TODAY IN HISTORY

John F. Kennedy via last.fm

JUNE 26
1948:The Berlin airlift begins as Allied pilots deliver much needed supplies to the isolated citizens of Soviet-blockaded West Berlin.

1963: President John F. Kennedy visits West Berlin. He criticizes the communist system and expresses his solidarity with the city’s residents, proclaiming “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a citizen of Berlin”).

1993: Tomahawk missiles strike the Iraqi intelligence headquarters in Baghdad under the order of President Bill Clinton, citing “compelling evidence” of Iraq’s involvement in an assassination attempt on former President George W. Bush in April.

KEEP COOL

Generating less heat will not only keep your home cooler—it'll also keep your energy bills down all summer long. Here are a few tricks for doing just that.

Don't use the oven or the stove

Salads are a popular summer food because they're light and less food means you'll generate less heat. But another reason to stick with a salad rather than cooked food is the amount of heat you can produce in the kitchen. Tone down the cooking indoors and grill outdoors when you feel the need to cook for a cooler home.

Air dry your clothing

A clothes drier is designed for the purpose of generating heat, so you can avoid bringing more heat into your home by drying your clothes on a line (or anything you can hang them on, for that matter). Not only will you avoid the heat from the drier, but if you hang them evenly you'll avoid wrinkles as well. The benefit is twofold: you won't have the annoyance or the additional heat that comes with ironing.

Avoid the heat cycle on your dishwasher

For most the dishwasher has a start and stop button and that's the extent of its functionality. Included in its general routine is a dry cycle that uses heat to dry the dishes faster. If you have time to dry them by hand or let the air do it for you, turning off the heat cycle on your dishwasher is a good way to reduce heat.

Sleep, shutdown or unplug

If your electronics are constantly running they'll produce quite a bit of heat, as you're most likely aware. If you can sleep them, great, but shutting down and unplugging the devices ensures that they're not sipping any power. While it might be minimal savings in temperature and on your electric bill, a little is better than nothing.

Turn off the lights

It's summer, so chances are you'll have an abundance of natural light on most days. With the sun beaming in, use its light rather than your own.

NOW YOU KNOW-THE ORIGINS OF THE WORD SOCCER

Today I found out the origin of the word “soccer”.  For all you out there who love to complain when Americans, and certain others, call “Football”, “Soccer”, you should know that it was the British that invented the word and it was also one of the first names of what we now primarily know of as “Football”.
In fact, in the early days of the sport among the upper echelons of British society, the proper term for the sport was “Soccer”.  Not only that, but the sport being referred to as “Soccer” preceded the first recorded instance of it being called by the singular word “Football” by about 18 years.  This happening when it became more popular with the middle and lower class. When that happened, the term “Football” gradually began dominating over “Soccer” and the then official name “Association Football”.
In the 1860s, as in most of history with records as far back as 1004 B.C., there were quite a lot of “football” sports in existence being played popularly throughout the world and of course, England.   Many of these sports had similar rules and eventually, on October 26th, 1863, a group of teams in England decided to get together and create a standard set of rules which would be used at all their matches.  They formed the rules for “Association Football”, with the “Association” distinguishing it from the many other types of football sports in existence in England, such as “Rugby Football”.
Now British school boys of the day liked to nickname everything, which is still somewhat common.  They also liked to add the ending “er” to these nicknames.  Thus Rugby was, at that time, popularly called “Rugger”.  Association Football was then much better known as “Assoccer”, which quickly just became “Soccer” and sometimes “Soccer Football”.
The inventor of the nickname is said to be Charles Wredford Brown, who was an Oxford student around the time of Association Football’s inception.  Legend has it, in 1863 shortly after the creation of Association Football, Wredford-Brown had some friends who asked him if he’d come play a game of “Rugger”, to which he replied he preferred “Soccer”.  The name caught on from there.
In the beginning, the newly standardized Rugby and Soccer were football sports for “gentlemen”, primarily being played by the upper echelons of society.  However, these two forms of football gradually spread to the masses, particularly Soccer as Rugby didn’t really catch on too well with the lower classes.  This resulted in the name switching from “Soccer” and “Association Football”, to just “Football”; with the first documented case of the sport being called by the singular term “Football” coming in 1881, 18 years after it was first called simply “Soccer” or officially “Association Football”.
This game then gradually spread throughout the world under the lower class name of “Football”, rather than “Soccer” as the “gentlemen” called it.  The problem was though, that a lot of other countries of the world already had popular sports of their own they called “Football”, such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, to name a few.  In these countries, the name “Soccer” was and, in some,  still is preferred for this reason.

ROGER IS RECOGNIZED AS THE 2010 PAUL HARRIS FELLOW

DO YOU REMEMBER?

Remember that age when you weren’t quite old enough to handle a bicycle, but still wanted to cruise around the neighborhood? Well, back in the 70s, kids had two superb forms of tyke-friendly transportation to choose from, and these trusty vehicles served entire generations of children-on-the-go. We thought we would take a look at both of these iconic pedal-powered toys that were once parked in front of millions of houses across the country.
First, we’ll go ahead and tip our hat to Ray Lohr, the creator of the beloved plastic tricycle known as the Big Wheel. Looking like a miniature chopper, the Big Wheel sported high handlebars, complete with streamers, an adjustable seat, and rugged plastic wheels that made an unmistakable sound as they scraped against the pavement. You always knew when a Big Wheel was headed your way. Let’s take a look:

Throughout the first half of the 70s, the Big Wheel stood unchallenged in the plastic vehicle category. Then, in 1975, Marx decided that perhaps their top-selling toy could use a little competition, so they unveiled a lime-green contraption called the Green Machine. Boasting superior maneuverability, the Green Machine became the vehicle of choice for every future daredevil out there. Considerably longer than the Big Wheel, the Green Machine departed from its predecessor’s front-wheel drive, in favor of two big handles that served to control the rear axle. The result was some serious spinning capabilities. Let’s see the Green Machine in action:

ON THE ROAD WITH PRESIDENT JOHN

Read about and view photos of RI President John Kenny's recent visits.

IT ALL STARTS JULY 1st

A new Rotary year is set to begin, and with it a number of changes to the way clubs and districts do business.

The annual per capita dues that Rotary clubs pay to Rotary International will increase to US$50 in 2010-11, as established by the 2007 Council on Legislation. The 2010 Council approved a $1 increase for the three subsequent years, setting per capita dues at $51 for 2011-12, $52 for 2012-13, and $53 for 2013-14.

The 2010 Council, which met in April, took several other actions that will go into effect 1 July:

• E-clubs will become a permanent part of Rotary International after years of participating in a pilot project. Districts will be allowed up to two e-clubs, which are defined as Rotary clubs that meet through electronic communications. Some of the pilot e-clubs have been meeting solely through online forums, while others have combined electronic with in-person meetings.
• New Generations Service will join the other Avenues of Service -- Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service. Before starting a project, Rotarians are asked to think broadly about how their club and its members can contribute within each avenue.
• Rotarians in North America will have the choice of receiving either an electronic or print version of The Rotarian magazine. Rotarians living at the same address may qualify for a joint subscription.

Here are some changes that will primarily affect Rotary districts:

• District assemblies must be held in March, April, or May, and presidents-elect training seminars in February or March.
• The chair of the nominating committee for district governor must notify the current governor of the committee’s candidate within 24 hours, and the governor must inform clubs within 72 hours.
• When a governor-elect position is vacant less than three months before the International Assembly, the successor will automatically fill the vacancy, if he or she is willing.
• If two or more governor election complaints are filed in a district in a five-year period and the Board believes that the RI Bylaws or election complaint procedures have been violated, it may disqualify the nominee, select a past governor to serve, and remove any governor, governor-elect, or past governor who is improperly influencing or interfering with the election process. The Board may dissolve any district and reassign its clubs to other districts if three or more election complaints are filed in a five-year period.

Here are some changes that will primary affect Rotary clubs:

• No club may limit membership based on sexual orientation.
• Clubs must inform their district governor of a proposed change to the club name or locality at least 10 days before voting on the proposal.
• The immediate past club president will be considered a club officer and a member of the board.
• The RI Board may suspend or terminate the membership of any club that retains any member who has misused funds from The Rotary Foundation or who otherwise has breached the stewardship policies of the Foundation.
• Clubs accepting a transferring or former Rotarian must first secure a certificate from the former member’s club confirming that person’s membership. The former club is obligated to verify that the member does not owe any debts to the club. A prospective member cannot join a new club until all debts have been paid.

THE DUTCH LOVE THE CUP, ALMOST MORE THAN THEIR VACATIONS

Image via Wikipedia

Unlike, say 98% of Americans, the Dutch are completely in love with football- so much in fact, that many of them would rather cancel their summer vacation than risk being stuck at a foreign camping site without a TV.

So, for those travelers, Dutch insurance firm "Europeesche" has introduced the World Cup Finals Cancellation Insurance. For a fee of 1% of the price of the vacation, plus the cost of a regular trip insurance package, Dutch footie fans can cancel their trip if their team makes the World Cup finals.

The insurance even covers the cancellation of partial trips - so if you are on vacation in Turkey, and the Dutch team reaches the finals, the coverage will pay for any days you missed and any expenses for getting you back home as soon as possible to watch the match. Yes - football is that important to them.

JUST FOR PUN

“The mass of a ship is measured in keelograms.”

TODAY IN HISTORY

JUNE 25

1950:The Korean War begins as the forces of communist North Korea invade South Korea at the 38th parallel, heading toward the capital city of Seoul.

1876: Cheyenne and Sioux warriors led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull rout Lt. Col. George Custer’s vastly outnumbered 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Big Horn, famously referred to as “Custer’s last stand.”

1969: In the longest match in Wimbledon history, 41-year-old Pancho Gonzalez beats Charles Pasarell in a contest that lasted 112 games and took more than five hours over two days.

ITS IRONIC

AND I QUOTE

"If you wish to know what a man is, place him in authority." – Yugoslav Proverb