The Weekly Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Kowloon Golden Mile

President Cassidy welcomed everyone is his usual "bowtie" manner after which Carola (the stand-in Sargeant) fined 2 people for actually being early for next week’s meeting! I hope I’m making all those that didn’t come to the meeting curious enough to know what happened!!! Rtn Silva and Hans introduced visiting rotarians and guests.

Ms. Helen Rigby - China Red Revolution Art

The wonderfully multitalented, Helen gave a very enlightening talk on her work which started as a hobby. On a trip to China, she fell in love with propaganda posters and it was then that she decided that she would learn Chinese and find out more about the posters.

"Cute" Terrence (that’s what Helen called him!) helped Helen present her beautiful posters which she brought along to show us and help understand propaganda posters right from the 1950’s to date.

Balu did a great job with the vote of thanks while we all stuffing our face with the chinese petit fours for dessert which concluded a lovely meal.

No birthdays this week….. keep tuned to this column next week…..

Cocktails start at 6.30pm at the Holiday Inn followed by the club assembly and dinner. You are encouraged to bring your spouses.

Also, a reminder that last year’s recipients of the 100% attendance awards will be receiving them at this meeting.

Looking forward to a brilliant attendance (okay, Norman, what do I get for giving you a plug?)

Thank you David Harilela for hosting such a wonderful dinner fellowship at your mansion. And hey, when do we get to see the photos?

A 'fun-learning' VOCATIONAL VISIT is being organised at the Harbour Plaza Hotel in Hunghom, Kowloon.

FROM: 3.00 pm to 4.00 p.m.

ON: Saturday, 23rd September, 2000 (Forthcoming Saturday)

AGENDA: Conducted tours (2 batches) of the pastry kitchen (live demo), laundry areas, rooms, restaurants, swimming pool, health club etc. The tour will take about 45 mins to an hour. Thereafter we can all sit down to tea/coffee/snacks and can share the minimal cost.

Since the hotel can accomodate only 15 people, please book your places early. Priority will be given to members but your spouses, kids and anyone else interested in the hotel industry could also join us if the numbers permit.

30 September 2000, 7:00 p.m. Saturday,

Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hotel, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon.

After my A-levels, I toyed around with the idea of studying law, but having ascertained that there were too many man eating sharks on the planet already, I joined the family business - an import/export firm. My elder brother, not wanting to coddle me, sent me off on a six-month tour of the Middle Eastern countries (translation - no wine, women or song !) with 9 suitcases, a book of Arabic phrases and $500 in my pocket. That was the beginning of a decades long love affair with wheeling and dealing. Having made a tidy profit on that fateful first trip, we started expanding our horizons and to date we have done business with every continent except Antarctica. I have sold everything from digital watches (now known as antiques) to cosmetics to Reebok sportswear (great samples). We now have a very wide client base in South Africa and Spain, and a lot of my work now involves trying to make deals on the phone (hence my loss of voice!) and travelling with clients to China to source new products.

In recent years. I have been quite intrigued by the financial markets and tried my hand at trading equities and currencies. My successes have been few and far between, but my failures frequent and plentiful. In the process, I have learned a lot and am happy to supply free advice to fellow Rotarians, at their own risk of course.

My future plans are to carry on trading for the next 5 years, and hopefully then to retire next to a beach somewhere in Western Australia with my better half to enjoy the clean air and fresh water.

Savvy surfers who have already visited the KGM E-Store have given your Webmaster "Two thumbs up" in respect of the number and variety of reputable on-line merchants which are available, and I am delighted to inform you that KGM has already recorded it's first sales ! Thank You.

Each week, bulletin space permitting, I intend to highlight some of the Merchants available at the KGM E-Store, and I would like to begin with one of the most famous on the web, namely Amazon.Com.

Shopping on-line at Amazon is breeze if you are looking for the latest books, DVD's, CD's, videos, software and electronics, and they have some of the most extensive selections on the Internet. Amazon also provides excellent world-wide shipping, and their prices are usually cheaper than those available from retailers in Hong Kong. Moreover, they offer numerous titles which are not available locally. Check them out.

A certain artificial sweetner company wanted to spruce up their image with a big new ad campaign. The marketing department quickly divided into two sqabbling factions. One group wanted to do a "Big Band Nostalgia" theme, sponsoring some jazzy, happ'nin' musical events, while the other group was dead set on a tribute to the classic, "Ben-Hur", complete with a real-live re-enactment of the classic chariot race. As the deadline approached, no one would budge, so finally the two sides were forced to compromise.

When the big boss came to see the finished product, he was presented with a snappy jazzy orchestra seated in a giant Roman vehicle.

"WHAT IS THAT!?!?" he cried.

"Well sir," replied his VP of marketing," THAT is the SWEET & LOW SWING CHARIOT!"

If you dance with a grizzly bear, you had better let him lead.

When putting cheese in a mousetrap, always leave room for the mouse.

You always find what you're looking for in the last place you look.

Variables won't; constants aren't.

The child herself was unlikable. There is an unintentionally risible passage where she pries open the eyes of newborn kittens.

Definition from American Heritage Dictionary