Friday Oct 24, 2014

Comedy, Economics, and Climate Change

Yoram Bauman

Economist, Environmentalist and Comedian Stand Up Economist

Scribe: Megan Sweeters Editor: Jim Kindsvater Introduced by: Rourke O'Brien

In this issue

Stand-Up Economist, Yoram Bauman, shares some humor and insight into the world’s carbon concentrations and strategies to reduce carbon emissions. With legislation in the works to introduce a Washington State tax neutral carbon fee, Yoram Bauman and his group hopes to have the state lead to national and international action. Club news includes Student of the Month, World Polio Day, The Rotary Foundation, and Oktoberfest.

Speaker

Rouke O’Brien introduced our guest speaker, Yoram Bauman, “The First and Only Stand-up Economist” and author of “The Cartoon Introduction to Climate Change” and “The Cartoon Introduction to Economics, Volume 2: Macroeconomics”. Carbon concentrations, burning fossil fuels, air pollution, emissions… Yoram introduces a revenue neutral solution that increases carbon tax and decreases sales tax, B&O taxes and a Working Family Rebate. This legislation will likely be on the 2016 ballot.   Yoram Bauman, and his group, hope to have the state lead to national and international action.

More information is available through www.carbonWA.org and www.standupeconomist.com.

Club Business

Invocation and Introduction of Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Scott Sadler gave the Invocation and led the pledge, and Dan Sullivan introduced visiting Rotarians and Guests.

Sergeant-at-Arms

Sergeant-at-Arms, Tim Leahy, announced the Halloween Costume Contest next Friday on Halloween…

Who’s the scariest, wackiest, cutest, strangest, cleverest of all?  Who’s willing to boldly go where no man, or woman, has gone before?  Who believes they can take first place in our BBRC Halloween Costume Contest this Friday?  Is it you?

Could be any of you!  So come decked out in your wildest Halloween costume Friday morning!  We’ll decide who’s worthy of “Best of Show”.

And should you choose not to come in costume…..do so at your own risk…..and wallet!  Boo! Ha ha ha ha ha……….!  So spooky!

Yours truly…..or maybe not…..sinister, scary, bloodsucking,

Student of the Month

Tanya Franzen introduced our BBRC Student of the Month, Belky Martinez Cruz. Along with five AP classes and a 3.5 GPA, Belky helps our at the Bellevue Botanical Garden, is involved in the Totem Pride Leadership and works with children attending Lake Hills Elementary. Following graduation from Sammamish High School, Belky hopes to attend Central Washington University and major in Criminal Justice.

World Polio Day

A District 5030 video and BBRC commercial were shared in honor of World Polio Day. Polio will be gone forever if we see it through! We’re this … close!

The Rotary Foundation  

Dick Brown and John Martinka kicks off Rotary International Foundation Month, sharing examples of ways Rotary International Foundation grants allowed BBRC access to projects that influence and change lives. Reminder that each member is expected to contribute at least $100 annually to the Paul Harris Foundation set up in honor of Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris.

Every Rotarian Every Year!

EREY!

Oktoberfest!

Paul Chapman shared the “Most Commonly Asked Questions about the BBRC Oktoberfest”. Herr Der Wasser has brewed a ton of bier and these girls can’t drink all of it! Make it to the Oktoberfest on Saturday, November 1st at 5:30 PM. Festivities are behind the Lawrence the Florist store in Bellevue. See you then!

 

About the Speaker

Yoram Bauman makes a living as “the world’s first and only stand-up economist”, but he is also a PhD environmental economist who is part of the CarbonWA.org effort to bring a revenue-neutral carbon tax to Washington State. Yoram is the co-author of the Cartoon "Introduction to Climate Change", the two-volume Cartoon "Introduction to Economics", and the 1998 book "Tax Shift", which was written with Alan Durning of Sightline Institute and helped inspire the revenue-neutral carbon tax in British Columbia. Yoram lives in Seattle and has a BA in mathematics from Reed College and a PhD in economics from the University of Washington. In 2011 he spent 5 months in Beijing as a visiting scholar at the University of International Business and Economics. His website is www.standupeconomist.com.