Vol. 65 No. 23 Notes from the Podium

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President's Time
Things were kinda quiet this week...Momo a six pound Chihuahua is the first of it's breed to ever serve as a police dog - in Japan.  A 17-year old in Queens made $130,000 by selling kits to convert black iPhone 4's into white ones.  A New Zealand company is introducing $100,000 personal jetpacks.  You don't need a license, and you bypass TSA Scanners.  A fellow in Encino, California got stranded on a tine desert island off the coast when his inflatable raft sprang a leak.  He spent fice days there subsisting on plants and vitamins before he gave in a used his cell phone to call for help!  

TOY DRIVE STALLS, but Bill Quesenberry made sure to let us know that we can do better.  But it seems our group just doesn't want to shop.  Greg Martini asked Bill to just pass the plate and let those who want to give money do so.  Now Bill has to go shopping with $276 cash donated by our members for the children at the Lodge.  Thanks guys.  We've got one more week.  Bring something cute for an abused child to love.

BRUCE'S WINGS got the Vendor's Permit for Beaux Arts Festival at the University of Miami on January 8 & 9.  We're selling 5,000 chicken wings to raise money for our Foundation ... so we have some to spend on all the great projects in the pipeline.  BRUCE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS - 10 PER DAY.  It's fun, fellowship and a great festival to just hang out and meet people.  You'll eat and party well and have a ton of FUN so sign up to work.  In case you don't remember, we were frozen out of business last year so this time we've got to make up for lost revenue.  Ed.

Moose Milk is Coming.
January 1, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Hosted this year by Chris & Chris Tyson
1498 Sevilla Avenue (the 3rd tee of Biltmore Golf Course)
This is the 40th Anniversary of Moose Milk.  It's a tradition that was begun by the late Roger Mumm in 1972.  Everybody brings something good to eat.  The club provides the Moose and milks it for you!  Rumor has it that you're not a REAL Coral Gables Rotarian until you partake of the juice of the Moose.  It's a kid-friendly event - we have virgin moose juice for the kids.

This Saturday, December 11th 

Foundation By-Laws Revisions Approved

President-Elect Debbie Swain chaired the By Laws Committee for both Club and Foundation.  The revisions were posted to the membership 10 days ago, pursuant to the requirements in our By-Laws.  Debbie moved, and Walter Alvarez seconded the motion to approve the By-Laws as revised.  The motion passed by voice vote. Thanks to Debbie and her committee including Walter Alvarez, Hadley Williams, Carlos Bolado, Abe Horowitz and Sally B.

 Jovial and good humored, irresponsible and superficial ... does that sound like Ted Pappas?  That's Sagittarius.  December 12 is his birthday and he shares it with Bob Barker, Ed Koch and Edward G. Robinson ... quite a brotherhood! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TED!

Happy $$$

Dr. Randy made sure that they understood that using a mike makes money Groh.  Happy today was PE Debbie Swain who encouraged everyone to consider going to the Rotary International Convention in New Orleans May 21 to 25.  Walter Alvarez has promised us a tour of restaurants from which he guarantees we will never recover.  Chris Morrison is ecstatic because Stanford is playing in the Orange Bowl this year.  Obviously the OB Committee understands the prestige of having a school of this stature in their bowl game ...
Abe Horowitz is happy that his younger brother finally finished college, grad school and his doctorate and got a job.  He's Professor of Poly Sci at Dartmouth.  Apparently his brother got the brains and Abe got the good looks in the family!  Dr. Phil was boasting about our Interact Club at Coral Gables Senior High.  They made $800 at the Caroling Competition selling treats, they won an award for being the best boasters at the Interact District Convention too.  Dick Golden  said that the Sunday Dolphins game was better in their seats...it looked like they won!  Then he told a joke (he found it on this very blog) left over from Thanksgiving.  It was a turkey!  J Guarch  got to watch both of his football teams back to back and says there was an email notice sent out that school won't start on time if they go to the national championships.  Ted Pappas said nobody would be around for his birthday so he sang Happy Birthday today to himself!  Mayor Don was boasting with pride over the birth of his third granddaughter, Cecilia Slesnick, born three weeks ago.  JB Spence told of the events for him on December 7, 1941.  He was stationed in Key West.  They ordered them back to their ships but he never got the quarter back from the movie he didn't see.  Rick Tonkinson congratulated Sally B. on the successful completion of 24 years of the Caroling Competition.  He and Margarita really enjoyed it.  Frank Sexton was happy to announce that there is now another Francis Xavier Sexton on the planet.  This is number 4, born 89 years and 11 months after the first one.  Chris Tyson noted that Mayor Don will have been the longest serving Mayor ever and will retain that title because of term limits.  He said that there is also 18 people running against him this time ... 19 when Chris fills out his application.  Catarina Jimenez announced that they need only one more person to make the Costa Rica trip happen.  See her if you want to go and see our Rotary dollars at work.  The Donald Trombly (Trombly Moving & Storage) said they're going on a ten day vacation to the Swanee River Park and it's going to be a total veg.  Dr. Randy is happy that his daughter Ally is on her way home from FSU on the pain bus and he can't wait to see her.  Felix Pardo is happy that his wife, celebrating 50 years as a Pedro Pan refugee child, was invited by NPR's Story Core to contribute the stories of that experience to the chronicles that are preserved in the National Library of Congress.  Keep smiling.  Happiness pays!

Working Rotarians - December 9, 2010

Greeter - Deena Bell & Rolf Frankfurter

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Abe Horowitz & Carlos Bolado

Head Table - John Wallace

Special Needs - Frank Sexton

Open the Meeting - Dick Golden

Invocation - Jim Hirschmann

Pledge - Sally B.

Singers - Bill Quesenberry, Dan Scipione & Ted Pappas

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Diane Thurston

Given to - Greg Martini & Deena Bell

Pin Drawing Gift - Dan Scipione

Pin Drawing Winner - Richard DeWitt

5-Way Test - Pat Morris

This Week's Program

Rolando Aedo
Senior Vice President – Marketing and Tourism
Greater Miami Convention and Visitors’ Bureau

In 2009, Greater Miami and the beaches had nearly 12 million overnight visitors who spent $17 billion locally, generating $107 million in tourist taxes, and employing 102,500 in the hospitality industry, making us number 4 in the country for hotel occupancy and rates. In the first ten months of 2010, occupancy is up 8%, and revenues per room are up 11% over the same period in 2009. The number of overnight visitors is up 7% in September from last September, and convention development tax was up 17%. The most international visitors come from Canada, Brazil and Argentina, with Brazilians spending the most money here. The top cities for domestic visitors are New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Miami-Dade County is investing in infrastructure throughout the county. Some notable projects include the MIA South and North Terminals, the Rental Car Center, the Intermodal Center, the Museum Park, the Seaport tunnel, the New World Symphony Center, and the Marlins Ballpark.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM:  Bring your spouse, a guest or anyone who loves good music.  It's our Christmas Party and Westminster Christian School will be entertaining you with their Rotary Award Winning version of Silent Night and other wonderful music.  Don't miss it!!

 Thought for the Week

by Bonnie Blaire

"There are three stages of a man's life:  He believes in Santa Claus, 

he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, 

he is IS Santa Claus."

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