Program: On January 24 Jeffrey Kerr presented “Who’s gonna make our gasoline?”

Jeffrey Kerr (R), Energy Correspondent at Thomson Reuters told Kiwanis “WHO’S GONNA MAKE OUR GASOLINE” at the 1/24/12 breakfast. Rich Behling (L) introduced Jeff, who follows the East Coast gasoline, heating oil and jet airplane fuel markets. He has 24 years of experience in the energy field, half as a journalist and half working in the industry. He lives with his wife and daughter in Madison.

Jeff gave a fascinating account of the status and trends for delivery of gasoline to the East Coast area of the USA. After giving an overview of how gasoline is produced, he covered the refineries and pipelines that deliver gasoline to our area.

Many rapid changes are underway because of economic conditions. Refiners are not making enough profit so they are closing plants on the east coast in the USA and in the Caribbean. Many people are out of work because of closings. Alternative fuel sources may not be available in time to fill demand, so the pump price of gasoline will probably rise more than usual this summer. Because local refineries are closing, gasoline must be shipped to the East Coast at considerable cost.

Jeff told about happenings in the transportation and refining of fuels. India is getting into the refining business with a very large export-only refinery north of Mumbai (Bombay). This is having a profound impact on the World market. Europeans are increasing their use of diesel fuel. Gasoline is a byproduct of diesel refining so the USA has received excess gasoline from Europe. Some of our gasoline even comes from Russia.

Huge oil storage tanks are being constructed in Cushing, OK to store oil from Canada transported via the proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

In New Jersey, we have the Linden Bayway refinery owned by ConocoPhillips and Hess refinery at Port Reading, NJ. The Sunoco Eagle Point refinery in Westville, NJ is shut down (assets may be shipped to India). At Paulsboro, NJ there are two refineries - the Nustar Asphalt Refinery and a large nearby PBF Energy refinery. The audience was surprised to learn that PBF Energy, with headquarters in Parsippany, NJ, is in the refining business (they also have a large refinery in Delaware). All the gasoline from the PBF refinery in Paulsboro, NJ goes to Lukoil gas stations. Also, Chevron has an asphalt refinery in Perth Amboy, NJ which operates seasonally.

In Pennsylvania, the ConocoPhillips Trainer, PA refinery is shut down – many workers lost their jobs. The nearby Marcus Hook, PA refinery owned by Sunoco is also shut down.

The very large St. Croix Hovensa refinery just announced that they will shut down next month. Loss of salaries and tax payments from the major employer is very hard on the US Virgin Islands economy.
USA Gulf refineries are increasing their capacity. The Colonial pipeline which carries gasoline from the Gulf to the Northeast USA will increase capacity, but not until next year. The supply of gasoline will be short in the Northeast this year.

Meanwhile, crude oil and distilled fuels from fields in the West are being transported via 100-car “unit trains” to Albany, NY and then by barges to markets in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. It would help if the USA could build more pipelines for liquid fuels.

Jeff told many interesting and entertaining stories to the delight of the audience.  He was given a rousing round of applause at the end of the talk.

Announcements: Kiwanis January 24 Meeting

Mary Anne Maloney reminded everyone about the upcoming Webinar and Mid-winter Convention. She also reported on last week’s CHS Key Club meeting. She reported that the NJ District is seeking nominations for officer positions and she has forms that can be used. Mary Anne and Betty Anne Keat had a nice meeting with Heather Alonge at the ECLC Pride Program which provides activities for graduates of the school. Visitors are welcome to stop by – just call Heather. A meeting on “fund-raising” will be held right after today’s breakfast meeting.

Alan Robertson reported on the Fish and Chips Dinner. He has mailed letters out to companies asking them to purchase a placemat ad. He handed out letters to members attending the meeting who had purchased an ad in the past and to other members who will contact advertisers. 

"Food Allergies: A Primer" was presented by Karen Leister, Southern Boulevard School Nurse.

Karen Leister currently serves the Chatham, NJ community as the school nurse at Southern Boulevard School and as the school district’s Nursing Team Leader. She spoke about food allergies at the January 17 Kiwanis breakfast meeting. Her career spans 27 years and she has receive awards in the fields of food allergy and anaphylaxis.

Karen learned about food allergies at an early age because she is allergic to fish. Allergies run in the family – her brother is allergic to sesame. Two of her children also have allergies. Karen developed a keen interest in the field and now has a detailed understanding of food allergies and related emergency treatments.

Food allergies are on the rise in the whole population and especially among children. Thirty-four (6.8 percent) of the 496 students at Southern Boulevard School have severe food allergies. Adult staff statistics are much lower, about 4 percent. These percentages reflect the national trend. She went on to talk about managing food allergies in and out of the school environment. She asked if anyone in the audience has food allergies in their families and many Kiwanis members shared what food they are allergic to.

The incidence of peanut allergy doubled between 1997 and 2002. It is not known exactly why the incidence of allergies is growing. Anaphylaxis is a very serious allergic reaction that has a rapid onset and can result in death -aid is needed quickly. Approximately 50,000 to 125,000 emergency room visits are caused each year by allergic reactions.

Symptoms of a reaction are swelling, hives, eczema, and rash (like a sunburn).  Many other more serious symptoms exist. These are a reaction of the body’s immune system. The body generates histamines to rid the body of allergens and the histamines cause serious reactions. 

Karen showed a model of the Mast cell (see above photo), the white blood cell that is implicated in the allergic reaction.  She explained how the cell works and what histamine does to the body.
Eight foods in the United States cause 90 percent of the anaphylactic reactions: peanuts, tree-nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, eggs, wheat, and soy. In Canada, a ninth food is sesame. Allergies can be outgrown. (Children with asthma also frequently have food allergies.)  

Benadryl is an antihistamine medicine which works against histamines. It is administered orally for less severe reactions and requires about 20 minutes to take effect. Epinephrine is administered using an EpiPen for severe reactions where urgent treatment is needed. Karen showed how it is administered into leg muscle. 911 must be called when an EpiPen is administered.

She also explained other conditions, like lactose intolerance, which are not strictly allergic reactions.
In school, children are taught to read labels. No label? No thank-you. Even non-food products need to be examined for allergens. Cross-contamination is a problem in food preparation. To illustrate the importance of reading labels, Karen gave commercial food packages to members of the audience and asked them to look for allergens in the ingredients. For example, Ritz bits cheese crackers contain peanuts.

Karen told about a student (who is allergic to milk) who drank Gatorade and discovered after reading the label that it contained milk. Gatorade had changed their product offering to include three different drinks: before, during and after exercise. The “after” contains milk to supply protein. Karen had to administer an EpiPen to the boy. You have to read the label all the time.

Preparations for treatment are needed. You need to have your medication with you all the time. You need to be able to recognize the symptoms. You need to have a food allergy action plan. Medic “alert jewelry” is a good idea.

The school provides a safety net under kids who have food allergies. Eating is always supervised. EpiPen designees are assigned and trained. Health classes cover food allergies. Teaching and other staff are trained. Individualized student health-care plans are prepared. Emergency health-care plans are written. Food sharing is prohibited. Parents are sent “holiday reminder”.

The Southern Boulevard School chose strategies that maintain a safe environment. They also teach the students simple strategies that they can use outside of school. There is a safe snack basket in every class, and peanut-free pal zone (table in the cafeteria). Children are taught to continue to manage their own allergies after they graduate from school.

Mary Anne Maloney (L) thanked Karen (R) for teaching Kiwanis about food Allergies.

New Member Simon Mandal Inducted into Kiwanis on January 17.

Simon Mandal was inducted into Kiwanis on January 17. His sponsor was AD Dudderer. In the above photo are (L to R) AD, Simon, President of the club Mary Anne Maloney, and Secretary Sharon Johnson.

AD introduced Simon to members. Simon is a sought after entertainer. He has performed as a magician, stand-up comic, actor, and clown. Simon has dazzled hundreds of thousands of adults & children with his lightning quick wit, disarming personality, and amazing sleight-of-hand skill. In addition to school and family shows, Simon performs for Fortune 500 Companies, including Google, Macy's, and JP Morgan.

 AD put the Kiwanis pin on Simon’s lapel. Sharon and Mary Anne welcomed Simon into the club.

Program: Andy Bobeck explained how to improve digital photographs

Award winning Chatham photographer Andy Bobeck spoke to Kiwanis about editing and printing photographs. At the January 10 meeting Melanie Sze introduced Andy, who is active in the Art League of the Chathams. Working with a renowned Drew University archeologist, Robert Bull, he brought to life details of figures in a film photograph of a fresco.

The fresco is located in the city of Caesarea Maritima in the western part of Israel on the Mediterranean coast. Andy explained the history of the city, now a resort town. Dr. Bull led a research expedition to the city in 1972. Excavation uncovered a statue and a stone structure containing a fresco. The Vault #1 structure containing the fresco is a Mithraeum, a meeting site for members of the cult of Mithras. The original research is described in book entitled King Herod’s Dream.

A photograph was taken of the fresco but it was not clear enough for analysis. Andy showed in his talk how he used digital editing software to bring a laser print of the fresco photo to life. Using a scanner, he created a digital photo and applied descreening to eliminate the laser-generated lines. He explained the photographic histogram (available on most digital cameras) and how it is used to edit digital images. The edited images were much clearer than the original, as everyone in the audience could see in the images projected during Andy’s talk.

As a bonus, at the end of his talk, Andy showed how he created photographic prints that look like an artist’s painting. He starts with five RAW images shot with a range of exposures. Files from these images are blended using special High Dynamic Range imaging (HDRi) software (e.g. Photomatix). HDRi adds detail to very dark and very bright areas of a photo taken in a wide range of lighting. He prints the photo, using an ink-jet printer, onto a canvas sheet. The print is sealed with acrylic and then bonded to glass with Gesso. He showed a framed photo of the center of Madison, NJ. Everyone in the audience thought it looked very nice. Samples of Andy’s work can be viewed at the Art League show now running at the Chatham Township Municipal Building.

The audience loudly applauded the very informative and helpful talk. Many of the Kiwanis members stayed afterward to talk with Andy.

Announcements: Kiwanis January 10, 2012 Meeting

President Mary Anne Maloney reminded members that the Fish and Chips dinner will be held March 28. She announced that the NJ District Mid-Winter Conference will be held on Saturday, February 18 at the Ocean Place Resort andSpa in Long Branch, NJ. Several members will be going. Please let her know if you want to go. Our club Board meeting is 8:00 PM, Wednesday January 18 at the Chatham United Methodist Church. The CHS Key Club will also meet on that date at 7:00 PM. Nancy Boucher reminded everyone that she is selling Supermarket Gift Cards. Dick Plambeck said a few words in memory of Alex DeCroce, Assemblyman in NJ District 26 for over 20 years, who passed away last night at the Statehouse. He will be missed.

January 3 Program: Michael Mulhaul explained the Kiwanis ELIMINATE Project

Mike Mulhaul (right), who is the Kiwanis NJ District Coordinator for the ELIMINATE Project was introduced by Jerry Cunningham (left). Mike is a Past Governor of the NJ District and an active member of the Greater Parsippany Club.

After introducing the ELIMINATE Project, Mike showed an excellent video explaining ELIMINATE. Click here to view the video on the web.

The last Kiwanis World-Wide Project was the Iodine Deficiency Disorders project, which raised over $80,000,000 to support UNICEF in eliminating this terrible illness.

Selection of the next International project was made by a consortium of Kiwanis members who participated in choosing the best project based on ideas from many members. The choice of the ELIMINATE Project was formally announced at last year’s Kiwanis International Annual Convention.

There are 38 countries around the world with serious Tetanus problems. UNICEF has been working on this since 1999. The MNT infection happens during the birthing process, which is often poorly controlled and very unsanitary. Both mother and child die horrible, painful deaths. The cost of prevention is minimal - only $1.80 for three tetanus shots, given at 8-week intervals. Treatment needs to be repeated every 10 years.

Mike asked the audience to seriously “take an interest” individually and as a club. The benefits of correcting the Maternal/Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) problem greatly exceed the cost and effort. Kiwanis is raising $110,000,000 over a period of four years. In 2015 when Kiwanis is 100 years old, the ELIMINATE project should be completed. In New Jersey, Kiwanis Family Clubs (including sponsored youth) need to raise $1,066,444.00 over the next four years. New Jersey has already contributed over $88,000.

Recognition is given, via the Zeller Award, for contributions of $1,250. This amount saves 695 lives. Walter Zeller is known for his contribution to the fledgling Kiwanis Foundation in the 1940’s. Individual Kiwanis Clubs can also qualify for recognition as “model clubs” ($75 per member during the 4-year period). Clubs can also qualify for the $100,000 Club Award. There are also other awards.

Mike passed around brochures describing what you and your club can do, how people can contribute money, and campaign recognition. To learn more about ELIMINATE, go to website www.TheEliminateProject.org. Click here to learn how to make a donation to ELIMINATE

.

Announcements: Kiwanis January 3 Meeting

Stu Shippey announced that the Nut Sales were successfully completed in December and net income is $2,200. Members applauded Stu for running a very successful fundraising campaign. Income will go to scholarships and other local benevolences. Joan May, President Elect, announced that there was an Interclub at the CHS Key Club meeting on December 21. Deposits are due January 5 for the May 27 ELIMINATE cruise to Bermuda. Monty Montague volunteered to help run the March 28, 2012 Fish and Chips project.