Golden News
Volume 16, Number 32 - Monday 3 February 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
Lai See Dow Loi:
 
So, what do you think is the most important issue on the minds of people in Hong Kong this week, huh? Article 23 of the Basic Law? The pending war in Iraq? The stand-off with North Korea? Global Warming? The War on Terrorism? Hong Kong's pollution level?
 
Naaaah. We've officially entered Extortion Week, and this means people you hardly know suddenly become your best friend, and they greet you with a cheerful "Kung Hei Fat Choy, Lai See Dow Loi".

Translation: "Hey, it's a new year, bucko, so gimme some money". This includes the dozy watchmen at your apartment building, the untidy waitress at the hotel coffee shop, the cleaning lady at your office building and the crazy little guy who stands on the street corner muttering to himself.

Oh well. I guess it only happens once a year, so it's not really a big deal. In fact, given the way people are suddenly willing to be so nice and cheerful, perhaps we should do this on a quarterly basis?
 
I can envisage the advertising campaign: "Keep Hong Kong Happy - Give Strangers Money".

This Week's Meeting:


The guest speaker this week is George W. Bush who will be addressing us on "Public Speaking".

OK, I have no idea who is our guest speaker this week, because our old mate Carola "Cha Cha" Chard is keeping it a secret, so I'm guessing it's somebody very important, and she can't say who due to security reasons.

Or she forget to book somebody. Whatever. Just turn up on Wednesday and she'll sort it out. If not, we'll just take away her milk 'n' cookies.


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 - Overdue Reminder: 
 
The deadline for payment of the semi-annual dues for the first half of this year has passed so, if you haven't paid your dues yet, you're late and you will be severely beaten with a large Rotary stick.
 
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??? Er, Lai See Dow Loi :-)

 
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:
 

The District Badminton Tournament, organised by the RC Hong Kong, will be held on Sunday, 23 February 2003 at Shatin. More information is available on the District website.
 
Rotary International News:

1) February is Rotary International's "World Understanding Month".

2) RI President-elect Jonathan Majiyagbe has unveiled the 2003-04 theme, pictured left. He described his theme as "simple and straightforward, expressing the natural impulse that all Rotarians feel when they come face to face with human need."

Outlining his four areas of focus for the year — poverty, health, literacy, and the family of Rotary — the president-elect said, "We will Lend a Hand to alleviate poverty, educate the illiterate, and relieve the scourge of disease, and Lend a Hand of fellowship to all of the family of Rotary".
 
More information about the new theme is available on the RI website.


Rotary Information: 
 
The Definition of Rotary: How do you describe the organization called "Rotary"? There are so many characteristics of a Rotary club as well as the activities of almost 2 million Rotarians. There are the features of service, internationality, fellowship, classifications of each vocation, development of goodwill and world understanding, the emphasis of high ethical standards, concern for other people and many more descriptive qualities.

In 1976 the Rotary International Board of Directors was interested in creating a concise definition of the fundamental aspects of Rotary. They turned to the three men who were then serving on Rotary's Public Relations Committee and requested that a one-sentence definition of Rotary be prepared. After numerous drafts, the committee presented this definition, which has been used ever since in various Rotary publications:

"Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world."

Those 31 words are worth remembering when someone asks, "What is a Rotary club?"
 
Who Am I?:

What is the more common name of popular American rapper (now actor) Marshall Bruce Mathers III?
 
The answer appears at the bottom of this issue.

 
Geek Speak:
 
Looking for a quick 'n' easy online translation tool? The Geek suggests you try the Google translator from the same people who give us the world's best web search engine.

 
Golden Smile:

Things not to say to a cop when you're pulled over...
  1. I only had one officer, Mr. Keg
  2. Wanna race to the station, Sparky?
  3. On the way to the station let's get a six pack.
  4. You'll never get those cuffs on me, you wimp!
  5. Come on write the damn ticket - the bars close in 20 minutes!
  6. How long is this going to take? Your wife is expecting me.
  7. Sure you can see my license, officer, but could you hold my beer for a minute?
  8. Hey, you must've been doing' about 125mph to keep up with me!
  9. I thought you had to be in relatively good physical condition to be a Police Officer.
  10. Excuse me, but is "stick up" hyphenated?
  11. You know, I wanted to be cop, but I decided to finish high school instead.
  12. "Bad Cop! No Donut!"
  13. You're not gonna check the trunk, are you?
  14. Didn't I see you get your butt kicked on TV last week?
  15. Wow. You look just like the guy in the picture next to my girlfriend's bed.
  16. I bet I could grab that gun before you finish writing my ticket
  17. So, uh, you "on the take", or what?
  18. Gee, officer! That's terrific. The police officer yesterday only gave me a warning too!
  19. Hey is that a 9 mm? That's nothing compared to this .44 magnum.
  20. Say, aren't you one of the Village People?
 
Quotable Quotes:

 
"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires".

Susan B. Anthony

 
The Phantom
"Who Am I?" answer: Eminem.

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