Stories

 Dr. Albert Ogle of St. Peters in Lithgow spoke to Millbrook Rotary Millbrook@Home

 

Jamie Turndorf (local resident, aka Dr. Love) told us about the subjects discussed in her best-selling book Love Never Dies. It begins with a premonition of her future husband, so powerful that she vows not to date others until she meets him, which she does while attending Vassar. Emile Jean Pin is an ex-Jesuit priest who founded “Liberation Theology.”  After they connected when Jamie was a senior, they were together for 27 years before a tragic bee sting on a beach in Italy caused Mr. Pin, known as “Jean” since leaving the priesthood, to die.  Although Jamie had been raised by atheists and considered herself one as well, she soon started having visitations from Jean, feeling him touch her, seeing him in an animal messenger, and finding that inanimate machines—in this case, fax machines and cellphones—refused to recognize either his death certificate or obituary, or made calls on their own. Ms. Turndorf has concluded that we do not die, but our essence (soul?) is made of dark energy and continues on beyond the physical body. In her book, she tells how to use meditation, breathing, and dialog to become receptive to those who no longer inhabit the body.  The book is scheduled to become both a movie and a television series.

About 10 years ago, Les Rollins discovered he had heart problems.  Every time he went to the doctor, he said the same thing.  His blood pressure was bad; he was put on medication which caused some dizziness.  After passing out several times, Les went to clinic at Vassar.  He felt with high blood pressure and bad heart, he had to get fixed.  On a nighttime trip to the bathroom, Les slammed into a wall which knocked him down, but he got up and went back to bed.  He was banged up with a black eye and then began to drag his left foot.  A month later, he couldn’t walk at all.  He went to many different doctors; there was no improvement.  Les started to lose the use of his arm – he finally went to the emergency room at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital where they diagnosed bleeding on the brain which was from the fall a month earlier.  Dr. Cho (neurosurgeon) was in the emergency room at the time.  There was big discussion between Dr. Cho and Les’ cardiologist (who was also in the ER), but Les had no choice.  The cardiologist was afraid Les would die if he had brain surgery, but the neurosurgeon was sure that he would die if he did not have it. He had immediate surgery that night.  He could not be put completely out because of his heart condition.  His head was shaved, scalp cut, and Les passed out.  When he came to, he said, “What the hell are you doing?”  The sound he heard was staples being placed.  The surgery was so much an emergency that Les’ clothes (and even shoes) were not taken off. Les speaks very highly of Dr. Cho and of the physical therapy he received following surgery.  Les had to learn to walk; he couldn’t speak for weeks.  Seventeen days were spent in the hospital. 

Our own Kathy Gallo gave a lively and informative presentation about Life in Tonga. She shared photos of her grandson’s Ben and Sam, and her daughter and son-in-law. She visited for 3 years in a row and lived on a boat called Independence, which they affectionately called “Inde.” The boat has 4 cabins and 4 bathrooms. There are no motels or hotels. You can’t own land, so no one builds! It takes 17 days to cross the Pacific to reach Tonga. There are 2 seasons – hot and hotter!

 

It’s the 5^th most corrupt country in the world and the most obese country in the world.  It’s a very religious country. Everything shuts down every Sunday. The population is 103,000. They have large families. Tonga is known as a Remittance country, which is like tithing.

 

There are numerous pig and chickens roaming the streets. Her grandson was attacked by a pig and needed 13 stitches. The hospitals lack cleanliness. Pig roasts are often the main feast. Kathy spent a lot of time in the library, and stumbled upon a book about health written in 1937. Whales have their babies in Tonga.

Cathy Lan & Camille Marcotte from Cornell Cooperative Extension on

Recycling and Composting

 

Dutchess County has single stream recycling. Which means that you do not have to separate your recycling items.  In Dutchess County everyone is required to recycle, it's the law. In Dutchess County our recycling is brought to the Materials Recovery Facility in Beacon.

 

David is a charter member of the Millbrook Rotary.  Dave joined Rotary when it was an all male organization.  The first female president was Mary Lou Murphy.  Dave was the 4^th president of the Millbrook Rotary Club.

Dr. Alison Nohara is a brain surgeon who is the head of neurointerventional surgery at Vassar Hospital. Dr. Nohara came to the Hudson Valley because she learned that there was not special unit for treating strokes anywhere nearby, Her new facility at Vassar Hospital opened last year. Her group handles treatment of brain, spine, carotid arteries, nosebleeds, and—the subject of her talk—strokes.