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SPECIAL INVITATION
Rotary eClub One, D5450, Colorado USA from its 2008/2009
President, Angus M Robinson
With some 46 members located in 11 countries, and serving over
7,000 Rotarians every month with ‘online make ups’, Rotary eClub
One is one of the most successful pilot ‘new model’ Rotary Clubs
in the world. Every year, the Club holds its annual dinner at
the RI Convention; this year the RI Convention is holding its
100th annual event in
Birmingham,
UK.
The dinner will also be attended by District 5450 Governor Steve
Cantrell and his wife Mary, other Rotary leaders, and by
Rotarians from Rotary eClub One and other eclubs from around the
world. |
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Conservation Volunteer Experience in
California
(JUN)
By Colin Jackson, Chief Executive, Conservation
Volunteers
Australia
If you are a resident of Australia,
aged 18 – 25 (or know someone in this age group looking for a
great opportunity), how about a trip to
California
with Conservation Volunteers Australia? At only A$1000 plus
airfare for a fully inclusive 4-week program, this is a fabulous
chance to spend time with the California Conservation Corps -
the oldest, largest and longest-running conservation corps in
America.
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ShelterBox Shipments to Pakistan
(JUN)
ShelterBox has set up a camp
for up to 2,500 people who have fled the fighting between the
army and militants in northern
Pakistan. Tarakai Camp has been set up in
Swabi district in the
North West
Frontier Province. “This is an area where hundreds of
thousands of people have fled to escape the bitter fighting,”
says ShelterBox Response Team leader Mark Pearson. “There is a
massive need for our help here. Most people are living in very
overcrowded and unsanitary conditions.”
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20th
Anniversary of popular Rotary KidsOut Day
(JUN)
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Rotary KidsOut, more than
100 venues were visited in advance with more than 1,700
volunteers, supported by local authorities, police and fire
services, working to ensure the day was as safe as it was
special for children and their carers. |
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Ab Fab
News for Shelterbox
(JUN)
International disaster relief charity ShelterBox, a global
Rotary club project, has announced that popular British actress
Joanna Lumley is to become one of its Patrons. Miss Lumley
OBE - the star of such hit television series' as the New
Avengers and Absolutely Fabulous - said that ShelterBox was a
charity “she really loves and admires”.
Miss Lumley was awarded the OBE (Order of the
British Empire) in 1995. She is also a Fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). She was made an honorary
Doctor of Letters by the
University
of Kent in
July 1994. |
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Going
For It
By Michael Angier
I've always been fascinated by stories of spectacular
achievement. My library is filled with books about people of
great accomplishment. It's easy to admire those who have
overcome difficult circumstances …people who have taken great
risks and won.
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PROGRAM The Last Hurdle - Polio
Immunisation Day in India
(JUN)
American Rotarians join their Indian colleagues for an
Immunization Day, and
get a close-up look at the battle to eradicate polio in
India.
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Foundation Alumnus to Serve as RI President
(JUN)
When Ray Klinginsmith takes office in 2010, he will become the
first RI president who is an alumnus of the Foundation’s
Ambassadorial Scholarships program. A native
of Unionville,
Missouri, USA,
a town of just 2,000 people, Klinginsmith is the son of a
Rotarian and “grew up going to Rotary picnics.” When he applied
for the Ambassadorial Scholarship (in the early 1960s, the
children of Rotarians were eligible to apply), the whole club
took an interest. |
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A
Message Concerning Rotary Grants
(JUN)
PRIP
Jonathan B. Majiyagbe,
Chair, The Rotary Foundation Trustees 2008-09
Like all foundations, we have experienced substantial unrealized
investment losses, forcing us to suspend Matching Grant
applications in March of this year. These losses will also have
an impact on the amount of money available for program awards in
the coming year.
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Alaska
Rotary club moves to fight hunger
(MAY)
By
Ryan Hyland
Every second Saturday of the month, members of the Rotary Club
of Anchorage East, Alaska, USA, distribute food to families in
low-income neighborhoods through a mobile food pantry,
addressing the area's increasing need for assistance. In
2006, the club raised US$50,000 to purchase and refurbish an old
beer truck for the Food Bank of Alaska. |
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Celebrate Your Success
(MAY)
By Michael Angier
The problem for many of us is we never quite feel successful,
because as soon as we reach one goal or pass a certain mile-
stone, we're already going after the next one. Too often, we
don't stop to revel in the feeling of accomplishment. We're too
focused on the next rung of the ladder-- that's if we've even
noticed we've moved up another rung.
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He
who gives when he is asked has waited too long.
(MAY)
(Marcus
Annaeus Seneca,
BC 3 ~ 65 AD)
By Chuck
Gallozzi
Generosity, or altruism,
is a beautiful word because it contains within itself many more
virtues. For how can you be generous if you are not already
kind, unselfish, and compassionate? Generous people care more
about others than they do about money, for they will do without
luxuries so that others won't have to do without necessities. |
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Scholarship Gives Break To Young French Journalists
(MAY)
By Joseph Derr
Le Rotarien, the certified
Rotary regional magazine of
France and 38 other Francophone countries, serves
more than 39,000 Rotarians. Now through a scholarship program
developed in 2002, it also fosters the careers of budding
journalists.
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Indiana Rotarian Assists AIDS Orphan
from Uganda
(MAY)
By Peter Schmidtke
Allan Akamura's
friends used to push him to school in a homemade wheelchair.
Now the
13-year-old from
Uganda, who has cerebral
palsy, pedals himself around on a tricycle through the corridors
at
University
Hospital in
Ann Arbor, Michigan,
USA.
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What would it take to Change the World?
(MAY)
Here is a new video
from Rotary International that describes how Rotarians work locally,
regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and
sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and
eradicate polio under our motto Service Above Self.
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Engaging Recruitment Strategies
(MAY)
By Karen
Schmidt
If
you want to attract the attention of the best candidates in the
market, you need to stand out from the crowd of employers by
creating an engaging experience from the start. This is
particularly relevant if you want to attract younger candidates
or you are targeting a different style of employee than your
competitors. Here are some examples of what leading edge
organisations are doing to stay ahead of their competition.
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EMPIRE STATE BUILDING RETROFIT
(MAY)
In
February 2008, project partners Rocky Mountain Institute, the
Clinton Climate Initiative, Johnson Controls, Inc., and Jones
Lang LaSalle began working with existing and newly created
modeling, measurement, and projection tools to fully analyze
the Empire State Building's energy use. RMI's Built Environment
Team then provided realistic recommendations that would help
increase the building's energy efficiency without harming
bottom-line performance.
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Rotary's first wheelchair GSE teams
(APR)
By
Harold Sharp,
Rotary Club of Crows Nest, NSW, Australia
The words of US President, Barak Obama were: “Yes We Can”.
Well, District 9680 and District
5490 said: “Yes We Can” and we did something very special.
On Saturday, February 21, the first ever wheelchair Group Study
Exchange team arrived in Sydney Australia from District 5490,
Arizona, USA.
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Fighting malaria in Papua New Guinea and in the Solomon
Islands
(APR)
By Walter Buchanan,
Rotary Club of Aspley, QLD Australia
In the past, during World War II, the hidden killer, malaria,
was one of the most powerful enemies of Australian troops in
New Guinea and Papua as well as in the Solomon Islands. Malaria casualties during 1942 and 1943 were so serious that the
Australian War Cabinet thought there would be insufficient
reinforcements to maintain the army at strength in
New Guinea. |
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Are You a
"Can-Do" Person?
(APR)
By
Michael Angier
Of course there are large numbers of people who manage to hold
onto their job simply by doing their job. But I'm talking about
working unsupervised. I'm talking about taking the initiative,
setting a goal or taking on a project, and sticking with it
until it's accomplished.
The vast majority of people can show up for a job they dislike
but can't seem to set and achieve goals on their own.
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Bill Gates made honorary member of Rotary Club
of Seattle
(APR)
Earlier this year, Bill Gates attended Rotary's International
Assembly in San Diego, California, to announce a new grant of
$255 million from the Gates Foundation to support Rotary's
efforts to eradicate polio. That amount came in addition to the
$100 million Gates Foundation challenge grant awarded to Rotary
in 2007. The total matching effort in response is called
Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge, which must be completed by 30
June 2012. Together, Rotary and the Gates Foundation have
committed $555 million in the fight to end polio.
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Rotary Club of Tulsa Four-Way Test Speech Contest
(APR)
Each year the Rotary Club of Tulsa USA organizes
a
Four-Way Test Speech Contest. Tulsa area high school students
are eligible to develop a 6 minute speech and compete in the
contest. The winner receives a US$500 grant for post high school
education. If selected, the winner may compete at the district
level for the opportunity to win another US$1,000 grant. |
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Mia
Farrow and Jane Goodall To Speak In Birmingham
(APR)
Mia Farrow, actor and children’s rights advocate, and Jane
Goodall, renowned primatologist, are set to speak during
convention plenary sessions. As a UNICEF goodwill ambassador,
Mia Farrow has worked to bring attention to the fight against
polio, a disease she survived as a child. Jane Goodall has
gained worldwide recognition for observing chimpanzee behavior
over the past 49 years, often living in the chimps’ natural
habitat. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife
Research, Education, and Conservation. |
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United States
Leads Nations in Support for Ending Polio
(APR)
For more than 20 years, the
United States
has been the leading public-sector supporter of the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative, contributing more than $1.6 billion --
about a quarter of all funding. A
major component of the country’s support is the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including more than $1.01
million in funding for the agency in 2009. |
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Historic Moments – Rotary and Boys' Week
(APR)
The first Boys' Week was held in
New York City
in May 1920 by the Rotary Club of New York and other local
organizations. The event was part of an effort to promote youth
development in the areas of education, citizenship, health and
hygiene, and vocation.
New York
club members reported on the success of Boys' Week at Rotary's
1920 convention, hoping that it would become part of the Boys'
Work program, which Rotary had established several years earlier
with the creation of the Committee on Work among the Boys (later
known as the Boys' Work Committee). |
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Bushfires And Wildlife Including Aussie Koalas Injured
In Recent Victorian Bushfires
(MAR)
By Leonie Gale, Chief
Executive Officer, Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife
The announcement just last week that heavy rainfall had put an
end at last to the bushfires that had been raging through the
State of Victoria, Australia for over a month was welcome news
to thousands of firefighters, including many from other states
of Australia and from those who had traveled from other
countries such as New Zealand and the USA to join this massive
disaster relief effort. |
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WATER –
How precious a resource is it?
(MAR)
By Gerry Roberts, PDG, Foundation Chair Rotary eClub One
In a recent white paper
written jointly by Sandia National Laboratories (in the US) and
the Washington, DC think tank Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS), these two agencies said “The lack
of clean water can create conditions that lead to
destabilization in regions of the world that are already poor
and having problems.”
They further say “Lack of potable
(drinkable) water can result in famine, conflict over resources,
and poor governance.
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Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew receives Rotary International Award
of Honor
(MAR)
By
Chuang Peck Ming of "The Business Times" - Singapore
Singapore’s
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has joined the likes of former
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former US President
Bill Clinton and former South African President Nelson Mandela
to be honored with Rotary International's highest recognition.
He was
conferred the Rotary International Award of Honor on 6 March
2009 at a ceremony in Singapore. |
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Doing the Right Thing: A Convergence of Health and Energy
(MAR)
By Rotarian Anne Hazelton MD, MSPH
As I watched the Inauguration of our new President, I began
asking myself what I could personally do to help our world.
Soon afterward I heard a radio program talking about how what we
eat impacts the planet. The idea is that
resource-intensive foods (such as animals) use more energy in
growing, processing and transporting than produce, especially
those raised near where they will be consumed.
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WASRAG WORLD WATER SUMMIT
(MAR)
Birmingham, England 19 June 2009
Momentum is building rapidly for the World Water Summit, being
held at Birmingham's National Motorcycle Museum on Friday June
19th, and we are looking forward to seeing a large number of our
WASRAG members and Rotary friends. The 2008 Summit
received rave reviews, and many Rotarians promised to return in
2009. |
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Vietnam Library Project
(MAR)
This video program features a library project , partnering with
the Rotary Club of Winnetka USA, to build a school library and
computer-based classroom for the Khai Tri Orphanage in An Giang,
Vietnam.
(VIDEO) |
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Are you a new Rotarian?
(MAR)
In
this video program you will receive an excellent introduction to
the diversity of Rotary people and Rotary service. Every
Rotarian is part of a group of people working together for a
better world. If you are active and involved, you will make a
difference.
(VIDEO)
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How Full is Your Cup?
(MAR)
By
Michael Angier
I'm reminded of the
story of the young mystic who traveled a great distance to study
at the feet of a revered sage. When the young man arrived, he
proceeded to try and impress the master with how much he knew
and how wise he was. Instead of asking questions, the student
went on about his beliefs and philosophies. The master listened
quietly for a long while.
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Cambodian
Village
Builds Their Own
Rotary
School
(feb)
By
Rotarian John Mann, Rotary Club of Beaudesert, D9640,
Australia
The poorest villages in the poorest
province of
Cambodia, now have their first ever school. It’s
the Rotary Club of Beaudesert School built in the
village of
Chuor
Ph'av, pronounced ‘Joo Pow’, in the Kamchay
Mear District of Prey Veng Province. You won’t find it on a map
unless you have a
US military map from the Vietnam War.
Prey
Veng is located due east of Cambodia’ capital, Phnom Penh.
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Do you take pictures, or Are you a Photographer?
(feb)
By PDG Gerry Roberts – Rotary E-Club One
I take pictures – I am not a photographer. I have taken classes in
photography, but the reason I take pictures is for the pure
enjoyment of recording what I see.
This morning the Weatherman
predicted snow showers and sunny later in the day. My wife, Dee, and I
wanted out of the house –
Wyoming
winters can be long and a bit tedious if you do not plan to have
something to do each and every day. So, at breakfast, I said
“Let’s go take some pictures on ‘Tincup Pass’.” She agreed and off we
went.
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SHELTERBOXES
IN VICTORIA,
AUSTRALIA
(feb)
Australia has suffered its greatest bushfire
disaster, massive infernos that destroyed whole towns to the
north of
Melbourne, in the state of Victoria.
The death toll stands at 181 but,
as police forensic investigators continue their search, this
number of victims is likely to rise.
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EVERYTHING BEGINS AND ENDS WITH OUR CLUBS
(feb)
VIDEO
"Everything
begins and ends with our clubs," says RI President-elect John
Kenny. See an excerpt of his January International Assembly
speech and watch as he unveils the 2009-10 RI theme. Learn why
The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands.
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Bill Gates
makes important announcement
(feb)
Microsoft founder Bill Gates announces on Wednesday, 21
January 2009, at the International Assembly an increase
in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations challenge grant
for polio eradication to Rotary International.
Watch complete video
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Time to Take a Look Back
(feb)
By Karen
Schmidt
So, here we are … one month into 2009. The festive season is
behind us. The long summer January holidays have ended (for
Rotarians and their families who live in the Southern
Hemisphere), and everyone is back to work.
Right now is
a good time to take a look at what happened . . . . the highs
and the lows, the planned and the unexpected, the wins and the
losses of last year.
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Say Yes
or No
(feb)
By
Michael Angier
A number of studies have revealed that a person's vocabulary has
more to do with income and position than almost anything else.
It has been documented that presidents of companies have a
better vocabulary than
vice presidents and vice presidents have better vocabularies
than mid-level managers.
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CLUB ROTARIO
PUERTO VALLARTA SUR
(JAN)
EDUCATION
IS #1 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
By
Rotarian John Powell
Club Rotario Puerto Vallarta Sur (The Club) was chartered in
1985 and has been a driving force in the community ever since
with its “number one” focus being on education. This Club is very
fortunate being located in a major tourist centre and having its
meeting at a time and place convenient for visitors to the area. They meet at a major
resort Thursday
mornings at 9:00.
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New
Tax Relief Act is a boon to American Taxpayers
(JAN)
By Rotarian Mary Ruth Barnes
The new law extends
provisions adopted in the Pension Protection Act of 2006,
enabling donors to shift assets from an IRA to a charity without
incurring a federal tax liability. It provides taxpayers aged
70½ years or older potentially large tax savings, is designed to
encourage giving and fairness as Americans help each other
through charitable donations.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE IN OUR BACKYARD …IN
WYOMING
(JAN)
By PDG Gerry Roberts
Our home and our backyard
are in
Lincoln County,
Wyoming, USA, where there are lots of wide open
spaces and not very many towns or cities.
Of
the total estimated population for 2008 of some 16,000 souls, by
my count, the County contains one city – Kemmerer (est. 4,500
people), seven towns and 13 villages in an area that is 120
miles long, north to south and about 50 miles wide (at its
widest spot), east to west, or 4089 square miles.
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REFLECTIONS ON EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
(JAN)
By Angus M Robinson FAIM FAusIMM CP (Man)
Having recently
retired after a varied career spanning nearly 40 years in
management in various organizations, I was sorting through some
old files as one is of to do in these circumstances, and came
across a rather faded page from Time magazine, dated 25th
February 1980. I had retained this document because earlier in
my management career, I though that the excellent advice of a
young US executive had considerable merit, and on reflection, I
thought at the time that I would do my best to follow what he
was recommending as a ‘guide to taking charge’.
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Survival
Eating
(Jan)
By Rotarian Gopal K. Kapur
Survival
Eating, a program of personal practices, is designed to help
develop knowledge and empathy for the world’s low income and
poor population by eating like they do. The program asks you to
pledge to eat, one day a month, as millions of poor people in
India, Africa, Mexico, most of the Asian and many Mid-East
countries eat -- between 800 to 1,400 calories per day all of
their lives.
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Going In Circles
(jan)
By Mark Johns
Many years ago, French naturalist John Henry Fabre filled a
flower pot close to the rim with dirt. He then carefully
arranged some processionary caterpillars in a circle around the
rim of it, so that the lead caterpillar actually touched the
last one, making a complete circle. In the center of the pot he
put pine needles, their favorite food.
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Rotary eClub One - Real People Building Real
Relationships
(DEC)
By Rotarian Tom Green
Our members are spread across the globe and come from a host of
professional backgrounds. Some of our members include doctors,
nurses, engineers, IT professionals, marketers, administrators,
authors, hoteliers, and teachers…. just to name a few. This wide
range of vocations is one of the strengths of Rotary eClub One.
When we are not at work we cherish family life and those we
love. Some of us have young families, while other members are
proud grandparents, “empty nesters” who enjoy time with their
grandchildren at home, as well as regular travel to far off
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