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Golden
News
Volume
16, Number 31 - Monday 27 January 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 Kung Hei Fat Choy:
Can you believe it? It seems
like Christmas was only last week, but it's already Chinese New Year (and
almost February) again. No wonder I feel so old. Still, it's always a
great time in Hong Kong, because the population and pollution levels drop
to a reasonable level.
Anyway, Mrs. Phantom and I wish all members and friends a very happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Goat. This Week's Meeting: The guest speaker this week is Mr. Karl Wilson who will be speaking to us on "The new Hong Kong Standard". Milestones:
There are no members celebrating birthdays this week. In fact, we only have one member celebrating a birthday in February, so this column will be fairly quiet for the next few weeks. Hence if anybody would like to announce an anniversary or another milestone, let me know. Semi-Annual Dues - 4th Reminder: The deadline for
payment of the semi-annual dues for the first half of this
year is 31 January. If the
Treasurer hasn't received your payment by Friday, you are in default and
we'll talk about you behind your back.
The amount payable is $1,500 for the period 1 January to 30 June 2003, and this year you have FOUR 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.
3) By credit card through
"PayPal".
4) By ignoring these reminders and having the money beat out of you by Rajiv "The Mangler" Makhija. If you elect to pay by cheque, remember to write your name on the back of the cheque, as our overworked, unpaid and heavily armed Treasurer doesn't always know which company name belongs to which member. Fellowship
News:
Still no news from KGM Fellowship
Director Miranda "King" Kong about her fellowship plans
for February.
Miranda? Hello?
HELLO???
Fund-Raising KGM Polio Plus
Cookbook: Have YOU purchased any copies yet? Sales of our revised cookbook "Dining In with Great Chefs of Hong Kong" continue unabated and, at only HK$188 (US$25) per copy, the cookbook is excellent value. An image of the cover has been uploaded to the KGM website. For more general enquiries, contact President-Elect Lady Patricia of Happy Valley on telephone 9312 3606 or by email. Remember, KGM can now accept online payments by major
credit card through PayPal.
Please tell your friends in Hong Kong and overseas about this new facility, in order to assist sales of the cook book in support of our Polio Plus fund-raising activities. District
3450 News:
1) Our colleagues at the RC of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia have recently revamped their website. Check it out! 2) We've been advised by District that the United Nations has declared 2003 is the "International Year Of Fresh Water" and 22 March 2003 is World Water Day. For more information, visit the District website. 3) KGM members who have not received copies of the monthly newsletter from our charming, gracious & talented DG Gloria Chan can download a copy from the District website. Rotary International
News:
1) Didn't receive your latest copy of "The Rotarian" magazine? View the latest issue online at the RI website. 2) Tomorrow, Tuesday 28 January, at the 2003 RI Anaheim Institute, incoming RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe
will be announcing his theme for the 2003/2004
Rotary Year. Full details will appear in next week's
Golden News.
3) KGM Club Secretary David Harilela reminds members that he has been appointed "On To Brisbane Chairman" in respect of the
next RI Convention to be held in Brisbane,
Australia from 1-4 June
2003. Visit the RI website or the event website for more information, or contact David on 9168 8333 or by email. Rotary Information: Among the programs of The Rotary Foundation are the Matching Grants that assist Rotary clubs and districts in conducting international service projects. Since 1965, more than 3,700 grants have been awarded for projects in about 135 countries with awards of more than US$23 million. A club or district must contribute an amount at least as large as that requested from The Rotary Foundation with at least half the funds that the Foundation will match coming from a country outside of the country where the project will take place (e.g. US$5,000 from KGM plus US$5,000 from the RC of Someplace Else, qualifies for US$10,000 from the Rotary Foundation, if the project is approved). Grants have been made to improve hospitals, develop school programs, drill water wells, assist the handicapped or persons requiring special medical attention, provide resources for orphanages, create sanitation facilities, distribute food and medical supplies and many other forms of international community service in needy areas of the world. Some grants are for projects in the magnitude of from US$15,000 to $50,000, but most are in the range of US$5,000 to $10,000. Matching Grants are not approved to purchase land or build buildings, and they may not be used for programs already underway or completed. Personal participation by Rotarians is required and the benefits should extend beyond the recipients. The Matching Grants program is a very significant part of The Rotary Foundation and provides an important incentive for clubs to undertake worthwhile international service projects in another part of the world. They certainly foster goodwill and understanding, which is in keeping with the objectives of The Rotary Foundation. Who Am I?: What is the more common name of British punk rocker William Michael Albert Broad? The
answer appears at the bottom of this issue.
Geek Speak:
Once you've done all
the usual Chinese New Year thingies, how else will you keep yourself busy
for four days?
Why not have a laugh at the Dialectizer website, which can translate any website (or text) into Cockney slang, Redneck, Elmer Fudd, Swedish Chef and a variety of other "dialects". Just enter (or cut and paste) the website address or text into the correct box, select a dialect, and click the button. Badabing! No? OK, have another beer and watch the repeats of Baywatch. Golden
Smile:
The
horse & the chicken
There was once a farm, where a chicken and a horse were great friends who loved to play together. One day, the two were playing near a bog, when the horse suddenly lost his footing, fell into the bog and began to sink. Scared for his life, the horse whinnied for the chicken to go get the farmer and his tractor for help! The chicken scurried back to the farmhouse but, on arriving there, he couldn't locate the farmer, and he couldn't find the keys to the tractor. However the chicken noticed the farmer's shiny new BMW parked by the barn, with the keys inside. The chicken threw a length of rope into the BMW and sped off, hoping he still had time to save his friend's life. Back at the bog, the horse was surprised but happy to see the chicken arrive in the shiny BMW, and he managed to get a hold of the loop of rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the farmer's car, the chicken drove slowly forward and, with the aid of the powerful car, he rescued his dear friend the horse! Happy and proud, the chicken drove the BMW back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. A few weeks later, the chicken fell into a mud pit, and soon he began to sink, so he cried out to the horse to save his life! The horse thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the mud pit. He then told the chicken to grab his, um, "horsehood", so he could lift him out of the pit. The chicken got a good grip, and the horse pulled him up and out, thereby saving his life. The moral of the story? When you're hung like a horse, you don't need a BMW to pick up chicks. Quotable Quotes:
"Democracy encourages the majority
to decide things about which the majority is blissfully ignorant".
John Simon
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| "Who Am I?" answer: Billy Idol. |
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