E EB Buulllleettiinn ooff tthhee R Roottaarryy cclluubb ooff PPaattoonngg B Beeaacchh PPhhuukkeett T Thhaaiillaanndd Volume 6 –Issue no 29 – 7th February 2011 274 Meetings Tuesday 7.00pm for 7.30pm – Aloha Villa Hotel 145/2 Rat–U–Thit Road PATONG BEACH
http//www.rotarypatong.org
Australia
Austria
Belgium
President RI District Governor 3330 President RC Patong Beach Kalyan Banerjee Orachorn Saisrithong Best Wanamakok
Canada
Future Events
TUESDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2012
France
Dinner Out - @ Surin Gate Kitchen (George) Germany
TUESDAY 14th FEBRUARY 2012
Italy
First Drug Rehabilitation Hospital in Phuket Lebanon
Netherlands
New Zealand
Sweden
Switzerland
Thailand
DISTRICT 3330 MEETINGS Location – Long Beach Hotel - Cha-Aum,Petchburi SAT SUN
May 26 2012 May 27 2012
DISTRICT ASSEMBLY DISTRICT ASSEMBLY
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001
Location - Royal Phuket City Hotel SAT
2 June 2012
14:00 - 17:00 hrs 18:00 - 22:00 hrs
DISTRICT AWARD PRESENTATION DISTRICT 3330 - 20TH ANNIVERSARY CELLEBRATION
CLUB PROGRAMME 2011-2012 Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb Feb
1-5 7 14 14 21 2326 28 28
FEBRUARY – WORLD UNDERSTANDING VISIT TO HONG KONG DINNER OUT -- SURIN GATE KITCHEN BOARD MEETING – 1800hr @ ALOHA VILLA FIRST DRUG REHABILIATION HOSPITAL IN PHUKET WOODY’S COMPUTER CLINIC
ANDY GEORGE P. BEST P. BEST WOODY
PHUKET INTERNATIONAL BLUES ROCK FESTIVAL BOARD MEETING – 1800hr @ ALOHA VILLA TO BE ADVISED
P. BEST
District Assembly An update for the District Assembly Will be held on May 26th & 27th @ the Long Beach Hotel Cha-Aum Petchburi
BIRTHDAYS
Best Wanamakok 8th February NIGHT REPORT 31st January 2012 Sergeant At Arms Night Reporter Photographers Rotarian members Guests Guest Speaker
Able Wanamakok George McCall Phawinee (Apple) Kangsawat 10 7 Andy Andersen
ATTENDANCE Total members: 34 Attended: 10 Make-Ups : 4 41 % Leave of Absence 1 Visiting Rotarians: 2 Visitors: 5
Meeting commenced at 2000 hours President Phuwanai „Best‟ Wanamakok opens the meeting, followed by the national anthem. All attendees are welcomed with a special welcome to Assistant District Governor Arnaud C.M.C. Verstraete. Visiting Rotarians and guests are introduced and welcomed one by one.
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001
Visiting Rotarians: Douglas Hitt RC Calistoga California Sucevan Vladimir RC Guadalmina Maebella. Visitors : Andy Andersen, Nattha Boot-In, Jim Newport , John Micchia (Lucky) Phawinee (Apple) Kangsawai
Club Business President Best visited a Patong family who are victims of fire, and met a girl who is not part of our scholarship programme; she‟s in 11/12th grade so has two more years of school remaining. Her neighbours suggested that we give the money to this girl. SURAT THANI – there are two projects that have been put up for District Awards, PC for kids, and the drip filter project. All are very excited about the Hong Kong trip. Rotary Patong to take banners etc for exchange. Community Service Award to M.Hilter for saving the lives of people who were drowning from a vessel that was sinking on the way to Phi Phi Island. Report re International Rotary Convention in Bangkok (May 2012). There are still vacancies, with 11 rooms booked out of the 15 rooms that have been reserved. There are seats that have been reserved for the Opening Ceremony. President Best commented on the other entertainment, including a Foundation Dinner, on invitation only. Anyone wishing still to attend, was urged to book soon. Donations to the Foundation are required. Rotary Dinner at Suringate Kitchen next Tuesday 7 February; Chef Daniel has prepared a very special menu at 750 Baht/head. There are a few more places available. Please contact George McCall if you wish to attend. Public Relations had no news to report, although M.Massey suggested a special thanks to our ladies on 14 February for allowing us to attend Rotary in Patong. Birthdays: February 6 Richard Jones and February 8 President Best.
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001
Guest Speaker Richard Jones introduced and welcomed the guest speaker who is Andy Andersen, organiser of the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival. Richard has attended in the past, and very much enjoys the Festival. Festival dates are 24 to 25 February 2012. The warm up show will be held at the Hard Rock Café, with the closing show at Bliss Surin Beach. The biggest difference this year, is the relocation of the Festival to Laguna, which Andy is sure will boost attendance levels, and raise the Festival‟s profile. Radio station 91.5 is the presenter of the event and has increased their stake in the Festival substantially this year. Chris Thomas King is the headline act. Andy Andersen followed by delivering a PPT presentation detailing the acts and other information about the Festival. Wolfgang Meusberger gave thanks to Andy Andersen and recognized his passion and determination involved in bringing the International Blues Rock Festival to Phuket. All wish Andy luck. Happy 100’s Able Wanamakok shared a very funny joke. Meeting finished with a resounding toast to the great success of the 2012 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival.
Thanks George McCall - night reporter & Phawinee (Apple) Kangsawat photographer
Ed
RCoPB group LOST IN Hong Kong Well I guess the four couples had a great time in Hong Kong as there has been no word from them – not even an photo “e card” - lol Maybe I will receive a photo or two to at least prove they have been for next week’s Bulletin --ed
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001
DUMB CRIMINALS CAN'T SPEAK...STUPID CRIMINALS are found
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A motorist was unknowingly caught in an automated speed trap that measured his speed using radar and photographed his car. He later received in the mail a ticket for $40 and a photo of his car. Instead of payment, he sent the police department a photograph of $40. Several days later, he received a letter from the police that contained another picture of handcuffs. -A defendant facing drug possession charges on trial in Pontiac, Michigan, said he had been searched without a warrant. The prosecutor said the officer didn't need a warrant because a 'bulge' in Christopher's jacket could have been a gun. Nonsense, said Christopher, who happened to be wearing the same jacket that day in court. He handed it over so the judge could see it. The judge discovered a packet of cocaine in the pocket and laughed so hard he took a five minute recess to compose himself. -A woman was reporting her car as stolen and mentioned that there was a car phone in it. The policeman taking the report called the phone and told the guy that answered that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car. They arranged to meet, and the thief was arrested. -Oklahoma
City: Dennis Newton was on trial for the armed robbery of a convenience store in a district court when he fired his lawyer. Assistant district attorney Larry Jones said Newton, 47, was doing a fair job of defending himself until the store manager testified that Newton was the robber. Newton jumped up, accused the woman of lying and then said "I should have blown your fucking head off!" The defendant paused then quickly added "if I'd been the one that was there". The jury took 20 minutes to convict Newton and recommended a 30 year sentence. -Detroit: R.C. Gaitlan, 21 walked up to two patrol officers who were showing their squad car computer equipment to children in a Detroit neighbourhood. When he asked how the system worked, the officer asked him for identification. Gaitlan gave them his driver's license, they entered it into the computer, and moments later arrested Gaitlan because information on the screen showed Gaitlan was wanted for a two-year-old armed robbery in St. Louis, Missouri. -Colorado Springs: A guy walked into a little corner store with a shot gun and demanded all the cash from the cash drawer. After the cashier put the cash in a bag the robber saw a bottle of scotch that he wanted behind the counter on the shelf. He told the cashier to put it in the bag as well, but he refused saying "Because I don't believe you are over 21". The robber said he was, but the clerk still refused to give it to him because he didn't believe him. At this point the robber took his driver's license out of his wallet and gave it to the clerk. The clerk looked it over, and agreed that the man was in fact over 21 and put the scotch in the bag. The robber then ran from the store with his loot. The cashier promptly called the police and gave the name and address of the robber that he got off the license. They arrested him two hours later. Thank you WOODY ed The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001
Rotary International News Major donor's gamble benefits school children in China A young scholar studies in an old primary school in Du'an County, Iwas about to turn 40 when I joined Rotary. The timing was perfect. I‟d wandered into a profession, computer software development, where I was disconnected from any community. I was developing a somewhat complex database program for betting on horse races, based on 70 variables for each horse that enabled me and my colleagues to determine its true odds of winning in any race, once we entered all the data and did our modeling. My interaction was entirely with a computer screen. We didn‟t have customers or clients, so I had little opportunity to connect with other humans. And I was living in Hong Kong, a long way from Pittsburgh, my home. Our goal was to handicap every Hong Kong racehorse based on past performance, track conditions, and so forth, and place strategic bets based on the results. It was a huge amount of work – but profitable and perfectly legal. Our business lawyer, Gilbert Collins, invited me twice to join the Rotary Club of Kowloon North before I accepted. I must have had some trepidation; I‟m not a joiner by nature. But before I knew it, I was on my way to becoming a member. Rotarians respect the dignity and usefulness of all professions. There was no service component to mine, so I felt immensely honored to have been asked. In the first year after I became a member, I learned more about the Hong Kong community than in all the time I‟d been living there. Looking back, it‟s not surprising that I would become deeply involved in the club‟s service projects. Crumbling schools I have a fondness and an aptitude for numbers, which helps – and, as I discovered through Rotary, a passion for putting my skills to work for causes I believe in. As the club‟s international service director, I was charged with reaching out to join forces with clubs in other countries. Bruce Stinson, past president of the Kowloon North club, had already made friends with Sai-Hong Choi, past president of the Rotary Club of Macau, and had visited impoverished Du‟an County in southeast China in 1999. He‟d been moved to tears by the condition of many of the area‟s rural schools – the roofs and walls had collapsed, and there were no desks or seats, he reported. The Macau club lacked funding, and that‟s where we stepped in. I knew that it would be something of a gamble to make our way through the Chinese regional bureaucracy and ensure that the money we raised went where it was intended, but I‟d been gambling successfully for most of my adult life. As I got to know the Chinese government officials in Du‟an, my level of trust increased. They turned out to be sincere and honest and grateful for our help. The government agreed to put up half the money if we put up the other half – a total cost of about $60,000 to rebuild each school. To me, this seemed like a slam-dunk, and thanks to the success of my business, I was able to donate a substantial amount of those costs on my own. The Kowloon North club teamed up with the Macau club to build the first three schools in the region, and since then, our district‟s clubs have been able to fund many more. Putting the money into bricks and mortar assured us we were creating something of lasting value, that the money wasn‟t being frittered away. It was my kind of gamble. The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001
For me, one of the most rewarding results of these service projects is to watch my perceptions bump up against reality. I expected China to be a tyrannical place, even brutal. Noticeable change But my Rotarian colleagues and I learned a few things as we watched the Long‟an middle school in Du‟an being transformed from a dilapidated building into a functional structure. I asked the headmaster about discipline. “Do you spank students?” I wondered. He looked at me incredulously. “ Spankstudents?” He was shocked at the suggestion. Teachers and administrators are forbidden to employ physical punishment, he explained. “They do that in your country?” It was inconceivable to him that we could even think that was possible. So much for my concern about social protectors. Now, about 11 years after the first schools were rebuilt, Du‟an has become a thriving region. When we visited in 2008, schoolchildren no longer looked at our cameras in awe; they snapped digital photos of us with their smartphones. There had been an amazing upsurge in prosperity. Our first school project was dwarfed, in a good way, by high-rises all around. Did I ever expect to become involved in so many projects, or to meet my wife, Vivian, in the Rotary Club of Kowloon North – she is a past president of the Rotary Club of Peninsula Sunrise, Hong Kong – and to marry for the first time at age 53? I wouldn‟t have laid odds on any of those things happening. But computer programs, even mine, have serious limitations. They couldn‟t have predicted the adventures I‟ve had or the personal rewards that have come my way through Rotary. I donate to The Rotary Foundation because I believe in its mission.
Photo of the week by Denis Surfs Up --- time to catch a wave or two
The Rotary Club of Patong Beach Phuket – Thailand Chartered 5th September 2001