Image by f650biker via FlickrWe are going to take an end of summer break to help recharge the internal batteries. On September 7th we will return refreshed and eager to please both our loyal readers. (You know who you are.) Until then, enjoy the end of summer in the northern hemisphere and the start of spring in the southern half of our wonderful planet.
What is going on with the East Alton Rotary Club? We will cover it here, along with all sorts of other interesting and off-kilter stuff that will inform, enlighten and amuse you.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
WHERE WILL THE SPACE SHUTTLE LAND?
WASHINGTON—The space shuttle fleet's looming retirement ends an era—and launches a new space race. This one is on the ground, among museums scrambling to land one of the three orbiters.(More after the break.)
THOUGHTS FROM THE CLASS OF '14
Most students entering college for the first time this fall—the Class of 2014—were born in 1992.
For these students, Benny Hill, Sam Kinison, Sam Walton, Bert Parks and Tony Perkins have always been dead.
1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.
2. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.
3. “Go West, Young College Grad” has always implied “and don’t stop until you get to Asia…and learn Chinese along the way.”
4. Al Gore has always been animated.
5. Los Angelenos have always been trying to get along.
6. Buffy has always been meeting her obligations to hunt down Lothos and the other blood-suckers at Hemery High.
7. “Caramel macchiato” and “venti half-caf vanilla latte” have always been street corner lingo.
8. With increasing numbers of ramps, Braille signs, and handicapped parking spaces, the world has always been trying harder to accommodate people with disabilities.
9. Had it remained operational, the villainous computer HAL could be their college classmate this fall, but they have a better chance of running into Miley Cyrus’s folks on Parents’ Weekend.
10. Entering college this fall in a country where a quarter of young people under 18 have at least one immigrant parent, they aren't afraid of immigration...unless it involves "real" aliens from another planet.
11. John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.
12. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.
13. Parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-head might be the voice of a lost generation.
14. Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine.
15. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.
16. Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.
17. Trading Chocolate the Moose for Patti the Platypus helped build their Beanie Baby collection.
18. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.
19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.
20. DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed.
For these students, Benny Hill, Sam Kinison, Sam Walton, Bert Parks and Tony Perkins have always been dead.
1. Few in the class know how to write in cursive.
2. Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail.
3. “Go West, Young College Grad” has always implied “and don’t stop until you get to Asia…and learn Chinese along the way.”
4. Al Gore has always been animated.
5. Los Angelenos have always been trying to get along.
6. Buffy has always been meeting her obligations to hunt down Lothos and the other blood-suckers at Hemery High.
7. “Caramel macchiato” and “venti half-caf vanilla latte” have always been street corner lingo.
8. With increasing numbers of ramps, Braille signs, and handicapped parking spaces, the world has always been trying harder to accommodate people with disabilities.
9. Had it remained operational, the villainous computer HAL could be their college classmate this fall, but they have a better chance of running into Miley Cyrus’s folks on Parents’ Weekend.
10. Entering college this fall in a country where a quarter of young people under 18 have at least one immigrant parent, they aren't afraid of immigration...unless it involves "real" aliens from another planet.
11. John McEnroe has never played professional tennis.
12. Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry.
13. Parents and teachers feared that Beavis and Butt-head might be the voice of a lost generation.
14. Doctor Kevorkian has never been licensed to practice medicine.
15. Colorful lapel ribbons have always been worn to indicate support for a cause.
16. Korean cars have always been a staple on American highways.
17. Trading Chocolate the Moose for Patti the Platypus helped build their Beanie Baby collection.
18. Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess.
19. They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone.
20. DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed.
AVOIDING SMALL BUSINESS FRAUD
How to Steer Clear of Fraud? The Experts Weigh In
Small businesses are victimized by embezzlement far more often than bigger companies, according to a survey this year by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a trade group based in Austin, Texas.
In fact, 31% of all business frauds nationally were in companies with fewer than 100 employees, according to the study, and an additional 23% were suffered by those with under 999 workers. Only 21% were committed in companies with more than 10,000 employees.(More after the break.)
Small businesses are victimized by embezzlement far more often than bigger companies, according to a survey this year by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a trade group based in Austin, Texas.
In fact, 31% of all business frauds nationally were in companies with fewer than 100 employees, according to the study, and an additional 23% were suffered by those with under 999 workers. Only 21% were committed in companies with more than 10,000 employees.(More after the break.)
TODAY IN HISTORY
Image via Wikipedia
AUGUST 27
1859:The modern petroleum industry is born when Seneca Oil Company's Col. Edwin Drake and William Smith drill a viable oil well south of Titusville, Pa., prompting the Pennsylvania oil rush.
1979: British Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, two of his family members and a local boy are killed by a bomb planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army aboard Mountbatten's fishing boat near County Sligo, Ireland.
1984: President Ronald Reagan announces the Teacher in Space Project, directing NASA to select a teacher as the first citizen passenger in the history of the space program. New Hampshire social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe will be selected from the 11,000 educators who apply, but will die in the space shuttle Challenger disaster on Jan. 28, 1986.
1979: British Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, two of his family members and a local boy are killed by a bomb planted by the Provisional Irish Republican Army aboard Mountbatten's fishing boat near County Sligo, Ireland.
1984: President Ronald Reagan announces the Teacher in Space Project, directing NASA to select a teacher as the first citizen passenger in the history of the space program. New Hampshire social studies teacher Christa McAuliffe will be selected from the 11,000 educators who apply, but will die in the space shuttle Challenger disaster on Jan. 28, 1986.
GARMIN GPS RECALL
Image via CrunchBaseGPS company Garmin has recalled 1.25 million units due to faulty batteries. The company has found bad batteries in some of their Nuvi line of units which could be fire hazardous.
The manufacturer of the batteries has not been disclosed. The batteries when used in some specific PCB design overheated. Out of the 1.25 million units recalled, 800,000 were from US. Faulty Nuvi model numebers are 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx and 7xxT (where xx is a two-digit number). Overheating was found in only 10 instances. To check if your device is affected, visit www.garmin.com/nuvibatterypcbrecall. Garmin has said "None of the reported incidents has caused significant property damage and no injuries have occurred,".
The manufacturer of the batteries has not been disclosed. The batteries when used in some specific PCB design overheated. Out of the 1.25 million units recalled, 800,000 were from US. Faulty Nuvi model numebers are 200W, 250W, 260W, 7xx and 7xxT (where xx is a two-digit number). Overheating was found in only 10 instances. To check if your device is affected, visit www.garmin.com/nuvibatterypcbrecall. Garmin has said "None of the reported incidents has caused significant property damage and no injuries have occurred,".
Thursday, August 26, 2010
MEETING PROGRAM AUGUST 26, 2010
Our last meeting took us on the road to the Senior Services Plus facility in Alton, Illinois. (By the way, the center offers services for ALL ages.) Community Services Director Margaret Lanier and MOW/Transportation Coordinator Karen Adams each led groups on a facility tour. Join Karen below as she takes you on a virtual tour of SSP. If you would like more info about the center LINK HERE
SMALL...AND WATERPROOF TOO!
Kodak just announced a new camcorder to their successful lineup, but did so without too much fanfare. Their new "Mini Video Camera" is not all that impressive in the specifications department (sticking to old fashioned non HD content), but what it lacks in specs, it makes up for in sheer miniaturization. (More after the break.)
DO YOU REMEMBER?
For millions who watched his weekly TV show, Jack Horkheimer was the Star Gazer, a slightly cracked character who delineated the night sky with humor and cheesy graphics. Mr. Horkheimer, who died Friday at 72, was as celestial guide at Miami's Space Transit Planetarium since the 1960s, and in 1976 started his weekly five-minute PBS show, billed as the only national program devoted to naked-eye astronomy. "Jack was the consummate pitchman for the stars," said Dave Weinrich, president-elect of the International Planetarium Society. (More after the break.)
TODAY IN HISTORY
AUGUST 26
1971:Congress declares Aug. 26 to be Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—which went into effect on this day in 1920—and the nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality of Aug. 26, 1970.
1791: Rival inventors John Fitch and James Rumsey each receive a patent from the U.S. government for the steamboat, although it is Robert Fulton who is widely credited with making steamboat travel commercially successful.
1978: Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice is elected 263rd pope of the Roman Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Paul VI. Luciani takes the name John Paul I, but the “Smiling Pope” will die 33 days later.
1791: Rival inventors John Fitch and James Rumsey each receive a patent from the U.S. government for the steamboat, although it is Robert Fulton who is widely credited with making steamboat travel commercially successful.
1978: Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice is elected 263rd pope of the Roman Catholic Church, following the death of Pope Paul VI. Luciani takes the name John Paul I, but the “Smiling Pope” will die 33 days later.
SNAPSHOT
OLDEST NATIONS
Countries with the largest proportion of their population ages 65 and older:
- Japan-22.6%
- Germany-20.5%
- Italy-20.4%
- Sweden-18.3%
- Greece-18.3%
- Portugal-17.9%
FUND TO HELP PAKISTAN FLOOD VICTIMS
In response to the floods that have devastated Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since 23 July, The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees is accepting contributions to help fund Rotary projects that will support long-term disaster recovery in the affected areas. Rotarians, clubs, and districts can contribute both cash and District Designated Fund (DDF) allocations to the Rotary Pakistan Flooding Fund. This account is being administered through the Foundation’s Matching Grants program.
In their application, Matching Grant project partners can pledge DDF and cash contributions and request that they be matched by the Pakistan fund during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 Rotary years. Applications received by the Foundation for recovery projects in Pakistan will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis and will be approved by the Pakistan fund. All the current Matching Grant guidelines and criteria will apply to these projects, including restrictions regarding construction and renovation.
- Download the Rotary Pakistan Flooding Fund DDF contribution form and learn more about cash donations.
- For more information, read the Rotary Pakistan Flooding Recovery Information Guide.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
LOW $$ CREDIT CARD SCAM
$9 Here, 20 Cents There and a Credit-Card Lawsuit
IT’S easier to steal a million dollars a dollar at a time than a million dollars once. So goes an old saying.
If the allegations in a civil case filed in a federal court in Chicago hold up, you can even haul off $10 million if you stick to $9 here or 20 cents there.(More after the break.)
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