| Date | Presenter/Topic |
| 01/06/2004 | Paul B. Kelman, "Imagine Downtown Atlanta" |
| 01/20/2004 | Ms. Sylvia Wygoda, Executive Director of the Georgia commission of the Holocaust |
| 02/03/2004 | Dr. Richard Meyer, Director of the Terrorism Rapid Response and Advanced Technology Laboratory at the CDC |
| 02/10/2004 | J. Michael Robison, The Atlanta Streetcar Project |
| 02/17/2004 | H. David Ramezani, Co-Founder of the Atlanta-Based Iranian-American Friendship Foundation |
| 02/24/2004 | M.K. DuPont - the personal diaries of Mary Todd Lincoln. |
| 03/02/2004 | Dr. Ron Schucat, - a bionic eye. |
| 03/09/2004 | Dr. Matthew Grober - Say you are a monkey's uncle or your uncle is a monkey - evolution! |
| 03/16/2004 | "Discovering Chimpanzees: The Remarkable World of Jane Goodall." |
| 03/23/2004 | Atlantic Station - Not a marina, but the most recent addition to Atlanta's developing "intown locations." |
| 03/30/2004 | Passover is a holiday celebrated and acknowledged in most of the major religious traditions. Our speaker is Rabbi Ronald M. Segal, Temple Sinai, Atlanta, Georgia. The celebration of the Festival of Passover begins on Monday night, April 5 -- this truly will be a timely presentation and certainly enlightening for many of us. |
| 04/06/2004 | Egads!! - A bug - a virus-who should I call? My doctor or my computer specialist? The latest word from Earthlink. |
| 04/13/2004 | Eric Tanenblatt -- G 8 Summit -- A summit of world leaders scheduled for June 8-10 at Sea Island. The summit, hosted by President George Bush, will bring together leaders from the Group of Eight Countries - a meeting which impacts the world. |
| 04/20/2004 | Volunteerism, It's Contagious. Robin Hensley, Chairman of Northside Hospital Foundation, will tell us how a company of any size can develop its own program to serve the community, boost employee morale and build a company's profile and reputation within the community. |
| 04/27/2004 | A killer asteroid -- the kind of space rock that did in the dinosaurs -- is on a collision course with earth -- a fleet of nuclear powered robots race to the rescue -- humanity's survival hangs in the balance - Sounds like the latest Sci-Fi movie, doesn't it? -- It's not; this technology is being developed in an office building near Atlanta's Perimeter Mall -- SpaceWorks Engineering Inc. President John Olds was the speaker. |
| 05/04/2004 | Cells, Genes and Cloning. Are we talking about the replication
of a sheep who was named Dolly? Are we talking about the opportunity of
replicating our great, great grandfather or maybe our self -- Or are we talking
about the medical breakthrough of the century in the treatment of diseases
and genetic disorders. Why is all of this tied in together and why is it
such a political hotbed? Come learn.
Stem Cells, Genes and Cloning -- a layman's explanation of the science. |
| 05/11/2004 | Stem Cells, Genes and Cloning - Ethical Considerations -- Now that we've had our basic training, let's discuss the ethical considerations of this science. |
| 05/18/2004 | Why no one wins the cultural war -- same sex marriage. Our speaker will be Mike Horton, State Vice President of the Log Cabin Republicans -- a National Republican organization which may be withholding their support from President Bush in the upcoming election -- do you know why? |
| 05/25/2004 | Don your Navy blues. It's time to go to sea. Hopefully your voyage will be more successful than the voyage of the Confederate Submarine, H.L. Hunley. The Hunley was the very first submarine to engage in a successful battle, but -- after sinking a Union ship, the Hunley itself disappeared shortly thereafter. For decades thereafter groups searched for it. It was not found until 1995. After being raised about five years ago, there has been research conducted, preservation activity and now a burial of the crewmembers who were literally found at their place in the submarine; the chapter may be closing. Our speaker is Mary Elizabeth McMahon, the great, great granddaughter of one of the Hunley's crew members. |
| 06/01/2004 | The Coach Approach -- Are you ready for your coach for wellness training? A new program from the Metro YMCA has been put in place. All you have to do is join, they will match a wellness coach with you. Your coach will set your individual program in place and keep you on the straight and narrow -- or should I say the straight and "thin". Our speaker will be Jennifer Unruh, Director of Wellness Support, Metro YMCA. |
| 06/08/2004 | It's a bird, it's a plane, it's superman -- no, no -- it's the Raptor! The newest addition on the fighting line of our nation's defense arsenal, the F-22 Raptor has been controversial in many respects. It's use -- it's cost -- these are just some of the questions that have been raised. There have been skeptics who questioned the need, who questioned the cost -- and there have been local communities who have been frightened with the prospect of Lockheed (in Marietta) loosing thousands of jobs and the communities loosing millions of dollars -- our speaker, Mark Doughery of Lockheed Martin will fill us in -- it's a bird, it's a plane ----. |
| 06/15/2004 | The Hope Scholarship - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" - Is it … ? Each of us have an interest in the Hope Scholarship, either with our children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or a friend's son or daughter -- Georgia's Hope Scholarship is the model for the entire country; it has raised the standards for Georgia's colleges and universities. But - is the Hope Scholarship in trouble? Was the past legislative session merely a false scare or political posturing? Our speaker will be Ms. Shelley Nickel, Executive Director of Student Finance Commission -- the organization that administers the Hope Scholarship. Let's find out what's happening. |
| 06/22/2004 | Business to Business. Our speaker will be Genevieve Tondi Bos, publisher of Business to Business Magazine. Kiwanis's motto is "We Build" and Kiwanians like to network and build a framework of contacts. Now let's find out how truly build business to business. |
| 06/29/2004 | Politics, Politics, Politics. Summertime -- a merry old time in Georgia -- summer politics and primaries. This morning we'll get a report from our own professional "pol" -- Bobby Baker, Chairman of the Public Service Commission. Bobby will brief us on primary politics in Georgia and certainly, his upcoming race. This will be an excellent opportunity to get the true word from the inside. Support our member and be here on the 29th to hear Bobby. |
| 07/06/2004 | The New Georgia Encyclopedia -- An internet encyclopedia -- Why an Internet Encyclopedia? Stop what you're doing -- turn on your computer and go to www.georgiaencyclopedia.org. Georgia is the first state in the Nation to have a totally electronic encyclopedia. Our speaker, Jamil Zainaldin, President of the Georgia Humanities Council, a historian and professor at Emory University, is the "father" of the New Georgia Encyclopedia -- Go on the website -- then you'll begin to know why nobody will think the same about Georgia after this project. |
| 07/13/2004 | Education -- There needs to be more than a teacher in the front of
a room with a chalkboard with and eraser -- He was twelve years old when
his family left Cuba for the United States. He remembers sitting in the Miami
class room not being able to understand the language everyone was speaking.
He remembers what it was like to take a test in a foreign language and have
to catch up with his classmates -- yes, he did remember all of these, and
among his many community activities over the years, Jose Perez established
a mentoring program for young Latino students, but that was only a part of
his activities over the years. Recently he was appointed to the State Board
of Education, being the first Hispanic member of that Board. Asked what he
could bring to the State Board of Education that's unique, he answered --
"I'm a problem solver. I tend to focus on facts."
This will be a dynamic program, and we also will learn about a pilot program underway to bring business and the schools together to seek a realistic end result. |
| 07/20/2004 | It's Dr. Dolittle -- and he indeed does talk to the animals! Our
speaker is Mark Spivak, a real life Dr. Dolittle. The owner and president
of Comprehensive Pet Therapy (CPT), Mark founded the business in 1992 and
has trained more than 27,000 animals. Folks, we're not talking about "roll
over" tricks -- but -- do you want your dog to be in a movie with Robert
Redford? Does your dog have a personality problem, or is just unhappy because
he hasn't been in a movie with Julia Roberts? You might consider a little
training at CPT.
Mark will bring his own dog Topper, who is now retired from competition but has quiet an accomplished acting resume. |
| 07/27/2004 | Critical Elections in America - 1864 and 2004
This will be a double header, the first part of the program will be July 27th and the second part will be August 3rd. Our speaker will be Dr. John A. Tures, Assistant Professor of Political Science. Dr. Tures, currently back in the academic world, has worked in the private sector in Washington, D.C. working with a company which provided "out serviced" intelligence work for the government, and he has worked with a political campaign in the past. He is also a Civil War buff being thoroughly knowledgeable in the current and past political history of our country. The election of 2004 is a critical election -- regardless of the side you may be on -- and in our history there was another critical election -- 1864. Have you considered the similarities between the two elections. In both elections there are Republican incumbents; both incumbents were involved in a war that was, or is becoming, an unpopular war. Both administrations had issues with prisoner abuse -- and in the election of 1864, Atlanta played a significant role through the episodes to a fellow named Sherman -- Atlanta was a significant factor in the 1864 election. The July 27th program will focus more on the 1864 election and lead into the August 3rd program which will focus more on the 2004 election. This is history -- not only "old" history, but -- current history. Dr. Tures says that these two elections are far more similar than any of us may realize, and both are critical to America. |
| 08/03/2004 | Critical Elections in America - 1864 and 2004
A continuation by Dr. John A. Tures with greater emphasis on the 2004 election. Dr. Tures has worked in Washington, D.C. between stints in academia and is familiar with the Bush Campaign and its personality. He is also familiar with the strategies of the Kerry Campaign -- he says he will not make a prediction; however, possibly we can glean an idea of his thoughts from the presentations. |
| 08/10/2004 | Dr. Richard Meyer -- a return visit from Dr. Rich Meyer, Director of the Bio-Terrorism, Rapid Response and Advance Technology Laboratory of the CDC. Dr. Meyer spoke with us previously about the anthrax scare of a year or so back. On August 10th we will receive a follow-up on that and an update on the "hot summer of 2004". We all probably think that it's been a quiet, lazy summer -- plenty of sunshine, time for golf, swimming, picnics and fun -- for those in the terrorist business it has been a busy summer; there have been events that required close monitoring -- the G-8 Summit, the upcoming Democratic and Republican Conventions and the Olympics in Athens -- it's been a busy summer. This will be an interesting update on terrorism. |
| 08/17/2004 | Officer of the Year -- Honoring Officer Clyde Moore. Throughout
the year we have had the pleasure each month honoring one police officer
of the downtown Zones. August 17 will be the culmination of this program
for the Kiwanis year 2003-2004. We will honor the Officer of the Year --
Officer Clyde Moore.
Officer Moore is one of the more active officers in the Zone 5 area -- downtown -- and without question, our streets are safer with him on the force. On February 19, 2003, he responded to a bank robbery in progress, listening closely as dispatch gave a description of the robber, he parked his patrol car out of sight and waited and observed the man as he was leaving the bank and immediately detained him. And just the following day, February 20th, Officer Moore responded to a possible rape in progress. As he approached the scene, he observed the man fitting the description of the suspect. Quickly he apprehended the man, found the victim who identified the rapist as well as another witness who had seen the activity taking place. Officer Moore is on the ball, and our streets are truly safer. Major Lane Hagin of the Atlanta Police Department will be the featured speaker. He will provide reflections on the Atlanta Police Department as well as describe to the club the contributions of Officer Moore. Most important, it is a privilege for our club to honor these officers and this will be a special occasion to honor the Officer of the Year, Officer Moore. |
| 08/24/2004 | Michael Thurmond, Georgia's Commissioner of Labor. Did you know that the African-American communities throughout the country were significantly involved in the Civil War? I'm not speaking of the slavery in the South, but the part that African-American communities played in the war effort here and in seeking influence and assistance from Europe during the war. Commissioner Thurmond's book, "Freedom", deals with these activities. Again, little known but interesting history. |
| 08/31/2004 | Iraq - What was it like -- What is it like now -- What's really
happening?
Do you wonder what really is happening in Iraq? Who is Saddam Hussein? Are we winning or losing? Can we glean the true situation in Iraq from the news media? Now is your opportunity for a first hand report. Our speaker is Esmail (Mike) Almaleki. Mike came to the United States in 1993 after the Gulf War. He became a citizen in 2000, and today he works as an analyst with a company involved in the ongoing mission in Iraq. "My priority is to save American lives, to make the American mission successful," says Almaleki, whose father and sister were killed during Saddam's reign. Tuesday's program will be an opportunity for us to receive a first hand report and hopefully be able to get a clear picture of what is happening in Iraq and the direction in which our mission is taking us. |
| 09/07/2004 | Methamphetamine - the growing epidemic. The illegal drug epidemic now soaring through the state, not merely in the large urban areas, but throughout is methamphetamine -- a powerful stimulant often cooked up in dangerous homemade labs. Our speaker is Harry Thornton, an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. He'll give us a report on this growing epidemic which could engulf the entire state. |
| 09/14/2004 | Gilbert R. Friend-Jones - The Pilgrim Program -- pilgrims from
Atlanta.
Dr. Friend-Jones has established a program called Interfaith Pathways to Peace -- this is not a "religious" program in which one's views are lauded over another, but rather is a program with a fascinating story of experiences to tell. Thirty-two Atlantans, Jews, Moslems and Christians, took a 10 day journey together through Spain from regions of Grenada, Seville and Toledo and on to Morocco to see remnants of a distinctive way of life that once flourished there. While Europe -- as many scholars say -- languished in the Dark Ages, Muslims, Jews and Christians in Al-Andalus together formed an intricate social fabric. From 711 to 1492 A.D., the people of Al-Andalus had a closely entwined, occasionally clashing, and culturally fruitful collaboration. Pathway to Peace is a program which is seeking to develop bridges between and among our faiths rather than building barriers. |
| 09/21/2004 | America's Global Policy. Our speaker, Retired General Zeb B. Bradford,
Jr., said he wouldn't dare predict the outcome of the presidential election
in November, but there is one prediction he would make. Regardless of who
wins, the time of an idealistic, interventionist foreign policy for the United
States is over. In international affairs, our country will turn, not to
multilateralism, but to isolationism. Partnership with Europe will be history.
This is a fascinating thought.
General Bradford, an authority on foreign policy, has authored several books. He sees a swing in this country based in part on the fact that we are so far ahead of so many parts of the world economically that we will tend to turn inward to ourselves with major thoughts toward commerce. He sees this change, not simply because of questions of whether or not the Iraq war is correct and the pains of these conflicts, but because of more fundamental influences which are effecting American attitudes. A touch on history, a prediction on the future and possibly finding out what the history books may say about us in 50 years. |
| 09/28/2004 | Marketing tricks that people think are sneaky. Hmmm -- what a delightful aroma of cookies and cakes as you stroll through the homeware -- cooking -- section of your favorite department store. Mmm…smell the pine needles as you look through the camping equipment at the local REI…it isn't mere happenstance; this and a lot of other "marketing tricks" are used daily. Dr. Pam Ellen, Professor of Marketing at Georgia State University, will be our speaker. Let's find out about the many "tricks of the trade". |
| 10/5/2004 | Ring out the Old - Ring in the New. Parties hats, Champaign, whistles, horns-- wait a minute, this isn't New Years Eve! But yes, it is a New Kiwanis Year! This will be the time in which we will remember the wonderful year we have had with Lantz and speak in terms of the great year upcoming that we will have with Ray. Awards for the past year will be given, new officers will be installed and we'll all be on our way to another banner Kiwanis Year 2004-2005. |
| 10/12/2004 | Mr. Armon B. Neel - The Pharmacist Who Says No to Drugs! Have you looked in your medicine cabinet recently? Do you or someone you know take three, four or five or maybe even more of different medicines daily -- a red pill, a blue pill, a green pill, yellow pill? Have you ever thought that, even though well intended by your doctor, some of the various drugs that are prescribed may actually fight each other, that some may actually be counterproductive to another. Armon Neel tells patients how to save money and, more importantly, how to save lives. Initially rendering his service to institutions, he now has a private practice in which he functions as a consultant pharmacist. I bet you didn't even realize there is an organization known as the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. Our speaker is a rebel with a cause -- namely, advancing the idea that pharmacist must serve and protect the people who take the medications they dispense. |
| 10/19/2004 | Horse Happy - Children with Special Needs Get a Lift From Four-Footed
Friends. Our speaker is Bethany Nugent, head of "hippotherapy" at Sonora
Farms -- What is "hippotherapy"? Hey, you're not riding a hippo - it's a
horse! But here's the reason: the Greek word "hippos" means horse. Why is
it therapy? Because riding can help some people who have disabilities. It's
an entire program that is utilized to help children with brain injuries and
other disabilities, even some adults are involved in the program. Believe
it or not, people in Greece wrote about hippotherapy 2,400 years ago, and
it became popular in the 1960s in Europe and in the United States. It isn't
a joke -- it's not horse play with a lot of hay thrown in. Actually, kids
and adults receive therapy, and the therapy services many types of disabilities,
the most common is cerebral palsy which makes it hard for one to move easily.
It is also used with autism, spina bifida, Down syndrome -- anything that
limits movement.
Just remember, a horse is a horse, of course, of course, unless it's Mr. Ed -- but this is the real thing! |
| 10/26/2004 | H.E.R.O. for Children. According to "The Alchemist," a fable about
following ones dreams, the world's greatest travesty is people's inability
to choose their own destinies. Two young men, both honors business graduates,
decided to start a non-profit organization for children the day after graduating
from college. One of those students was Student Body President; the other
was President of an international non-profit organization doing Investment
Banking in Hong Kong, the other did Management Consulting in Italy. While
one went to a funeral in Africa for a little boy who last his battle to AIDS,
the other taught an AIDS orphan in Brazil to blow bubbles for the first time.
With both men sharing such similar experiences with children and AIDS and
both having the business acumen and tenacity to truly make a difference,
the question remained whether or not some tapestry of events would bring
the two together. Ironically, one had traveled to Southern Spain and the
other had lived in the heart of Africa, yet both returned home to the University
of Georgia, where they became friends and decided to ignite a movement to
create lasting social change right where they both started in the State of
Georgia.
Who were these young men? They were Garret Gravesen and Ryan Gembala; they had already read "The Alchemist" and the destiny they chose was H.E.R.O. for Children. This program is dynamic. Go to their web site -- it is truly inspiring. www.heroforchildren.org. |
| 11/02/2004 | Patricia Sibley. Ms. Sibley is founder and president of MediaSolutions, the largest independent media planning and buying service in the Southeast -- You will see political media purchases and activity on a first hand basis - the day of the election. |
| 11/09/2004 | What's Behind the Red Door? -- Our speaker, Ms. Heidy Brusitus, Executive Director of Operations at The Southern Center for International Studies, will be our guest speaker. We will learn the mission of The Southern Center for International Studies and why it is important for us to know something about the world in which we live. Without question, this will be a fascinating and interesting program. |
| 11/23/2004 | 9/11 Memorial - 9/11 stands out in all of our memories. Some of
you may have had an opportunity to visit Ground Zero in New York City - it
was a very, very empty space where, previously, World Trade Towers stood.
It's an eerie sight; I've seen it. From this ruin will grow something of
beauty as a memorial to that day and to those who we lost. Georgia Tech graduate
student, Michael Arad, won the commission to design the 9/11 Memorial at
the World Trade Center.
Our speaker, Douglas Allen, is a professor at Georgia Tech. Michael Arad was Professor Allen's student; our speaker was involved with Michael's seeking the memorial project commission and will bring to us pictures and a full report on the memorial project and Michael's quest to win the commission. Professor Allen's own career is impressive. He has over thirty years of experience in the design and planning of commercial, residential, and institutional projects for both public and private sector clients. His projects include the development of a master plan for the University of Bir Zeit (West Bank, Israel, 1983); Korean War Memorial (Baltimore, Maryland, 1987); and The Augusta Riverfront Center Project (Augusta, GA. 1990-1992). His work includes several award winning projects. One was The Perdue Garden which was featured in the book, Contemporary Trends in Landscape Architecture, by Steven Cantor (Van Nostrand and Reinhold, New York, 1997). He co-authored the book, Cambridge Massachusetts: the Changing of a Landscape (Harvard University Press, 1979) which won the Conservation Medal from the Victorian Society in America in 1980. In 1987-88 he was Visiting Professor of Landscape Architecture at Harvard University. He is currently Professor and Associate Dean in the College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. |
| 11/30/2004 | Get your tickets, get ready and let's go! It's on to the theater! Our speaker will be Tom Key, Executive Artistic Director of Atlanta's proclaimed Theatrical Outfit, a professional company giving dramatic voice to the spiritual themes of the American South. Tom has performed nationally and has adapted numerous works for the stage. Tom has been described as one of Atlanta's most prominent theater artists, who is "an actor with such energy that even standing still he seems to quiver like a divining rod." |
| 12/07/2004 | Court of Appeals Elect Judge Debra Bernes. Debra Bernes, a Marietta attorney, was recently elected to the State of Georgia Court of Appeals. Debra's campaigns were successful each step of the way beginning with the initial election, the General Election, and additional run-off after the General Election; she was successful in each of these, but because of the vote percentage requirement of Georgia Elections, this election went through a series of campaigns and elections. Judge Bernes will be our speaker; Peachtree-Atlanta possibly being one of the first to hear her since her successful election to move into her position on the Court of Appeals. |
| 12/14/2004 | Rixon Hammond, Alliance Theater Production Manager. Do you ever wonder what the Production Manager does? You walk into the theater for a play, musical or otherwise -- what do you see? Well, obviously, there are the actors, but take the actors away and what do you see? Everything that you see comes under the responsibility of the Production Manager. Our speaker has a staff of over fifty who work for him on a full-time basis who at anytime might be tracking down vintage automobiles, designing and sewing costumes for Elizabethan times or costumes from the old south, or even arranging for "spooky" lighting for a scary play. Other than the actors and the author, everything you see at all productions at the Alliance Theater has had the touch of our speaker. This will be a fascinating program. |
| 12/21/2004 | John Cissell, who will soon be leaving his post as superintendent
of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, will be our speaker.
The fighting at Kennesaw Mountain and surrounding countryside raged from
June 18 to July 2, 1864. The Union forces commanded by General William Tecumseh
Sherman advanced on Atlanta. The Battlefield still has trenches that can
be walked. Walking on trenches dug by solders seeking shelter from cannon
fire and musket shot "draws you to a place you don't normally go," Cissell
said.
Not only is our speaker known for his work with Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, but he has been a major force in historic preservation outside the park. |
| 12/28/2004 | General Zeb Bradford - Retired Army General will speak about the military
similarities between 1941 and 2004.
General Bradford, who you may remember spoke with us previously about the status of America in the world today, will address the similarities between our (the United States) military preparedness and readiness for war and military circumstances as they existed in 1941 and as they are today in 2004. This is certainly a very current - and possibly hot topic - because of the recent comments about our military being improperly equipped and the comment by the Secretary of Defense that you go to war with the army that you have. The program is not a comment one way or the other of our situation or of our position on the war in Iraq; rather, it is a program which will compare how we stood as a country then and how we stood as we entered the Iraq War. This should be a fascinating program. |
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