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FAREWELL FROM THE RI PRESIDENT

As the 2011-12 Rotary year comes to a close, I feel happy and proud to have brought the Rotary message to 68 countries. It’s been an amazing 12-month journey.

India was declared polio free this year, which was a tremendous accomplishment that came from the hard work and efforts of so many. My wife, Binota, and I have seen first-hand the countless and wonderful ways in which Rotary makes a difference in the world.  We have witnessed the tireless, selfless efforts, and dedication of the many Rotarians who are willing to help others in improving their lives.

We have been so fortunate in having a wonderful Board of Directors in 2011-12. I believe they were the best Board of Directors ever at Rotary International!

Binota and I would like to convey our thanks to the family of Rotary, which includes the several event organizers, hosts, local aides, and other Rotarians too numerous to name individually. They have made us feel welcome on our trips with their kindness, generosity, and open arms. To the Rotary staff who has worked diligently behind the scenes to make this year a wonderful and memorable experience -- we thank you all!

Finally, whatever we have done in 2011-12, has only been possible because Binota always held my hand and we did it together.

AS WE GATHER

AND I QUOTE

"I criticize by creation - not by finding fault."- Cicero

TODAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 30

 1985:Actor Yul Brynner plays the king of Siam for the 4,625th time in The King and I, which closes at the Broadway Theatre after 34 years, off and on, of performances.

1966: Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray are among the founders of the National Organization for Women, established on this day at the Third National Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women in Washington, D.C.

1997: J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is published by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom. Since then the seven novels about Harry and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardryhave sold more than 450 million copies worldwide.

1864:Yosemite Valley is granted to California for "public use, resort and recreation"

1972:1 leap second added to UTC.

POEPLE BEING PEOPLE

It's bad enough that Europeans get about twice as much vacation, on average, as we do in North America and now they can take sick days while on vacation too? The European Union Court of Justice, based in Luxembourg, ruled last week that workers who get sick while on vacation should be able to classify those days as sick leave.

HELP WANTED (FROM MOM)

Moving in with your parents after a job loss may pay off in a big way.

A University of Pennsylvania economist analyzed data from some 1,500 men, born from 1980 to '84, who were surveyed annually from 1997 into their 20s. The survey-takers asked the men, who had never attended college, detailed questions about their living arrangements. By age 26, men who had lost a job at 20 had earnings roughly 25% lower than those who hadn't been fired. But losses were concentrated almost entirely among people who had not moved back in with their parents; the others showed no significant earnings drop. Men living with their parents could be much pickier about job offers, the data showed, and were therefore less likely to get stuck in jobs with few opportunities for advancement and salary growth.

"Moving Back Home: Insurance Against Labor Market Risk," Greg Kaplan, Journal of Political Economy (June)

THIS ROTARY YEAR HAS ENDED, LET'S HEAD FOR THE EXIT

I THOUGHT I JUST SAW A BIRD

NEW TRASH DISPOSAL METHOD

TODAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 29

1958:Seventeen-year-old soccer prodigy Pelé leads Brazil to a 5-2 victory over Sweden in the FIFA World Cup final in Solna, Sweden. The Brazilian team takes home the World Cup trophy for the first time, a feat they would repeat in 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.

1613: A performance of William Shakespeare's Henry VIII by the Bard's acting troupe, the King's Men, spells disaster for the Globe Theatre inLondon, England, when a theatrical cannon ignites the thatched gallery roof and burns down the three-story, open-air theater. The Globe would be rebuilt a year later.


1534:Prince Edward Island is discovered by French explorer Jacques Cartier.

1956:President Eisenhower creates the interstates - opening up highways allowing business to more easily get done and people to more easily find work.


2007:Apple's iPhone goes on sale in US


1927:First flight: West Coast to Hawaii

1888:The first (known) recording of classical music is made in Handel's Israel in Egypt.

MENSA Q & A

Identify the sign of the Zodiac and the related constellation from this description: An Earth sign often associated with the 10th house.

(CLICK BELOW FOR THE ANSWER)

FIND OUT MORE

Rotarians can now learn about Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation online, at learn.rotary.org . This site enables Rotarians to take interactive courses in subjects like the RI Strategic Plan and Rotary’s areas of focus. Rotarians can customize their user profiles, track their progress, and print certificates when they complete courses. Each course also has its own online community where registrants can interact with one another and with course moderators. To register for a course, log on toMember Access and click on “Learn.”.

TO PARK OR NOT TO PARK....

THE EASTER ISLAND STATUE WALKS

LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT

JUST FOR PUN

A cartoonist was found dead in his home. Details are sketchy

TODAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 28

 1914:Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is murdered along with his wife, Sophie, while driving through Sarajevo in present-day Bosnia, by Bosnian-Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip. Their murders are the spark that ignites World War I. Exactly five years after the assassination, the Treaty of Versailles would be signed in Versailles, France, ending the war and exacting harsh terms on Germany.

1950: North Korean troops capture the South Korean capital city, Seoul.

1969: A Police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay club in Greenwich Village, inadvertently turns into the beginning of the gay rights movement in the United States, as Stonewall patrons and local sympathizers begin demonstrating against discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation.

1917:Raggedy Ann doll first sold in stores

1859:The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England.

1820:Tomato proven to be nonpoisonous

AND I QUOTE

"Half this game is ninety percent mental."- Yogi Berra

INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL

Each year, the incoming RI president selects a theme, an internal message used to encourage Rotarians to support world understanding and peace through international service programs. These themes are important for club motivation; however, they should not be used in your external club or district public relations or advertising campaigns.

 

We strongly encourage clubs and districts to promote Rotary to non-Rotary audiences through the Humanity in Motion and “This Close” public service announcements, available free to clubs and districts. These external messages demonstrate what Rotary is and does in local communities and around the world. Download them at rotary.org/mediacenter.

WE CAN SHAKE ON THAT

TODAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 27

 1844:Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saints movement, is murdered along with his brother, Hyrum, by an angry mob at the jail in Carthage, Ill., where they were awaiting trial for treason and conspiracy after shutting down an anti-Mormon newspaper.

1922: Dutch American journalist and historian Hendrik Willem van Loon's The Story of Mankind is the first winner of the Newberry Medal, awarded by the American Library Association to honor the best children's book of the year. The medal was conceived of by The Publishers' Weekly editor Frederic Melcher and named for 18th century author John Newberry, often credited as the father of children's literature.

1963: President John F. Kennedy visits his ancestral home in Dunganstown, County Wexford, Ireland. He has tea with his Irish cousins at his family's homestead and sings "The Boys of Wexford" along with a local choir. Kennedy, the first Catholic president of the United States, would speak before the Irish Parliament the following day, focusing on Ireland's new role as a free and independent nation after centuries of British rule.

1806:British forces capture Buenos Aires.

1985:U.S. Route 66 ceases to be an official U.S. highway.

1967:World's first ATM installed in London.

SHADE WHERE YOU NEED IT

MENSA Q & A

A deficiency of what vitamin or mineral causes the illness scurvy?

(click below for the answer)

SOMETHING IS GROSS IN GROSSE POINTE

Something Smells Fishy in These Tony Michigan Towns

Millions of Short-Lived Insects Pile Up on Roads, Cars, Yachts; 'Pelting Our Face'

GROSSE POINTE, Mich.—This time of year, life in the part of Michigan known as Grosse Pointe is, well, pretty gross.

Every year at the beginning of summer, the five tony communities that share the Grosse Pointe name and their neighbors along Lake St. Clair are invaded by millions of inch-long fish flies that live only about two days and then die—coating roads, sidewalks, yachts and cars in blankets of lifeless, crunchy bugs.The worst part: The flies have little do to with fish. The name refers to the smell all those rotting bugs give off. (click below to read more)

SNAPSHOT

THAT WAS A MIGHTY FINE MEETING

PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE

-- The official class photo of Eileen Diaz's second-grade kids at Sawgrass Elementary School in Sunrise, Fla., was distributed this spring with the face of the front-and-center child replaced by a dark-on-white smiley face. Apparently there was miscommunication between the school and the photographer about redoing the photo without the child, whose parents had not given permission for the shot. (Another child without parental authorization was easily edited out of the photo, but the front-and-center student could not be.) [WPLG-TV (Miami), 4-3-2012]

TODAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 26

 1917:The first 14,000 infantry troops of the American Expeditionary Forces arrive in Saint Nazaire, France, to join the Allies during World War I. These "Doughboys" would enter combat service on the Western Front on Oct. 21.

1945: Fifty countries sign the Charter of the United Nations in San Francisco, committing themselves to negotiating and maintaining international peace and security.

1959: Legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow interviews actress Lee Remick, the 500th and final guest on his Person to Person television interview series.

1974:The UPC is scanned for first time for a pack of Wrigley's chewing gum in Troy, Ohio

1963:John F. Kennedy speaks famous words "Ich bin ein Berliner" on West Berlin visit

1906:First Grand Prix held, in Le Mans, France

1992:Starbucks goes public at a price of $17 per share - the company would continue to grow and the stock price would follow suit.

AND I QUOTE

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."- Sir Winston Churchill

RI CONVENTION PRESENTATIONS JUST FOR YOU

Download a variety of presentations from the 2012 RI Convention on SlideShare, an online platform where users can share presentations with others. Use SlideShare to host your own presentations, and then simply share the link with others rather than emailing presentation files. You can also embed these presentations on your website or blog. View and downloadthe convention presentations.

WE LOVE OUR VISITORS

THOUGHTS FROM AWARD WINNERS

Representatives from four of the clubs that won 2012 RI Recognition of Outstanding Rotaract Project awards shared stories, photos, and advice during a Facebook chat on 6 June. Here are some of their thoughts: (click below to read more)

SPACE

Apollo 17 at Shorty Crater 
Image Credit: Apollo 17 Crew, NASAExplanation: In December of 1972, Apollo 17 astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt spent about 75 hours on the Moon in the Taurus-Littrow valley, while colleague Ronald Evans orbited overhead. This sharp image was taken by Cernan as he and Schmitt roamed the valley floor. The image shows Schmitt on the left with the lunar rover at the edge of Shorty Crater, near the spot where geologist Schmitt discovered orange lunar soil. The Apollo 17 crew returned with 110 kilograms of rock and soil samples, more than was returned from any of the other lunar landing sites. Now forty years later, Cernan and Schmitt are still the last to walk on the Moon.

TODAY IN HISTORY

June 25

1788:Virginia became the 10th state in the Union.

1876:Lt. Col. George A. Custer and all his men were killed by Sioux and Cheyanne Indians at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana.

1950:Communist North Korean troops invaded South Korea, beginning the Korean War.

1951:The first commercial color TV program was transmitted by CBS from New York to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington, DC.

1991:Croatia and Slovenia proclaimed their independence from Yugoslavia, beginning the Yugoslavian civil war.

1997:Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau died.

2009:Michael Jackson, lifelong musician, pop singer, and superstar, dies at age 50.

1947:The Diary of Anne Frank is published.

1638:A lunar eclipse becomes the first astronomical event recorded in US

1630:The fork is introduced to American dining

MENSA Q & A

Which country is composed primarily of North Island and South Island?

(click below for the answer)

PEOPLE BEING PEOPLE

Meet this future Darwin Award nominee: Anthony Kenneth Mastrogiovanni, who is alleged to have impersonated a police officer but got caught when he tried to pull over an actual police officer. As The Associated Press reports, Maryland Police say Mastrogiovanni turned his flashing lights on his white pickup and pulled over an off-duty officer. When that guy identified himself as a cop, Mastrogiovanni said he was "a military police officer from Louisiana," which is definitely not a reasonable alibi. Is the off-duty officer going to think that, of course, Mastrogiovanni was doing some traffic stops in Maryland. You know, just lending a hand to the under-staffed locals from his white pickup... No, no, this excuse did not work well, particularly when the cop told him that if he were a military officer from Louisiana, he had no jurisdiction in Maryland, and also couldn't use the red-blue flashing lights there. Mastrogiovanni fled, but police caught up with him, and here we are.