Port Isabel Texas Rotary Club District 5930, Area 9 Est. 1936 http://portal.clubrunner.ca/8285 MARCELLO’S ITALIAN RISTORANTE

FRI. FEB. 3, 2017 SERVICE ABOVE SELF

ROTARY BOARD 2016-2017 (Debbie High District Governor) Bettina Tolin President John Magee Treasurer Jacqui Dempsey Youth Service DeeOnda Ahadi Past President Diana Delgado Secretary Cristin Howard Club Service Roberto Rodriguez President Elect/Membership Jim Enholm Community Service Sherman Lee International Service Kent Mallquist President Elect Nominee Bob White Sgt. At Arms Lonnie Gillihan Vocational Service Aux. Board: Ralph Ayers Pilot, Lonnie Gillihan Print/Distribution, Norris Fletcher Programs/Calendar, Albert Perez Foundations, Paul Cardile Song Master

ROTARIAN SPEAKER NEXT WEEK’S ROTARIAN of the President and Lane Chairs Pam Dean WEEK TOPIC REMINDERS & NOTICES The Club Up coming events The Fish & Shrimp Fry is NOT Membership Club Initiatives tomorrow (Moved to Feb. 18)

LAST WEEK Kent Mallquist gave a great lecture on EGGS! (Good, bad, smelly andpowdered), how his father’s egg business kept him out of the war, and whythe butter went to Russia while at home we squeezed oleo margarine bags.

Shane Wilson received the club’s Vocational Service Award for his phenomenalwork establishing 61 chapters of Fishing’s Future in 19 states....Congratulations Shane, well deserved.

The January Club Social held at Señor Donkey on the26th, was one of the best attended ever with over 30members, visiting Rotarians and guests... Way to goguys!

CLUB NEWS

Club Assembly Today: Rotary Club Assemblies are held at least four times a year and are intended to foster

continuity between years, opportunities to learn more about Rotary programs and initiatives, offer a forum to brainstormnew ideas and projects and encourage fellowship and involvement and commitment from the membership. The presidentopens the meeting and explains how the assembly will be conducted. Time should be allotted for small group meetings ofthe lanes as necessary and additional time for open discussion and questions.....Our small Port Isabel Club has manyprojects and activities and it is important that we find ways for each and every member to contribute and be active. Oursocials and parties are fun, but Rotary is all about “Service Above Self”. Let’s always resolve to make the most of ourassemblies and renew our commitment and dedication. We’ve a lot to discuss today!

PICTURE of the WEEK PROGRAM AND EVENTS CALENDAR CELEBRATIONS FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES 10 - Pam Dean None 17 - Jim Enholm 18 - Fish & Shrimp Fry, 11am-2pm, Schlitterbahn BIRTHDAYS 23 - Club Social, 5:30 pm, Isla Grand 3 - Ebbie Ahadi 24 - Norris Fletcher Today, 1811 - Horace Greeley MARCH “Go west young man.” 2 - Board Mtg., Noon - Marcello’s 3 - Albert Perez 10 - Jeff Hughes

17 - No Meeting - Spring Break Texas Week (Australia - They’re out of cell phone range too)

THOUGHT for the DAY:

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

JOKE of the WEEK: Henry, from New York, traveled all the way down here to the Rio Grande Valley on a fishing trip. Interestedin learning about the local culture, he hired a Mexican guide to help him find the best fishing spots. Since Henrywas learning Spanish, he asked the guide to speak to him in Spanish and to correct any mistakes of usage. Theywere out on a boat in the Laguna Madre when a very large, purple and blue fly crossed their path. Henrypointed at the insect with his fishing rod, and announced, 'Mira el mosca.' The guide, sensing a teaching opportunity toteach Henry, replied, 'No, senor, "la mosca"... es feminina.' Henry looked at him in amazement, then back at the fly, andthen said, 'My God, man..... you must have incredibly good eyesight.'

QUOTE for the DAY: “It’s my belief that we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.” - Lilly Tomlin

STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOWFeb. 3, 1882: Circus owner PT Barnum bought his world famous elephant “Jumbo”. After his capture, the6 ton male, African bush elephant, born in the Sudan in 1861, was sent to a zoo in France until 1865 when hebecame the property of the London Zoological Society. There he became a popular attraction and a national

treasure. He was believed to be the largest elephant in captivity, standing 10.7 feet tall. The sale to P.T.Barnum was not popular in Britain and it seemed Jumbo didn’t approve either. While being marchedfrom the zoo to the ship, he allegedly became obstinate and lay don in the street where he refusedbudge for a full 24 hours. Face it, back then if a 6 ton elephant didn’t want to move...you weren’tgonna move him! In the container on the ship he complained loudly the whole time, trumpeting hisdispleasure but passengers soothed him with sweets and treats including chewing tobacco which he’dcome to like. His sale to Barnum had been controversial, but it marked the start of “Jumbomania”in the United States. People turned out to Barnum’s circus in droves and bought Jumbo postcards, hats and othersouvenirs. The elephant’s fame even helped popularize the word “jumbo” as a synonym for “large.”(Derived fromtwo Swahili words: jambo, meaning "hello" and jumbe, meaning "chief")...Sadly, Jumbo’s reign came to anabrupt end in 1885, when he was accidentally struck by a freight train and killed during a performance inOntario. At the time of his death, Barnum claimed he was 13.1 feet tall, either a promotional exaggeration or theresult of continued growth...Jumbo's stuffed remains were donated to Tufts University. As the Mascot of theschool, he was still around in 1975, when a terrible fire erupted, after which some of his ashes were collected ina peanut butter jar and stored in the university's athletic department. His bones had been preserved, and hisintact skeleton is at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Jumbo played a big roll inmaking Barnum’s circus a big hit in America, but on January 17, the Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circusannounced it was closing after a 146 Year run. It’s last performance will be on May 7 in Providence, RhodeIsland. High costs coupled with a decline in ticket sales, The popularity of television, social media, shows like Circdu Soleil, and pressure from PETA and animal rights activists have made the “greatest Show On Earth” anunsustainable business. An era has past, but if you were lucky enough to go to the circus as a kid, we’re sureyou’re glad it was a part of your life.

GET TO KNOW TEXAS The Hertzberg Circus Museum in San Antonio contains one of the largest assortments of circusana in the world.

USELESS FACT OF THE DAY: It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic, and 200 million to make a film about it.

ROTARY SERVING HUMANITY MINUTE Garbage bags in hand, a dozen members of the Rotary Club of LuceaJamaica, joined Rotaractors and hotel employees who picked up trashalong the beachfront, harbor area, and empty lots between the resort areasof Negril and Montego Bay as part of the Ocean Conservancy’sInternational Coastal Cleanup on September 17, 2016. “We removed inexcess of 3,000 plastic bottles, plus plastic bags, driftwood, glass bottles,foam, and other materials.” said club member Mervyn Spence. “We felt itis very important in helping to stop the coastline from being blighted bygarbage which is killing sea life and wildlife, polluting the environment,and endangering human health.” (Reprinted from THE ROTARIAN, February 2017)