To "attend" the meeting, scroll down the screen, review all the information from top to bottom, view all the videos, read all the information, and enjoy your time here with us at our Rotary meeting.
Dear Fellow Rotarians, visitors and guests!
WELCOME TO OUR E-CLUB!
Thank you for stopping by our club meeting! We hope you will enjoy your visit.
Our E-Club banner is shown at left! Please send us a virtual copy of your club banner and we will send you a copy of our new club banner in exchange. We will also display your club banner proudly on our meeting website.
We are now officially a fully-fledged chartered Rotary Club in District 7020. Our charter date is August 12, 2013. We hope you will find the content of our meeting enlightening and will give us the benefit of your opinion on the content.
January is Rotary Awareness month.
Visiting Rotarians. Click this link to Apply for a Make-up. We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Active Members. Click for Attendance Record.
Happy Hour Hangout. Happy Hour Hangout. Our Happy Hour Hangout on a Saturday morning is early enough so that you can join before your day gets away from you.
We meet for a live chat and sometimes business discussion. If you are interested in dropping by, please click the link below. Morning coffee is on the house! (Your house, that is...) Hope to see you there!
Please note: Now, attending our HHH will earn you a make-up!
The link to the Happy Hour Hangout for Saturday is at the bottom of this meeting.
Interested in joining us? Click the link Membership Application and Information.
Our President, Kitty, would now like to welcome you to this week's meeting. Please listen in...
Our District Governor in D7020 is Jeremy Hurst from Cayman Islands. The District Conference is scheduled for April 29 through May 3 in the Cayman Islands.
Our District Governor-elect is Paul Brown from Jamaica. That means that Paul Brown will be the District Governor beginning July 2014, and our next District Conference in 2015 will be in Jamaica.
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Our District Governor-nominee is Felix Stubbs from Nassau. That means that Felix Stubbs will be the District Governor beginning July 2015 and the next District Conference in 2016 will be in Nassau.
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So, with such an illustrious line-up, it does appear that District 7020 is in very good hands!
CONGRATULATIONS, HARESH!
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ROTARY E-CLUB OF THE CARIBBEAN, 7020
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ABCs OF ROTARY (Cliff Dochterman)
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| Cliff Dochterman RI President, 1992-93 |
Some Rotary Firsts
- Rotary became bilingual in 1916 when the first club was organized in a non-English-speaking country - Havana, Cuba.
- Rotary established the "Endowment Fund" in 1917, which came the forerunner of The Rotary Foundation
- Rotary first adopted the name "Rotary International" in 1922 when the name was changed from the International Association of Rotary Clubs.
- Rotary first established the Paul Harris Fellows recognition in 1957 for contributors of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundtion.
- The Rotary club which first held meetings on a weekly basis was Oakland, California, the No. 3 club.
- The Rotary emblem was printed on a commemorative stamp for the first time in 1931 at the time of the Vienna Convention.
- The first Rotary club banner (from the Houston Space Center) to orbit the moon was carried by astronaut Frank Borman, a member of that club
- The first Rotary International convention held outside the United States was in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1921.
- The first head of state to address a Rotary convention was U.S. President Warren G. Harding in 1923 in St. Louis.
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A VERY INTERESTING INNOVATION!
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SPEAKER - William Kamkwamba
When he was just 14 years old, Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba built his family an electricity-generating windmill from spare parts, working from rough plans he found in a library book.
To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap -- starting him on a journey detailed in the book "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" and the new film, "William and the Windmill."
William Kamkwamba, from Malawi, is a born inventor. When he was 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called Using Energy and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.
After reading about Kamkwamba on Mike McKay's blog Hactivate (which picked up the story from a local Malawi newspaper), TEDGlobal Conference Director Emeka Okafor spent several weeks tracking him down at his home in Masitala Village, Wimbe, and invited him to attend TEDGlobal on a fellowship. Onstage, Kamkwamba talked about his invention and shared his dreams: to build a larger windmill to help with irrigation for his entire village, and to go back to school.
Following Kamkwamba's moving talk, there was an outpouring of support for him and his promising work. Members of the TED community got together to help him improve his power system (by incorporating solar energy), and further his education through school and mentorships. Subsequent projects have included clean water, malaria prevention, solar power and lighting for the six homes in his family compound; a deep-water well with a solar-powered pump for clean water; and a drip irrigation system. Kamkwamba himself returned to school, and is now attending the African Leadership Academy, a new pan-African prep school outside Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kamkwamba's story is documented in his autobiography, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. A documentary about Kamkwamba, called William and the Windmill, won the Documentary Feature Grand Jury award at SXSW in 2013 (watch a trailer ). You can support his work and other young inventors at MovingWindmills.org.
Two years later --
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ROTARY AWARENESS - Let's become "Rotary aware"
As Rotarians, we are welcomed at any Rotary Club throughout the world.
January is Rotary Awareness month.
Let's all try to attend a minimum of 3 meetings at clubs outside of our own E-Club in the next few months.
- Find a local club near you.
- Attend their meeting.
- Introduce yourself as a member of the Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020
- Be prepared to tell a little about the club - (1) how it operates (2) what our signature project is (Butterfly Storybook (3) our next project, the International PenPal partnership and (4) our TRF fundraiser
For example, when I am back home, I attend the Rotary Club of Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada. I am always welcomed at their club as a regular visitor - a visiting Rotarian. Those visits serve as make-ups, if I need them.
Please make an effort to see how other clubs operate! Expand your Rotary family!
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HISTORY OF THE FOUR-WAY TEST - A repeat
More than 60 years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, a U.S. Rotarian devised a simple, four-part ethical guideline that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. The statement and the principles it embodied also helped many others find their own ethical compass. Soon embraced and popularized by Rotary International, The Four-Way Test today stands as one of the organization’s hallmarks. It may very well be one of the most famous statements of our century.
Herbert J. Taylor, author of the Test, was a mover, a doer, a consummate salesman and a leader of men. He was a man of action, faith and high moral principle. Born in Michigan, USA, in 1893, he worked his way through Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
With some prosperous years behind him, Herb returned to Chicago, Illinois, in 1925 and began a swift rise within the Jewel Tea Company.
He soon joined the Rotary Club of Chicago. In line for the presidency of Jewel in 1932, Herb was asked to help revive the near-bankrupt Club Aluminum Company of Chicago. The cookware manufacturing company owed $400,000 more than its total assets and was barely staying afloat. Herb responded to the challenge and decided to cast his lot with this troubled firm. He resigned from Jewel Tea, taking an 80 percent pay cut to become president of Club Aluminum. He even invested $6,100 of his own money in the company to give it some operating capital.
Looking for a way to resuscitate the company and caught in the Depression’s doldrums, Herb, deeply religious, prayed for inspiration to craft a short measuring stick of ethics for the staff to use.
As he thought about an ethical guideline for the company, he first wrote a statement of about 100 words but decided that it was too long. He continued to work, reducing it to seven points. In fact, The Four-Way Test was once a Seven-Way Test. It was still too long, and he finally reduced it to the four searching questions that comprise the Test today.
Next, he checked the statement with his four department heads: a Roman Catholic, a Christian Scientist, an Orthodox Jew and a Presbyterian. They all agreed that the Test’s principles not only coincided with their religious beliefs, but also provided an exemplary guide for personal and business life.
And so, “The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do” was born:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Profound in its simplicity, the Test became the basis for decisions large and small at Club Aluminum.
But any test must be put to the test. Would it work in the real world? Could people in business really live by its precepts? One lawyer told Herb: “If I followed the Test explicitly, I would starve to death. Where business is concerned, I think The Four-Way Test is absolutely impractical.”
The attorney’s concerns were understandable. Any ethical system that calls for living the truth and measuring actions on the basis of benefits to others is demanding. Such a test can stir bitter conflict for those who try to balance integrity and ambition. Sizzling debates have been held in various parts of the world on its practicality as a way of living.
There are always some serious-minded Rotarians, not to mention skeptics and negative thinkers, who view The Four-Way Test as a simplistic philosophy of dubious worth, contradictory meaning and unrealistic aims. The Test calls for thoughtful examination of one’s motives and goals. This emphasis on truth, fairness and consideration provide a moral diet so rich that it gives some people “ethical indigestion.”
But at Club Aluminum in the 1930s, everything was measured against The Four-Way Test. First, the staff applied it to advertising. Words like “better,” “best,” “greatest” or “finest” were dropped from ads and replaced by factual descriptions of the product. Negative comments about competitors were removed from advertising and company literature.
The Test gradually became a guide for every aspect of the business, creating a climate of trust and goodwill among dealers, customers and employees. It became part of the corporate culture, and eventually helped improve Club Aluminum’s reputation and finances.
One day, the sales manager announced a possible order for 50,000 utensils. Sales were low and the company was still struggling at the bankruptcy level. The senior managers certainly needed and wanted that sale, but there was a hitch. The sales manager learned that the potential customer intended to sell the products at cut-rate prices. “That wouldn’t be fair to our regular dealers who have been advertising and promoting our product consistently,” he said. In one of the toughest decisions the company made that year, the order was turned down. There was no question this transaction would have made a mockery out of The Four-Way Test the company professed to live by.
By 1937, Club Aluminum’s indebtedness was paid off and during the next 15 years, the firm distributed more than $1 million in dividends to its stockholders. Its net worth climbed to more than $2 million.
Too idealistic for the real world? The Four-Way Test was born in the rough and tumble world of business, and put to the acid test of experience in one of the toughest times that the business community has ever known. It survived in the arena of practical commerce.
In 1942, Richard Vernor of Chicago, then a director of Rotary International, suggested that Rotary adopt the Test. The R.I. Board approved his proposal in January 1943 and made The Four-Way Test a component of the Vocational Service program, although today it is considered a vital element in all four Avenues of Service.
Herb Taylor transferred the copyright to Rotary International when he served as R.I. president in 1954-55, during the organization’s golden anniversary.
Today, more than six decades since its creation, has the Test lost its usefulness in modern society, as some critics maintain? Is it sophisticated enough to guide business and professional men and women in these fast-paced times?
Is it the TRUTH? There is a timelessness in truth that is unchangeable. Truth cannot exist without justice.
Is it FAIR to all concerned? The substitution of fairness for the harsh principles of doing business at arm’s length has improved rather than hurt business relationships.
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Man is by nature a cooperative creature and it is his natural instinct to express love.
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? This question eliminates the dog-eat-dog principle of ruthless competition and substitutes the idea of constructive and creative competition.
The Four-Way Test is international, transcending national boundaries and language barriers. It knows no politics, dogma or creed. More than a code of ethics, it has all the ingredients for a successful life in every way. It can and will work in today’s society.
The final test is in the doing. William James, the noted psychologist, once said, “The ultimate test of what a truth means is the conduct it dictates or inspires.” At the heart of Rotary today is The Four-Way Test, a call to moral excellence. Human beings can grow together. Modern business can be honest and trustworthy. People can learn to believe in one another. At the 1977 R.I. Convention, James S. Fish of the U.S. Better Business Bureaus said, “To endure, the competitive enterprise system must be practiced within the framework of a strict moral code. Indeed, the whole fabric of the capitalistic system rests to a large degree on trust . . . on the confidence that businessmen and women will deal fairly and honestly, not only with each other, but also with the general public, with the consumer, the stockholder and the employee.”
Few things are needed more in our society than moral integrity. The Four-Way Test will guide those who dare to use it for worthy objectives: choosing, winning, and keeping friends; getting along well with others; ensuring a happy home life; developing high ethical and moral standards; becoming successful in a chosen business or profession; and becoming a better citizen and better example for the next generation.
Eloquently simple, stunning in its power, undeniable in its results, The Four-Way Test offers a fresh and positive vision in the midst of a world full of tension, confusion and uncertainty.
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By Darrell Thompson, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Morro Bay, California. This article is adapted from a speech given by Darrell, with contributions from Rotarians Douglas W. Vincent of Woodstock-Oxford, Ontario, Canada, and Myron Taylor.
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ENTERTAINING INTERLUDE
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KINDNESS
What would happen if we were all just a bit kinder?
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- Peace and Conflict Resolution
- Disease Prevention and Treatment
- Water and Sanitation
- Maternal and Child Health
- Basic Education and Literacy
- Economic and Community Development
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A HIDDEN TREASURE
Guess what: your copy of the Canterbury Tales may actually be more exciting than you think (sorry, Mr. Chaucer). It’s very possible that your battered, old copy of the book contains some fore-edge painting, which is an illustration or painting that is hidden on the edge of the pages of the book.
The technique allegedly dates back to the 1650s and we have no idea why people went through the trouble of painting on their old works of literature, but thanks to Colossal, now we know they are there.
You can see the painting by bending together the pages of the book, just so you can see a small piece of each page.
...from http://www.viralnova.com/fore-edge-painting/
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ROTARY ANTHEM
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SPEAKER - Saki Mafundikwa new
From simple alphabets to secret symbolic languages, graphic
designer Saki Mafundikwa celebrates the many forms of written
communication across the continent of Africa. He highlights the history
and legacy that are embodied in written words and symbols, and urges
African designers to draw on these graphic forms for fresh inspiration.
It's summed up in his favorite Ghanaian glyph, Sankofa, which means
"return and get it" -- or "learn from the past."
In his book Afrikan Alphabets, Saki Mafundiwaka includes a Ghanaian pictograph meaning “return to the past” This is exactly what he did in 1997 when he cashed in his publishing job 401(k) and left New York to open the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts (ZIVA) in Harare. (“Vigital” denotes visual arts taught using digital tools.)
As a kid growing up in Zimbabwe, Mafundiwaka loved to sketch letterforms he saw in books and magazines, but he didn’t know graphic design was a career option until he arrived in America. "Sometimes you have to leave home,” he says, “to discover yourself.” He opened ZIVA to pay it forward. “The dream,” he says, “is for something to come out of Africa that is of Africa."
In 2010, he made the film Shungu: The Resilience of a People, a compelling narrative of the strategies ordinary people use to survive in Zimbabwe today.
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DISTRICT 7020 CONFERENCE 2014 IN CAYMAN ISLANDS
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"THIS CLOSE" E-CLUB STYLE
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HAPPY NEW YEAR
(Reprinted) Richard D. King, Rotary International President 2001-02
1. Friendship: In an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs -friendship and fellowship. It is one of two reasons why Rotary was founded in 1905.
2. Business Development: The second original reason for Rotary's beginning is promoting business development. Everyone needs to network. Rotary consists of a cross-section of the business community. Our members come from all walks of life. Rotarians help each other and collectively help others.
3. Personal Growth and Development: Membership in Rotary continues one‘s growth and education in human relations and personal development.
4. Leadership Development: Rotary is an organization of leaders and successful people. Members improve leadership skills - such as learning how to motivate, influence, and lead others while serving the community.
5. Citizenship in the Community: Membership in a Rotary club makes one a better community citizen. The Roseville Rotary club consists of active community leaders who share the goal of making the community even better.
6. Continuing Education: Each program at Rotary is designed to keep the membership up-to-date about what is happening in the community, nation and world. Each meeting provides an op-portunity to engage with stimulating speakers on a broad range of timely topics.
7. Fun: Rotary is fun, a lot of fun. Each meeting is fun. The club service projects are fun. Social activities are fun.
8. Public Speaking Skills: Many individuals who joined Rotary were uncomfortable speaking in public. Rotary develops confidence and skill in public communication and the opportunity to practice and perfect these skills.
9. Citizenship in the World: Every Rotarian in any of the 29,000 clubs in 194 nations wears a pin that says ―Rotary International. There are few places on the globe that do not have a Rotary club. Every Rotarian is welcome – even encouraged – to attend meetings anywhere in the world. It is an amazing experience to feel the common bonds and values of Rotary with people from all cultures throughout the world.
10. Assistance when Traveling: Because there are Rotary clubs everywhere, many a traveling Rotarian in need of a doctor, lawyer, dentist, hotel, or advice while traveling has found assistance through Rotary.
11. Entertainment: Every Rotary club and district has parties and activities that provide diversion in one‘s business life. Rotary holds conferences, conventions, assemblies, and institutes that provide entertainment in addition to Rotary information, education and service.
12. The Development of Social Skills: Every week at various events and functions, Rotarians develop people skills. Rotary is for people who like people.
13. Family Programs: Rotary provides one of the world‘s largest international youth exchange programs: high school and college experiences for future Rotarians; opportunities for spouse involvement; and a host of activities which strengthen families.
14. Vocational Skills: Every Rotarian is expected to participate in the growth and development of his or her own profession or vocation; and to teach youth about one‘s career or vocation. Rotary helps make us all more effective at our chosen career.
15. Ethical Development: Rotarians practice the 4-Way Test in business and personal relationships.
16. Cultural Awareness: Around the world, practically every religion, country, culture, race, creed, political persuasion, language, color and ethnic identity is found in Rotary. It is a cross section of the world‘s most prominent leaders from every background. Rotarians become aware of their cultures and learn to love and work with people everywhere. They become better citizens of their countries in the process.
17. Prestige: Rotary members are leaders of business, the professions, art, government, sports, military, religion and all disciplines. Rotary is the oldest and most prestigious service club in the world. Its ranks include executives, managers, and professionals – people who make decisions and influence policy throughout the world.
18. Nice People: Rotarians above all are nice people - the nicest people on the face of the earth. They are important people who follow the policy of – ―it is nice to be important but it is more important to be nice.
19. The Absence of an “Official Creed”: Rotary has no secret handshake, no secret policy, no official creed, no secret meetings or rituals. It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others.
20. The Opportunity to Serve: Rotary is a service club. Its business is humankind. Its product is service. Rotarians provide community service to both local and international communities. This is perhaps the best reason for becoming a Rotarian: the chance to do something for somebody else and to experience the self-fulfillment that comes in the process. It is a richly rewarding experience.
“He profits most who serves best.”
(Reprinted) Richard D. King, Rotary International President 2001-02
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SMILE OF THE WEEK
A short story -
While taking a routine vandalism report at an elementary school, I was interrupted by a little girl about 6 years old. Looking up and down at my uniform, she asked, "Are you a cop?"
"Yes," I answered and continued writing the report. "My mother said if I ever needed help I should ask the police. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's right," I told her. "Well, then," she said as she extended her foot toward me, "would you please tie my shoe?"
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TO END OUR MEETING
To end our meeting, please recite aloud (on your honour!) the Rotary Four-Way Test of the things we think, say, or do.
Nadine, a member of our E-Club from Pennsylvania, leads us.
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
...and official close of meeting
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Thank you for stopping by our E-club meeting! We wish you well in the next week in all that you do for Rotary!
The meeting has now come to an end. Please do have a safe and happy week! If you have enjoyed our E-club meeting, please leave a comment below.
Rotary cheers!
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Visiting Rotarians. Click this link to Apply for a Make-up. We will send you and your club secretary a make-up confirmation.
Please consider a donation to our Club. Just as any Rotarian visiting a Rotary Club would be expected to make a donation, we hope you will consider a donation to our Rotary E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020. Please click the button below:
Active Members. Click to indicate your Attendance.
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HAPPY HOUR HANGOUT - Saturday, January 4
Please join us at our scheduled Happy Hour Hangout for some Rotary Trivia.
- 9:00 a.m. Atlantic Time
- 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (Miami Time)
- Please click this URL to start or join.
- https://zoom.us/j/602689205
- Or, go to https://zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 602 689 205
Join from dial-in phone line:
- Dial: +1 (424) 203-8450 or +1 (209) 255-1200
- Meeting ID: 602 689 205
- Participant ID: Shown after joining the meeting
- International numbers available: https://zoom.us/teleconference
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