Download the original attachment

Newsletter – 13 September 2007

President’s Message:

The Hillsboro Inlet Light is the new Christmas ornament/fundraiser for Kiwanis this year. Order them while supplies last. This light was first built in Chicago and was on exhibit at the Chicago Exhibition. Later, is was dismantled and moved to its present location. (This is similar to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was to be dismantled after an exhibition, and it was not. The rest, as they say, is history.)

      We are running out of time for the ads and for the purchase of tickets. If you have an ad, please notify Dave Thompson or Frank Nemec like NOW. Also get your money for the tickets into Cheryle Newman. We want a big fundraiser so we don’t have to do a lot of little ones, so let’s get with the program.

      We had a good board meeting last week. It was especially good for me, because it was my last as presiding officer. I’d like to thank one and all who put forth the effort this year. As announced, our club and, in fact, all the clubs in this division had great years, and it was all because of those of you who put forth the effort. Thanks, and I’ll have more to say at the banquet.

      Which is another thing we have to nag you about. I’d love a 100% turnout with spouses, so let’s see how close we can get to that goal. 

Coming Events: [Advise the editor of events of interest at 797-4332]

22 September 2007: Our second annual Pancake Breakfast is scheduled. More details as they become available.

27 September 2007: Annual installation of officers for the club. No meeting in the morning. It will be held at The Allegro again this year. See menu attached to this newsletter at Doug’s request.

29 September 2007: Uptown Saturday Night, check out the local galleries uptown on the last Saturday of each month, and taste their food and wine.

5 October 2007: First Friday Art Walk, check out the local galleries downtown and taste their food and wine. 

Guests: No guests last week. Waiting to hear if Skeeter is making any progress with the Upchurch he brought to the meeting the week before. 

Programs: (Check the website for your speaker assignment date.)

LAST WEEK: Committee and Board meetings. Come give your input.

THIS WEEK: Frank Nemec will introduce Fred Hoben, who is a forensic scientist. Come prepared with all of your CSI questions

NEXT WEEK: Charlie Stevens will bring someone neat to talk to us. 

⅓-⅓-⅓ DRAWING WINNERS: The winning tickets were drawn and the winners were Art Liepold & President Hedges. (These guys can use the money, as they go to the casinos more than anyone else that I know of.) Congrats to both. Remember to mix those tickets well (put mine on top), and to buy your tickets early and often.  

Late Breaking News:

Let us not forget that the Pancake Breakfast is coming up, and will be here before you know it. This is a powerful money maker for up, and a lot of fun. It will take some work, as nasty as that word is. If the committee asks for your help, please say, “Yes,” to there request. Let’s have this be everyone doing a little bit, not a few people doing it all. In other words, not like other clubs. Time is drawing nigh, and we all need to step up and do our part.

      Some big news for our club is that Dave Thompson’s bright idea has paid off. He applied for a grant to the Florida Foundation to get $5K for the new Boys and Girls Club building which will be on King Street. We do not have the check in hand, but we have been told, and it was announced at the DCM, that we have been awarded that grant. Great work Dave!! (How about getting a grant for me? I could use 10 or 15K for some equipment that would permit me to put out a top-notch newsletter; color photos and the whole nine yards. Of course the file might wind up too large to e-mail and very difficult for the average member to open, but that’s progress. Isn’t this where someone says, “It’s our most important product?”)

      In sports, the Gators walked over another high school (and these are the guys that can’t play Miami because of the SEC rules); FSU picked up a win, and the Jags looked poor in their first game. Del Rio came out the next day and said he saw what the problems were by watching film. Great! We all saw the problems, the question is can he fix it.

      The Bosox are still up in first place, but the Yanks keep plugging away. If that team was all as good as A Rod, they would be unstoppable. He is due the batting title this year.

Quote(s) of the Week: 
“If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation.” —Samuel Adams

“With an unintentional irony that might even tickle the Prophet himself, a new book called ‘Killed Cartoons’ killed a cartoon. Not because it was bad, but because it was just too good. The book... features political cartoons that other publications considered too hot to handle. Except for one... by Doug Marlette that sparked Muslim outrage a few years ago. I know it’s shocking that Muslims were outraged, but try to stay focused. The cartoon depicted a jihadi driving a Ryder truck with a nuclear bomb in back with the caption: What Would Muhammad Drive?... As the world knows by now, some Muslims have no tolerance for irreverence when it comes to their Prophet. When Marlette... drew the cartoon in 2002 for The Tallahassee Democrat, the paper pulled it from its Web site and kept it out of print editions after several thousand e-mails and death threats jammed its server... Many doubtless would agree with [the publisher’s] decision, figuring that the possibility of mortal threat is a pretty good reason not to publish a controversial cartoon. But, in fact, it is the very reason to publish. Not to be gratuitously in your face, but to be purposefully in your face. To make clear that free speech—even drawn opinion—not only trumps special interests, but also requires a bold and sometimes insensitive defense.” —Kathleen Parker

“Politics, n. strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles.” —Ambrose Bierce