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Golden News
Volume 17, Number 28 - Monday 5 January
2004
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 Ms. Elsa Lai who will be speaking to us
about the End
Child Sexual Abuse Foundation.
(Also see "Action For Iran" below). ++++++ From Under The Kitchen Sink: Our spy in the Holiday Inn kitchen, Vincent "The Galloping Gourmet" Lam, informs us that this week's fare is Indian food, namely Tomato Soup, followed by either Chicken Masala with Saffron Rice or Aloo Gobi with Saffron Rice, and ending with Rasmalai, coffee, tea and so on. Milestones: Birthday greetings for: 11 January to Susie "Madam Lash" Misini, who shares her
birthday with hip-hop rapper Mary J. Blige. Yo! 11 January to "Tiny" Tim Wong, who shares his birthday with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. ++++++
KGM Induction Anniversary Greetings this week, go out to:
"Lady" Diana
Yeung, who was inducted into
KGM 2 years ago on 9 Jan 2002.
Action For Iran: Your Board continues to respond promptly to those in need of emergency assistance arising from natural disasters. By way of a vote conducted by email, KGM has pledged the sum of US$5,000 towards Disaster Relief efforts to aid the survivors of the devastating earthquake which struck Iran, and which has claimed the lives of over 20,000 people. KGM is making it's contribution through the offices of the Hong Kong Branch of the International Red Cross, from whom we received the following message: "On behalf of the Hong Kong Red Cross, I would like to
thank you for the generous donation from the Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden
Mile to support the Iran Earthquake Relief. It's the pleasure of Lady Ivy
S. P. Wu, JP, Assistant Director of the HK Red Cross and I to join your
Club's regular luncheon in the Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hotel next
Wednesday, 7th January 2004."
Bonnie So Head of International & Relief Service Hong Kong Red Cross" (Note 1: The website was down at the time of writing
this bulletin)
(Note 2: There will be a 10 minute audio-visual presentation on their work in Iran during our regular lunch meeting). Semi-Annual Dues - 3rd
Reminder: Yes folks, it's time once again
to pay your dues of $1,500 for the period 1
January to 30 June 2004, and you have TWO payment options:
1) By cash handed directly to KGM Treasurer Rajiv "Show Me The Money" Makhija; 2) By cheque payable to "Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden
Mile" mailed to P.O.
Box 98129, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon.
If you elect to pay by cheque, remember to clearly write your name on the back of the cheque,
because our overworked and unpaid Treasurer doesn't always know which
company name belongs to which member (other than, say, Beancounters
Limited, which we all know is owned by PP
Robin "Ka" Ching). Also please note that we've cancelled the former "PayPal" facility because most of our members are Internet-impaired. Some members also have hairy toes (this includes a few male members too). Attendance - Group Makeup - This
Week:
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 another
Group Makeup for KGM members who are falling behind in their attendance
(you know who you are).
The group makeup will take place at 7:30 p.m.,
Thursday 8 January 2004 at the RC Peninsula Sunrise, who meet at the
Metropole Restaurant, 4/F United Centre, 95
Queensway (phone 2865 1988).
Members interested in attending can obviously just show
up, but it would be nice to forewarn Diana by
calling her on 9889 9908. Community Service News - Last Call: Our old mate and Community
Service Director Miranda "King"
Kong continues to work tirelessly for us, eventhough she
has a terrible headache from way too much eggnog and hubby Tony endlessly singing Auld Lang
Syne in the shower and using up all the hot water.
Anyway, despite her haze,
Miranda has arranged for KGM to assist the Hong Kong branch of Crossroads International to settle into
their new premises at the former army barracks at Perowne, opposite the
Gold Coast in Tuen Mun. More details are
available on their new dedicated "Help Us Settle In"
website.
Basically they need a bunch of
enthusiastic warm bodies with reasonable hand-eye coordination to help
paint, clean, scrub, repair, build, demolish, carry, garden, answer
phones, take out the trash, put the toilet seat up, make cups of tea
or Margueritas etc., while professionals undertake other
critical tasks such as plumbing, electrical work, tiling, glazing and so
on.
The Volunteer Day is from 10:00
a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday 10 January
2004 and, if you're willing and able to assist, please
contact Miranda by telephone on 9199
3077 ASAP.
Fellowship News:
Well the rumours were true ....................... and we have lift off. Hoooraaaayyyyy!!! Our old mate
Vincent "The Galloping Gourmet"
Lam informs us that the next fellowship will
indeed be held at the critically acclaimed Gaia Restaurant (a
member of the Va Bene Group), on Saturday 17 January
2004, but Vincent is trying to make this into a
combined "Vocational Service & Fund Raising & Fellowship"
event (whew!), so he needs to know:
1. Would you prefer it be a lunch or dinner
fellowship?
2. A definite commitment of how many people will be in
your party?
This information is required because the owner of
Gaia, renown restauranteur Pino
Piano (if his middle name is "Pedro", then I'm convinced
his mother didn't like him), will be personally attending to
us.
The actual cost of the Fellowship is yet to be confirmed but I expect it will, as usual, not be more than $400 per head, however Vincent will send out a separate message to members later today. In the meantime, assuming my cost estimation is correct, please respond to Vincent by email (or by telephone 9045 6871) as soon as possible with the answers to his questions. Group
Study Exchange News:
Our old mate Brian "Gold Member" Hodgson tells us that KGM's candidate for the GSE Team from District 3450, which will visit the USA later this year, has been selected. Our nominee, Ms. Rosa
Fan, is an artist who gained her Master of
Arts degree in the UK, and she is currently employed as and Art and
Design lecturer at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. Rosa
is best known for her ceramics work, and she has exhibited her work in
Hong Kong, the USA, England, Japan & Singapore.
Rosa will be visiting our club again before she departs
on the GSE Team tour.
District 3450 Events:
Well folks, the District brouhaha (isn't that a great word?), over who will be our District Governor for the 2005-06 Rotary year continues unabated. For starters, both
candidates (the nominee of the first part, and the
challenger of the second part) were
"suspended" by incumbent District Governor Jones Wong for
failing to wear bright red noses and big floppy shoes while attending the
last District conference. No, wait. Maybe it's because they were both
deemed to be "canvassing for votes", which is a felony spanking offence under RI Rules Of
Misbehaviour. No, wait. Maybe it was for er, um, ah, oh
....... whatever.
All I know is that, sooner or later, each Club in District 3450 will get to select the candidate they prefer by way of a "ballot-by-mail", and it's what they should've done from the very outset to avoid all the nonsense. Hey, maybe we can get "Chad" from Florida, who did such as great job with the last US Presidential Election, to come do the honours in Hong Kong, and maybe we could also get Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin to come over at the same time, and he can put on a "Catch The Yuen Long Crocodile Using My Infant As Bait" side-show? And why not get Invest Hong Kong and the American Chamber of Horrors, er, Commerce to manage the whole bloody thing too? (El Prez:
Calm down, Phantom, or I'll slap you). OK, OK, sorry about that Your Royal
Haughtiness.
Anyway, the "ballot-by-mail" is definitely a step in
the right direction, but it
all depends on how the District allocates votes to each club. Of course a
straight "1 club, 1 vote" system is impossible, because if the
RC of
Mahjong-North only has 7 members (on a good
day), this would be grossly unfair to the RC
of Stiff Upper Lips who have 176 members (all with an
excess of hair growing out of their ears).
With previous brouhahas (is the plural correct?), the District allocated votes on a "For every 25 (?) members, you get 1 vote" basis, but even that is still unfair because the RC of Char Siu Faan with 10 members would get 1 vote, but KGM with 55 members would only get 2 votes, despite having over 5 times the membership. So, what's the answer, huh? OK, this idea is radical, it's never been tried before anywhere in the world, and it could possibly undermine the entire structure of Rotary and destroy the fabric of Hong Kong Society but, hey, it's a New Year and I'm feeling bold. Each Club gets allocated "1 vote for every member reported to the District on 30 June 2003" (of course each club vote must be for a single candidate). All we need to do now is to find a catchy name for this new and untried system but, frankly, I'm stumped (and I bet you didn't even know I still played cricket). +++++++ Meanwhile, moving right along, here's what's coming up on the District Calendar:
Rotary
International News:
New: The
RI Council On Legislation
meets again in 2004 - read all about it.
New: Read
the January issue of "The
Rotarian" magazine online.
In other RI news:
1. Learn about the various Rotary International Programs on the RI
website - details.
2. Read all about the ongoing plans for the
RI Centennial in 2005 -
details.
3. Visit the website of Rotary International President Jonathan Majiyagbe - details. 4. Read about the 95th
Rotary International Convention in Osaka from 23-26
May, 2004 - new
website.
Rotary Information: January is Rotary Awareness Month: A message from RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe: .
Dear fellow Rotarians,  January brings a new year and with it new opportunities
to learn more about Rotary and the many cultures it represents. This
month, I am wearing a hat similar to those sported by vaqueros, the
cowboys of Brazil's northeastern plains. Brazil is a vast country, and
covering land as the vaqueros do is no small task. These rugged
cattle-herders, who have long been known for their skill and bravery, have
developed a culture rich in character and tradition.Rotarians, too, have a proud history,
marked by achievement and growth. In fact, so deep is our history and so
much have we grown that while most of us can name major Rotary milestones
and understand the basic workings of our organization, far fewer know the
complete story of the many programs and opportunities Rotary offers.
Fortunately, January is Rotary Awareness Month, a perfect time to refresh
your knowledge of Rotary International and The Rotary
Foundation.
As Rotarians, we have access to a
network of more than 1.2 million service-minded colleagues and a variety
of well-established programs designed to foster fellowship and ethical
behavior, promote world peace and understanding, and provide humanitarian
service. With so many activities and options available, the task of
learning about everything might seem daunting. But there are numerous
publications, educational meetings, and, of course, fellow Rotarians who
can help you learn more about specific aspects of the Rotary experience.
Even if you think you've learned all there is to know about RI and The
Rotary Foundation, you might be surprised at what you
discover.
Rotary awareness isn't only about our
organization's history. It's about our future. If Rotary clubs want to
attract new members, seasoned Rotarians must be prepared to share their
knowledge. Prospective members will want to know all about the
opportunities for service and the resources available to them if they join
a Rotary club. And whenever we welcome a new member, there are traditions
to pass along and a rich heritage to share. As Past RI President Richard
L. Evans once said: "A man may have a great truth, he may produce a great
product, ... he may make a great discovery, but if he dies and no one
benefits, it's because he did not share."
Time spent learning about Rotary is an
investment in the future. Informed members can inspire other Rotarians
with their knowledge and engage non-Rotarians by sharing what it means to
be a member. I urge you to use this month to learn more about Rotary. When
we truly understand Rotary's history and tradition of service, we're
better prepared to welcome new members and Lend a Hand in our communities
and around the world.
Geek
Speak:
The Geek is back but, due to the length of this week's bulletin, he has graciously agreed to go twiddle with his knobs instead of baffling us with his, er, advice. Who Am I?
What at is the more common name of prolific singer/songwriter Reginald Dwight? Clue: He made one optometrist a very rich man.. The answer appears at the bottom of this issue. Golden Smile: This is a reputedly a genuine bricklayer's accident report, which was printed in the newsletter of the Australian Workers' Compensation Board: Dear Sir,
I'm writing in response to your request
for additional information in Section 3 of the accident report form, where
I cited "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a
fuller explanation, and I trust the following details will be
sufficient.
I'm a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found that I had some bricks left over, which, when weighed later, were found to be slightly in excess of 500lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor. Securing the rope at the ground, I went up
to the roof, swung the barrel out, and loaded the bricks into it..Then I
went down, untied the rope while holding it tightly, to ensure a slow
descent of the bricks. However you will note in Section 2 of the accident
report form that my weight is 135lbs.
Due to my surprise at being jerked off the
ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and I forgot to let go of
the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the
building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was
now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explained the
fractured skull, minor abrasions, and the broken collar bone, as listed in
Section 9 of the accident report form.
Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid
ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles
deep into the pulley. Fortunately, by this time, I had regained my
presence of mind, and I was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of
beginning to experience incredible pain. At
approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground
and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now, devoid of the weight of the
bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lbs. I refer you again to my
weight in Section 2 of the accident report form.
As you can imagine, I began a rapid
descent, down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third
floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured
ankles, a broken tooth, and several lacerations to my legs and lower body.
Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel
seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile
of bricks and, fortunately, only three vertebrae were
cracked.
I'm sorry to report, however, as I lay
there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my
composure and presence of mind, and I let go of the rope, and all I could
do was lay there watching the empty barrel begin its journey back down
onto me. This explains the two broken legs.
I hope this fully answers your
inquiry.
Kind Regards,
Mike Pashby Quotable Quotes:
In view of the terrible arson attack on the MTR
yesterday, The Phantom is reminded of this profound
quotation:
"The price of freedom is
eternal vigilance".
Thomas Jefferson Bumper Sticker Of The Week:  If you want to save the bumper sticker for use in email or on a website, put your mouse pointer over the top, right-click, and select "Save Picture As". The
Phantom
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