The Rotary Club of New York

www.NYRotary.org                                       www.NewYorkCityRotary.org                       

 

 

 

September 15, 2003

 

 

 

 

Remember 9/11

United We Stand

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fellow Rotarians,

 

The speaker at our next New York Rotary meeting on September 16th will be Dr. Victor Niederhoffer. He has been a large scale speculator for the past 30 years. He also acted as an advisor to George Soros. He has also been 5-time U.S. National Squash Champion. You can read more about Dr. Niederhoffer in our latest Bulletin on the Internet at http://ussterilizer.com/bulletin_09-16-2003.pdf (click on the link).

 

It is now two years ago since the World Trade Center disaster on September 11th, 2001, a date that will always be remembered in history. The New York Rotary WTC-DISASTER Relief Fund has raised $1,499,154 for the victims of 9/11. It is the most successful fundraising for a single Rotary Club in history. The explanation is simple. It happened in our backyard and Rotarians around the world trusted us with their donations. New York happens to be a very big backyard. Our legendary Rotary Club stood the test and lived up to the confidence of other Rotarians. We have so far disbursed $1.226,808 of the funds. You can see the complete information on our website about 9/11 at www.nyrotary.org/wtc_disaster/wtc_disaster_page.htm and www.nyrotary.org/Foundation/foundation.html, including the grant recipients’ names with descriptions about each grant.

 

The Bulletin has an article about 9/11 with the headline CLUBS REMEMBER VICTIMS OF 9/11 WITH MEMORIAL CLOCK. It is a project by the Rotary Club of Eastchester, New York, which is in our Rotary District.

 

One of the goals for President Greg is to promote Paul Harris Fellowship. Greg’s goal is 100% participation. Jim Morita and Camilo Uy are Co-Chairpersons in our Paul Harris Committee. They have written a letter with a very good explanation of what Paul Harris Fellowship is all about. It can cost as little as $100 per year to participate. You can read their letter on our website at www.nyrotary.org/paul_harris/paul_harris_fellowship.pdf.

 

Peter Brizard has written the Reporter of the Week about our last meeting. Thank you Peter for a good report! Peter became a member of our club last year and his classification is Independent CPA.

 

The Bulletin announces the birthdays for Joseph Klee on September 15th, Past President Silvio Amori on September 19th, Katsuhito Mattsubara on September 20th, Charles Coupet on September 23rd, our retired piano player David Dingle on September 25th, Reverent Laurent Deneux (the flying Bishop) on September 26th, Past President Dick Sainburg on September 27th and Giorgio Balestrieri on September 29th. Happy Birthday to all of you! For those, who believe in astrology, most of these birthdays are in the Libra sign. Libras are diplomatic, refined, intelligent, thoughtful, warm, and social natures. Libras also tend to be romantic. Typical Libras want an idealized meeting of the minds in an atmosphere of civility, refinement, and reasonableness. Libras have strong senses of justice. They are also skilled peacemakers and diplomats. Professions traditionally associated with Libra include the law, politics, the arts or design, mediation, diplomacy, and counseling.

 

You can also read in the Bulletin about our and the next International Service Division Breakfast at 8:30 am on September 17th at the German Mission to the United Nations. It is organized by Rotary UN Representative Barney Barnet and Libra Rotarian Giorgio Balestrieri (it seems to me that Giorgio is a typical Libra). The speaker at the meeting will be Djibril Diallo, who is Director Communications at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This month's topic will be "Key Development Issues 58th UN General Assembly". You can also read about the next International Service Division Breakfast on our website at  www.nyrotary.org/int_service_div/int_service_div.html.

I just received the following message from Past Rotary International President Frank Devlyn:

 

Dear Amigos,

 

I look forward to seeing all my New York City Rotary Club family at the Rotary at the UN day on Saturday October 4th. This event is a good occasion to promote some kind of PR for the New York City Rotary Club. Do you have anything planned? Let me know.

 

Un abrazo,

  

Frank J. Devlyn

Trustee, The Rotary Foundation

Past Rotary International President 2000-01

 

Remember we have to fulfill our promise to the children of the world and eradicate Polio by the year 2005.

 

I also encourage you to click on to www.frankdevlyn.org and leave your comments on how to promote retention & reenergize Rotary Clubs for my new book, Frank Talk 2.

On the same website you will find out about Avoidable Blindness Projects promoted by Rotary.

 

Thank you Frank! I look forward to see you at the Rotary United Nations Day on October 4th.

 

Giorgio Balestrieri sent me a copy of the following interesting message from Marco Kappenberger, who is the founder of the United Nations Fellowship of Rotarians:

 

Dear founding members of the proposed United Nations Fellowship of Rotarians!

 

The good news is that the RI Board of Directors under the leadership of our RI President will consider the admission of United Nations Fellowship of Rotarians in their imminent meeting!

 

Our UNFR has now been in formation since some time and, now that earlier this year the rules for admission of Fellowships have been adapted by the RI Directors, we are ready to be accepted for our Rotary Fellowship to fulfill its purpose.

 

You are UNFR founding member and will become Charter Member as soon as our United Nations Fellowship will have been approved. If you know of any Rotarian or Rotaractor who wishes to join, now is the moment to still have a chance to become UNFR Charter Member! Who wishes to consider joining should visit our website www.un-rotary-fellowship.org and share the information requested for joining.

 

Trusting that this finds you well and healthy, and looking forward for all of us to soon start serving through our United Nations Fellowship of Rotarians, yours are my very best greetings and wishes,

 

Marco Kappenberger

Founder

Nations Fellowship of Rotarians

 

Thank you Marco for your invitation!

 

I received the following message from PDG Rudy Estrellado in the Philippines:

 

Dear Matts,

Greetings!  I am PDG Rudy Estrellado of District 3810, Manila, Philippines. I am visiting New York City and would wish to make-up in your club on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2003. How should I go about it?

 

Late as it is, I wish to extend my thanks for including me in your list of recipients of your club's electronic mails.

 

With my best wishes,

 

Rodolfo "Rudy" S. Estrellado

PDG, RY 2001-02, D3810

 

Thank you Rudy, for coming to visit our Rotary Club. We meet every Tuesday at the Princeton Club on 15 West 43rd Street, which is between 5th and 6th Avenue. I recommend that you come at 12:00 noon. Our meetings begin at 12:15. All Rotarians and their guests are welcome to our meetings. I look forward to see you.

 

I have the latest news from our traveling Rotarian 82 year old Bill DeLong and his adventures in Ghana. Past President Helen Reisler sent me the following message:

 

Dear Matts,

 

Bill DeLong always keeps in touch with me from his adventures. Thought I'd let everyone know how he is doing.

 

Helen

 

This is the message from the Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana that Helen enclosed:

 

Bill DeLong met with Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates.  I am a secretary here filling in for the month while the Ambassador's secretary is on leave.  Mr. DeLong has been trying to e-mail you but has not been able to get through.  He asked that I relay the message that he is well.

 

Needless to say, Bill is alive and well and still kicking. The only thing that I am surprised about is that he left our country in the middle of the baseball season. I have told you before that Bill is a New York Mets Fan.

 

I received the following message in remembrance of 9/11 from Shiv Trivedi, who is a member of our Rotaract Club:

 

Dear Friends,

Today, as I did last year, I reflect upon my life and send my warmest thoughts to those that have touched me in some way.  Last year, as we heard 3000 names being remembered, I couldn't contain my emotions- as I was overcome by sadness and grief.  Like many, I prayed for the death of those responsible and for our nation to never weep again.

 

Today, as I acknowledge that the grief will never leave us, I do believe that we can take this time to celebrate the preciousness of life and the loving memories of those that we honor.  Please know- my warmest thoughts go out to you and your family today and everyday, as I pray that you find peace in your lives and honor life as we honor our fallen.

 

Your friend,

Shiv Trivedi

 

Thank you Shiv for your thoughtful message.

 

While we are reflecting on what happened during 9/11 two years ago, the Swedish Rotarians in Sweden are going through a very traumatic experience of their own as the Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh was stabbed to death on the second floor in the biggest department store in Stockholm. She died from her wounds on 9/11 this year, which gives this date a double meaning to the people in Sweden. I received a condolence message from Helen Bowers at the Rotary Club of Somers. I responded to Helen that the feelings in Sweden are similar to the day here in America when John Kennedy was shot. Helen sent me the following message in response:

 

I remember it well.  I was in physics class.  We were dismissed early and all walked home in silence.

 

What a horror!  And what awful timing -- not that another time would have been "better".

 

Please pass my condolences and those of the Rotary Club of Somers to all the Swedish Rotarians who are probably as shocked today as we were two years ago.

 

Hugs,

Helen

 

Thank you Helen, for your response.

 

Don't forget to reserve your table for our next meeting. You can reserve via e-mail to our office at ny.rotary@verizon.net, or call Andreas or Ana at 212-633-1311. You can also fax in the RSVP form, which you can download at http://ussterilizer.com/rsvp_09-16-2003.pdf. Our fax number is 212-633-1954. At our next meeting, the culinary staff at the Princeton Club will serve us Beef Bourguignon.

 

I recommend that you visit our New York Rotary website every week at www.NYRotary.org or www.NewYorkCityRotary.org. 

 

In all this time of sadness, let us be dreamers, because great realities have been created from dreams. Paul Harris had a dream and so did also Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Rotary is about having fun

and do good things!

 

 

 

Matts Ingemanson

Chairman

Internet Communications Division

The Rotary Club of New York

www.NYRotary.org

www.NewYorkCityRotary.org

 

Chairman

Group Study Exchange

Rotary District 7230

www.nyrotary.org/GSE7230

 

Ambassador of History

Rotary’s Global History Project

www.historynewsletter.org

 

 

The power of the Internet puts the brains of millions of people together. It also puts 1.2 million Rotarians together. It does not matter where we are and when we are available. The Internet makes it possible for Rotarians around the world to instantly participate.

 

This newsletter has also been posted on our website at www.NYRotary.org or www.NewYorkCityRotary.org.

 

I want to thank our Executive Director Andreas Runggatscher and his Executive Assistant Ana Rivas for working so hard every week creating and mailing the Weekly Bulletin. In addition to mailing it out to our members, they also send me the electronic Bulletin so I can upload it on our website. They have also been working hard with the administration of the World Trade Center - Disaster Relief Fund.

 

In order to read the PDF file of the Bulletin-on-the-Web, you need Acrobat Reader Version 5.0 or later. If you don't have Acrobat Reader, you can download Acrobat Reader 6.0 for free from the web at:

 

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

 

 

You can find the following interesting websites at:

 

1.      New York Rotary Club at www.NewYorkCityRotary.org/.

2.      Rotary’s Global History Project at www.historynewsletter.org

3.      Rotary District 7230 at www.rotarydistrict7230.org 

District 7230 Group Study Exchange Project at www.NewYorkCityRotary.org/GSE7230/

4.      Rotary Youth Leadership Awards at www.rotaryryla.com

5.      Rotary Radio every Tuesday 5-6 PM EST or 2-3 PM PST at http://12.162.161.64/cart/ProductList.asp?SearchFor=Rotary+Radio&x=36&y=6

 

Matts Ingemanson, Helen Reisler and Jim Thompson from the New York Rotary Club were interviewed on Rotary Radio Tuesday July 9, 2002.

http://12.162.161.64/cart/ProductDetail.asp?PR_ProductID=329

 

You need Windows Media Player to listen to Rotary Radio. Windows Media Player is included with Windows Millennium and Windows XP. If you use Windows 95 or Windows 98, you can download Windows Media Player for free from Microsoft.

 

Click here to download Windows Media Player