Golden News
Volume 17, Number 20 - Monday 10 November 2003
The official bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile is published
most Mondays and is distributed to all club members, District officials and
other "friends of KGM".


Winner "Best English Language Bulletin" in District 3450, 2001/2002

This Week's Meeting:
 

Our guest speaker this week is Mr. Hilton Cheong-Leen and the subject of his talk is "The Hong Kong Civic Association".
 
Mr. Cheong-Leen was born in Georgetown, Guyana, and came to Hong Kong at the age of 9. He was formerly a Chairman of the Urban Council and a Legislative Councilor, at which time he participated in the launching of the "Lap Sap Chung" anti-littering campaign. During his tenure in public service, Mr. Cheong-Leen was also in the forefront of pushing for nine years of compulsory schooling, something which is taken for granted today. 
 
In 1954 Mr. Cheong-Leen founded Hong Kong’s first political entity, The Hong Kong Civic Association, an organisation of which he continues to remain Chairman at the grand age of 81. He is also father of ballerina and designer, Flora Cheong-Leen, and now father-in-law of actor Russell Wong.
 
 
From Under The Kitchen Sink: According to our spy in the Holiday Inn kitchen, Vincent "The Galloping Gourmet" Lam, this week's menu is Italian food, namely Minestrone Soup, followed by Osso Bucco with Fresh Linguini & Capsicum or Linguini Pasta with Mushroom in Tomato Sauce, ending with Tortellono as dessert. Mamma Mia !!!
 
 

Member Updates: 
 

Speaking of our old mate Vincent "Bone Bender" Lam, his new email address is bsvassoc@biznetvigator.net

 
 

Milestones:


Birthday greetings to:
 
Thomas "Chemical Ali" Mo who, on 12 November, shares his birthday with actor David Schwimmer of "Friends" fame.


Induction anniversary greetings to:
 
Terrence "Mr. T" Annamunthodo who was inducted into KGM 7 years ago on 13 November 1996.
 
 

Attendance - Group Makeup TODAY:

KGM Group Makeup's are the most fun thing you can do without removing your clothing (unlike some of our fellowships).
 
Anyway, our charming Attendance Director "Lady" Diana Yeung, has organised a Group Makeup for KGM members who are falling behind in their attendance (you know who you are - and see the next article in this bulletin).
 
The group makeup will take place at 12:30 p.m. TODAY, Monday 10 November 2003 at the RC Wanchai, who meet at the luxurious Grand Hyatt Hotel.
 
Members interested in attending can obviously just show up, but it would be nice to forewarn Diana by calling her on 9889 9908.
 
 

Attendance - District Numbers:
 
Speaking of Attendance, according to the report which appeared in DG Jones Wong's last newsletter, KGM had an average attendance of only 48.50% in the month of August 2003, and KGM ranked a lousy 44th out of 53 clubs in District 3450.
 
The above result is woeful - SHAME ON US.
 
Having said that, I continue to be amazed why we still have 9 clubs in District 3450 with fewer than 20 members each. In fact one club has only 7 members, with an average attendance of 78%, so their typical meeting was comprised of 5 people.
 
Yet another club has only 11 members with an average attendance of 36%, so their typical meeting was comprised of only 4 people. Are they Rotary Clubs or Mahjong Clubs?
 
There's something terribly wrong with this picture. Why aren't these clubs consolidated together or merged with different and stronger clubs? I've been asking this question for years, but nobody seems to have an answer.
 
Anyway, on the other hand, the same report shows that KGM with 57 members is now the 3rd largest club in District 3450, with only the RC Hong Kong (126 members) and our mother-club RC Kowloon (62 members), having larger memberships.

 

Next BOD Meeting:
 
Members of the KGM Board are reminded that the next BOD meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m., Monday 17 November 2003, at the conference room on the 2nd floor of the Holiday Inn Golden Mile.
 
If you can't attend, please call KGM President Patricia "Iron Lady" Blair on 9312 3606 or KGM Secretary Clarissa "The Enforcer" Bellstedt on 9400 8261 or send them both an email as soon as possible.

BOD members who don't attend will be sent to The Tower and shot. Twice. You have been warned.
 
 

Fellowship News:


Our old mate and KGM Fellowship Director PP "Butch" Cassidy Lam tells us he has some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that there will be no further fellowships in the month of November, but the good news is that there will be two fellowships in December, and both of them are freebies (hooray!!!):
 
1) On Friday 12 December, the charming & beautiful Avisha Harilela and her hubbie er, um, ah, oh yeah David, will once again graciously open their home to the great unwashed masses of KGM for a fellowship dinner tentatively entitled "A short time in Kowloon Tong", whatever that means.
 
2) On another date in December (to be advised), our former Fearless Leader IPP Nanu "Nanu" Lachman, will host his "President's Night". More details to follow.
 
Members interested in attending these events should contact PP Cassidy on 9031 2882 or send him an email.
 
 

Community Service News:
 
Our bubbly Community Service Director Miranda "King" Kong reminds us of two important events:
 
1) Visit to Stanley Prison: This will take place from 1:00 p.m to 4:30 p.m. this Wednesday 12 November, and KGM members are invited to attend, along with the 20 or so secondary students who are participating. This visit relates to KGM's support of the Tsuen Wan District Fight Crime Committee's efforts, which includes a variety of crime prevention awareness campaigns, targeted primarily at youth.
 
Of course KGM members who attend this visit in lieu of the regular club meeting will be given an attendance credit.
 
++++++++
 
2) Electrical Appliances for the Elderly: KGM, in collaboration with the St. James' Settlement, has embarked upon a project to supply much needed electrical appliances to the elderly in Hong Kong - details (Chinese language only). Your Board has already approved the sum of $30,000 as our contribution towards this project, however we're also seeking donations of suitable electrical appliances.
 
As previously advised, our old mate Balu "Kojak" Chainrai has already stepped up to the plate and has offered to make a generous contribution of appliances, and we're going to raid his warehouse at 43 Hung To Road, Ngau Tau Kok at 2:00 p.m. this Thursday 13 November, to choose products which are suitable for elderly people to use.
 
++++++++
 
Members interested in participating in either of these two events are asked to contact Miranda by phone on 9199 3077.
 
 

International Service News:
 

Yes folks, the "on again, off again, on again, off again" visit to Manila is "on again" BUT the date has changed. Again.
 
The delegation, lead by our resident Bee Gee and International Service Director David "Cares" Harilela, will now depart for Manila on Saturday 22 November and will return on Monday 24 November (unless the date changes again).
 
The object of the visit is to renew the "Sister Club" ties with the RC Paranaque, and to discuss the progress of their "Cleft Lip & Palate" corrective surgery program, which KGM has been financially supporting since 1990.
 
David has organised a package deal of $2,330 per head, which includes economy class airfare, twin share accommodation and breakfast at the 5-Star Intercontinental Hotel in Makati. An additional fee of $560 per head is payable by those requiring their own room.
 
Members interested in joining the delegation should contact David by telephone on 9168 8333, unless he's changed his phone number too :-)
 
 

District 3450 Events:
 
  • District ConferenceSaturday & Sunday, 15-16 November 2003 - details
  • District Golf Tournament - Wednesday 19 November 2003 - details
  • District Mahjong Competition - Saturday 29 November 2003 - details
  • District Sports Day in Macau - Wednesday 30 November 2003 - details
  • District Table Tennis Tournament - Sunday 7 December 2003 - details 
  • District Hepatitis B Walkathon - Sunday 14 December 2003 - details
 

Rotary International News:
 
 
November is Rotary Foundation Month, so it's time for KGM members (especially those who've been members for many years, but who've not yet become a Paul Harris Fellow), to contribute to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
 
And there's no need to make a single lump-sum contribution of US$1,000 - members can elect to become "Sustaining Members" by making an initial contribution of only US$100. Stop making excuses and support The Rotary Foundation.
 
In other news:
 
1. Read the December issue of "The Rotarian" magazine online.
 
2. Learn about the various Rotary International Programs on the RI website - details.
 
3. Read all about the ongoing plans for the RI Centennial in 2005 - details.

4. Visit the website of Rotary International President Jonathan Majiyagbe - details.
 
5. The 95th Rotary International Convention will be held in Osaka from 23-26 May, 2004 - new website.

 
 

Rotary Information: 
 

Paul Harris Fellows: Undoubtedly the most important step to promote voluntary giving to The Rotary Foundation occurred in 1957, when the idea of Paul Harris Fellow Recognition was first proposed. Although the concept of making US$1,000 gifts to the Foundation was slow in developing, by the early 1970s it began to gain popularity. The distinctive Paul Harris Fellow medallion, lapel pin, and attractive certificate have become highly respected symbols of a substantial financial commitment to The Rotary Foundation by Rotarians and friends around the world. By 2002, some 813,000 Paul Harris Fellows had been added to the rolls of The Rotary Foundation.
 
The companion to the Paul Harris Fellow is the Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member, which is the recognition presented to an individual who has given, or in whose honor a gift is made, a contribution of $100, with the stated intention of making additional contributions until $1,000 is reached. At that time, the Sustaining Member becomes a Paul Harris Fellow.
 
A special recognition pin is given to Paul Harris Fellows who make additional gifts of $1,000 to the Foundation. The distinctive gold pin includes a blue stone to represent each $1,000 contribution — from $2,000 to $6,000. Red stone pins signify gifts of $7,000 to $9,000. Paul Harris Fellow Recognition provides a very important incen­tive for the continuing support needed to underwrite the many programs of The Rotary Foundation that build goodwill and understanding in the world.

 

Advice from the Geek:
 

Did you update your Anti-Virus software this week? What about last week? And will you do it next week?
 
New and increasingly damaging viruses, worms and various other electronic nasties continue to be propagated around the Internet every day, and the greatest source of these is email. Some of these nasties are so bad that, even if you don't click on them, they can still cause irreparable harm to your personal computer or, worst still, your entire computer network, just by downloading them.

However if your Anti-Virus software is up-to-date, most nasties can be caught and destroyed before they are downloaded.
 
Most top software programs such as Norton Anti-Virus (which The Geek uses and highly recommends) allows you set your software to automatically check for updates in the background each time you log-on to the Internet, and this saves you from having to remember to do so.

Update your Anti-Virus software now, before it's too late.

 

Who Am I?
 

What is the more common name of American actor Andres Arturo Garcia-Menendez?

Clue: Don Corleone III.
 
The answer appears at the bottom of this issue.
 
 

Golden Smile: 
 
From a courtroom, somewhere in America:
 
Defense Attorney: What is your age?
 
Little old Woman: I'm 86 years old.
 
Defense Attorney: Will you tell us, in your own words, what happened to you?
 
Little old Woman: There I was, sitting there in my swing on my front porch, on a warm spring evening, when a young man came up on the porch and sat down beside me.
 
Defense Attorney: Did you know him?
 
Little old Woman: No, but he sure was friendly.
 
Defense Attorney: What happened after he sat down?
 
Little old Woman: He started to rub my thigh.
 
Defense Attorney: Did you stop him?
 
Little old Woman: No, I didn't stop him.
 
Defense Attorney: Why not?
 
Little old Woman: It felt good. Nobody had done that since my husband George passed away some 30 years ago.
 
Defense Attorney: What happened next?
 
Little old Woman: He began to rub my breasts.
 
Defense Attorney: Did you stop him then?
 
Little old Woman: No, I did not stop him.
 
Defense Attorney: Why not?
 
Little old Woman: Well, Sir, his rubbing made me feel all alive and excited. I haven't felt that good in years!
 
Defense Attorney: What happened next?
 
Little old Woman: Well, I was feeling so spicy that I just laid down and said to him, "Take me, young man, take me!"
 
Defense Attorney: And did he, er, take you?
 
Little old Woman: No. He just yelled, "April Fool" ............................ and that's when I shot him.

 

Quotable Quotes:


"Of every one-hundred men,
Ten shouldn't even be there.
Eighty are nothing but targets.
Nine are real fighters, we are lucky to have them,
They make the battle.
Ah, but one .............
One of them is a Warrior.
He will bring the others home."
 
Hericletus (circa 500BC)
 
 
 
The Phantom
Who Am I answer: Andy Garcia.

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