver
the equivalent in milk powder to Fernando. Running into him before he
could implement his plan, Bate offered the man milk powder or the money.
Fernando demurred, but eventually was persuaded to take the money. He
pulled out of his pocket prescriptions for his daughter, who was ill. He
hadn’t been able to fill the prescriptions because he needed 15,000
pesos to pay for them. Fernando said to Bate, “Capitan, that money did
not come from New Zealand, it came from above.” His friend, Colonel
Bate, said, was in a bank irritated and frustrated, but he was open in
his heart to an action of grace. That is what we must all do, he urged,
be open to acts of grace and demonstrate our appreciation of our
blessings with good works on behalf of others.
Thanking us for our invitation and attention, Colonel Bate played the
piano to “God Bless America” while Bernie led us in song.
Guests and Visitors
Ed Lillich introduced us to his guest, Dennis Dyanovich, a
former K-Club member who is submitting an application to join our Club.
So glad to hear it, Dennis! We look forward to new friends and old.
TODAY’S QUIZ
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What was the name of the creature that
warred with Godzilla in the 1966 movie “Godzilla vs. the Sea
Monster?”
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Which is the only
continent without reptiles or snakes?
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Which river is the only river that flows
both north and south of the equator?
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What percentage of the human brain is
water?
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Gracious God, in the vulnerability of a child, we recognize our own
fragility. In their tender innocence, we are reminded that life is meant
to be lived with curious and joyful abandon. Help us, who are no longer
children, to retain the freshness of childhood and to be the protectors
and mentors of those whose lives are just beginning. May we see in their
eyes the clear window of heaven. Guide us in the ways to keep all
children safe and in your great love, O Lord, hold them in your peaceful
embrace so they are not overcome by loneliness, fear, or danger. We ask
this for the sake of your love. Amen.
LAST
WEEK’S QUIZ:
1. The first
national, legal Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by President Abraham
Lincoln in 1863. Prior to that, governors of individual States
decided on which day to observe it or whether to observe it at all.
2.
Governor Oren Roberts of Texas (1879-1883) refused to issue a
Thanksgiving Day proclamation because he felt it was a “damned Yankee
institution anyway.”
3. A
cranberry must bounce 4 inches to ensure that it isn’t too ripe.
4.
The first Thanksgiving football game was started in 1934 by the
Detroit Lions. They were trounced by the Chicago Bears.
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