General News                                                                                                                   

The annual golf tournament has been scheduled for August 11th.  Please reserve this date and plan to help out.  All members will be asked to form a golf team.  The cost is $60 per person, $240 per team.  The entry fee covers the cost of golf and a steak dinner.  We would like to have 25 teams, during the past two years we've had 16 - please do what you can do to form a team.

Reminder: attendance should be at least 60%, if you can't make a meeting you can do a make-up on the web at the following address:  http://www.rotaryeclub7890.org/makeup.htm

Notes from July 18th Meeting - Program Chair - Shirley Schmidt

Shirley's guest for the day was Kathy Rhea from the Rhea Cattle Company located just north of Arlington.  Kathy talked about her recent trip to Kazakhstan, a former part of the USSR located in central Asia.  Kathy and her husband Bill went to Kazakhstan as feed lot consultants and spent five weeks consulting at a feed lot just north of the capital city of Almaty.  While in the country they had a body guard and driver at all times.  Kathy and Bill stayed in a nice apartment in the city and drove out to the feed lot each day.

The feed lot had about 1,000 head of cattle and employed over 50 people.  Although the feed lot had two veterinarians and an animal scientist the care of the cattle was substandard.  The initial problem was foot rot due to poor drainage of the lot.  Another major problem was the mixture of rations (feed) the cattle were receiving.  In order to save resources the feed mixture was not as originally designed which prohibited the growth of the cattle.  

Kazakhstan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in December of 1991 and is just now beginning to show economic progress.  The country has a great deal of potential, the GNP has been increasing by 10% a year and people are doing well.  The population is just under 15 million.  Kathy noted that the majority of vehicles were high quality.

If you would like additional information on Kazakhstan please go to the following website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan

Rotary Question of the Week

Name three of the seven goals for the Rotary Foundation in 2006-2007?

Rotary Fact of the Week (from  the RI or District Website)

The Rotary Foundation is a large and successful international organization. Its many accomplishments are achieved through the efforts of individual Rotarians, their clubs, and districts. Our mission statement to achieve world understanding and peace is a lofty goal that can only be achieved through the sustained action and commitment of Rotarians. Each year, the president of RI chooses a theme as an embodiment of the intentions of Rotarians, and the chair of The Rotary Foundation expresses the Foundation's goals.

Goal setting helps us determine our priorities, get organized, make big decisions, and realize our dreams. Goals have a power of their own when they are specific, manageable, and achievable. Goals can provide motivation and foster commitment. Clearly stated goals provide a framework to measure achievement and can be modified to reflect an organization's accomplishments.

As chairman of the Foundation's Board of Trustees for 2006-07, I am pleased to present the goals approved by the Trustees with an aim to achieving increasingly better results in the organization's operations.

All areas of our Foundation's endeavor — administration, investments, programs, and so forth — are equally important, and we will expend every effort and put every advantage to use for the optimum development of each. However, in order to expedite the work that lies ahead, we have chosen seven goals that will guide us and enable us to Lead the Way in 2006-07.

During 2006-07, The Rotary Foundation will:

1. Focus on the eradication of polio
2. Heighten its profile on the world stage in the field of peace and conflict resolution through its unique partnerships with premier institutions
3. Achieve a worldwide per capita of $100 in giving to the Annual Programs Fund while establishing a new record for major gifts to the Permanent Fund
4. Collaborate with Rotary International to enhance Rotary's public image
5. Improve grassroots-level training to increase awareness of the Foundation's mission
6. Articulate and implement the future vision of The Rotary Foundation for Rotary's second century of service
7. Strive to administer its programs with speed and simplicity

Thank you in advance for your lasting and generous support of The Rotary Foundation, today and into the future. Let us keep in mind that our Foundation is the best present that we can offer to ensure a shining future for Rotary.

Cordially,

Luis Vicente Giay
The Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair, 2006-07

 Thought of the Week

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said" Peter Drucker

July Birthdays
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