Circumnavigators Blog

January 2020 Circumbits

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Jan 022020

Happy New Year!

The Board of Governors sends best wishes to all Circumnavigators, family and friends for a wonderful 2020. In the new decade, it will be important for all of us to embrace our mission of making the world a better place through friendship and understanding. The world needs our help! Safe and happy travels to all. And, it definitely wintertime, as shown by Circumnavigator Lisa Brighton (Michigan Chapter) at the Eben Ice Caves on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Circumnavigator Lisa Brighton (Michigan Chapter) at the Eben Ice Caves on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Singapore Chapter On the Air

The Singapore Chapter was accorded an enormous honor recently when it was invited to “sound the gong” to open the market on December 24 at the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX).

This the same as ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange but given the Singapore culture, they bang a Chinese gong. The event was televised live on CNBC.

Chapter President Michael Palmer presided over the event and made a speech explaining the Circumnavigators Club, its inception, history and principles and the essence of our Singapore Chapter.

Invited on stage to join him were Graham Bell (Vice President) and Mr. Ang Hao Yao who is a stalwart of the Chapter and has served in many different positions on the Chapter Board and is currently in charge of International Relations. They were hosted in the gong banging by Mr. Tan Boon Gin, CEO SGX RegCo. Eighteen Chapter members were in attendance to witness the event.

Congratulations to the Singapore Chapter!

Click here to watch the video of the ceremony.

International President David Mink Appoints Nominating Committee

2020 Nominating Committee

Brad Vogel – Nominating Committee Chair, Second Vice President

Dan Peterson – First Vice President

Bill Holm – Past President

Peter Mosse –Past President

Tina Nicholson – Board of Governors

Constitution, Article VI, Section 4:
The Nominating Committee shall be obliged to consider for nomination any member in good standing for elective office, provided however, the Nominating Committee shall have received on or before February 1, a petition in behalf of such candidate(s) in writing and executed by fifteen members of the Club in good standing.

The Last Shot

**Circumnavigator Bradford Gary** (Palm Beach Chapter) took this shot of Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean near the Russian Coast. His story about this adventure will be featured in the upcoming issue of The LOG, due to be published at the end of this month.

Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.

Luck to you!

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David A. Mink
International President
davidamink@me.com

Chinese New Year Banquet 2020

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Dec 182019

Please Join Us
2020 Chinese New Year Banquet

Thursday, February 6, 2020

at
Golden Unicorn
18 E. Broadway, New York

5:15 p.m. ~ Brief walking tour to the Buddhist Temple, Confucius Statue, Liang Statue and a few other sites.
Meeting Place: Mahayan Buddhist Temple – 133 Canal Street
Contact: Jeff Peterson – 203-921-6134
6:00 p.m. ~ Social Hour (Cash Bar)
7:00 p.m. ~ Chinese Banquet
(If you cannot attend the tour, join us at the restaurant for social hour)

Cost $65.00 per person (includes dinner and one complimentary drink)

The Year of the Rat
1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
People born in the Year of the Rat are instinctive, acute and alert in nature which prepares them to be brilliant businessmen. They can always react properly before the worst circumstances take place. They are also sophisticated and popular in social interaction.

RSVP by January 27, 2020

Pay online or Pay by check (download flyer)

December 2019 Circumbits

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Dec 022019

Ken Burns Legendary Filmmaker to Receive Order of Magellan

The Circumnavigators Club is delighted to announce that the world’s premier documentary filmmaker will receive our highest honor, The Order of Magellan. Ken Burns will join a distinguished list of honorees, including Walter Cronkite, John Glenn, Edmund Hillary, and Sandra Day O’Connor, who have been honored since the award was established in 1961.

The Order of Magellan will be awarded to Mr. Burns on November 12, 2020 in New York City. Since this event is nearly a year away, details and an invitation will be sent to members sometime in 2020.

Mr. Burns has been making documentary films for over 40 years. Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridgein 1981, he has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The Statue of Liberty; Huey Long; Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery; Frank Lloyd Wright; Mark Twain; Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson; The War; The National Parks: America’s Best Idea; The Roosevelts: An Intimate History; Jackie Robinson; Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War; The Vietnam War; and, most recently, Country Music.

A December 2002 poll conducted by Real Screen Magazine listed The Civil War as second only to Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North as the “most influential documentary of all time,” and named Ken Burns and Robert Flaherty as the “most influential documentary makers” of all time. In March 2009, David Zurawik of The Baltimore Sun said, “… Burns is not only the greatest documentarian of the day, but also the most influential filmmaker period.”

Mr. Burns’ films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including sixteen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations; and in September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, he was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last Call for The LOG

The next issue of The LOG will be published in January. We have all the features stories and photos that we need. However, it is not too late for members to submit a photo and a line or two about recent travel for the column All Over the Map. Please submit these no later than December 15 by email attachment to davidamink@me.com.

Bougainville, Anyone?

Circumnavigator Albert Podell wants to go to this island nation to keep his designation of having visited every country on earth. Bougainville has now become the newest nation with its independence from Papua New Guinea, and it isn’t easy to get to. Albert, author and adventurer, says, “ I can’t quite figure out how to get there and wonder if any Circumnavigator has any recent experience in visiting there.

“Both the Bougainville airports have been closed for over a year for safety reasons, ranging from stray animals on the runways to the locals using them as a drag strips.. There used to be a passenger ferry, the Rabaul Queen, that went from Port Moresby to Bougainville, but it sank with 173 lives in 2011, as many of these Micronesian ferries have an inclination to do.” He adds, “Maybe members from Naples or Palm Beach could give me a lift on their yacht.” Luck to you, Albert! You will need it!

The Last Shot

Looks like cell phones are just about everywhere. These Uzbek “tourists” are visiting the palace of Kiva, and one is taking time to use her phone. Photo is by Gunther Winkler, Naples Chapter, who will recount the visit to the “Stans” with his wife Maria in the upcoming issue of The LOG.

Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.

Luck to you!

David A. Mink
International President
davidamink@me.com

November 2019 Circumbits

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Oct 312019

The LOG is in the works

And we need your help! The next issue will be published this winter and we have some amazing feature stories and photographs. However, we are looking for members to participate in several areas.

All Over the Map…Send us a photo and just a line or two about any recent travels to share with our membership.
Scuttlebutt…Send us info if you have had a significant event in your life, such as authoring a book, receiving an honor, taking on a new job, and the like.
Photo Spread…The photo spread will feature interesting shots of clouds, such as the one shown below of Mount Cook by Gunther Winkler. Please send us a shot for consideration. Photos and other info should be sent to davidamink@me.com. Please send photos in the highest possible resolution

Mount Cook by Gunther Winkler. Please send your cloud photos for consideration.

Save the dates

The annual holiday party will be held in New York on Thursday, December 19. A printed announcement is coming in the mail. Join us to spread joy and cheer with fellow members and guests.

Also, please note that our Annual Meeting will be held at the Penn Club on Friday, May 15, 2020 in New York. We will have an outstanding speaker, Patricia Schultz who wrote 1000 Places to See Before You Die. More info about upcoming events can found by contacting Executive Director Tracy Sancilio at headquarters at club@circumnavigators.org.

Seven Continentals Posted

Under the membership tab on our site, we have listed all Circumnavigators who have reported visiting all Seven Continents. If you are missing from this group, please contact Tracy at headquarters.

Click here to see the listing

Historic Space Venture

Magellan honoree and honorary member, Scott Kelly is featured on a Netflix series relating his year in space. The Emmy-award winning documentary series is available on Netflix.

The Last Shot

Circumnavigator Henry Restarick, who serves on the Board of Governors,
captured this magnificent polar bear on a recent Arctic expedition

Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.

Luck to you!

David A. Mink
International President
davidamink@me.com

Circumnavigators gather for Pan Am Museum event in New York

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Oct 072019

Circumnavigators and guests enjoyed a wonderful evening on Wednesday, October 2 with guest speakers from the Pan Am Museum. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres were served while guests learned about the history, legacy and adventure of Pan Am World Airways.

October 2019 Circumbits

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Sep 302019

Save the date for the annual holiday party in NYC

The annual holiday party will be held in New York City on Thursday, December 19, 2019 at Church of Sweden (48th Street and Madison Avenue). All Circumnavigators are welcome for this time of cheer and friendship. Details will follow.

Foundation scholars have come home

Their journeys around the world now complete, scholars share their adventures on their blogs listed below.

Blog: https://medium.com/@fionasinger

Blog: https://blog.undergradresearch.northwestern.edu/blog/chris/

Have You Been to 7 Continents?

42 Circumnavigators have reported that they have set foot on all seven Continents. Their names and chapters will be listed on this site later in October. We will announce when the names are posted. Each will receive a special certificate acknowledging their accomplishment. Contact Tracy Sancilio at club@circumnavigators.org.

Where have you “Been”?

Circumnavigator Stephan Carmichael (Rochester, Minn.) called our attention to an App for your phone or tablet called Been. This free app allows travelers to log their visits to countries and states on a map. It’s a fun app for Circumnavigators. Link to the app on app store or on google play.

In Our Circle

Paulette Cooper and son of her rescuer, Peter de Hoo. Photo: Steven Lock / I-Images

Circumnavigator Paulette Cooper, co-president of the Palm Beach Chapter, is an amazing person. Not only a world traveler, she has authored 25 books and been the subject of another book about her investigation of Scientology. Now another extraordinary chapter in her life has come to light as recorded in the UK’s Daily Mail. Paulette, as an infant, and her young sister were orphans, living in German-occupied Belgium during World War II. Their parents were victims of the Holocaust, and Paulette and her sister were facing certain death when a friend of their father saved their lives by bribing a Nazi guard. Their rescuer was a well-connected Dutchman, Sijbren de Hoo. Paulette was eventually sent to America where she was adopted, educated and moved on to a successful life. It was many decades later that Paulette had the moving opportunity to meet the son of her rescuer, Peter de Hoo. It was an emotional reunion.

Members can read the whole gripping story.

Paulette is now happily married to Paul Noble who serves as co-president of the Chapter.