This Week: Captain Stefan Bulow on the MV Aghulas Project

 You will remember that last time Stefan spoke to us it seemed as if the project was not going to happen as a result of dillydallying by the minister involved would result in the ship deteriorating so much that it would be far to expensive to refurbish her.  Fortunately the minister was replaced and permission granted immediately.  I need to say nothing else about the project because the video tells all.

It will be interesting to hear how this all came about as we are updated on this very important project.

Last Week

It was a project meeting where most of the time as taken up by Retina SA's marketing person, Linsay Engelbrecht talking about local fundraising and social projects which we could be involved with if necessary.

Next Week

It's International Labour Day, a Public Holiday, so there will be no official meeting.

May Day, commemorating the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movement is observed in many countries on May 1. In the United States and Canada a similar observance, known as Labor Day, occurs on the first Monday of September.

In 1889 an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions designated May 1 as a day in support of workers, in commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago (1886). Five years later, U.S. Pres. Grover Cleveland, uneasy with the socialist origins of Workers’ Day, signed legislation to make Labor Day—already held in some states on the first Monday of September—the official U.S. holiday in honour of workers. Canada followed suit not long afterward.

In Europe May 1 was historically associated with rural pagan festivals but the original meaning of the day was gradually replaced by the modern association with the labour movement. In the Soviet Union, leaders embraced the new holiday, believing it would encourage workers in Europe and the United States to unite against capitalism. The day became a significant holiday in the Soviet Union and in the Eastern-bloc countries, with high-profile parades, including one in Moscow’s Red Square presided over by top government and Communist Party functionaries, celebrating the worker and showcasing Soviet military might. In Germany Labour Day became an official holiday in 1933 after the rise of the Nazi Party. Ironically, Germany abolished free unions the day after establishing the holiday, virtually destroying the German labour movement.

With the breakup of the Soviet Union and the fall of communist governments in eastern Europe in the late 20th century, large-scale May Day celebrations in that region declined in importance. In dozens of countries around the world, however, May Day has been recognized as a public holiday, and it continues to be celebrated with picnics and parties while serving as the occasion for demonstrations and rallies in support of workers.

International - Macao

The Rotary Club of Macau’s meeting place — one of the world’s most profitable casinos — has turned out

to be an ace in the hole for the club. Sands China, the operator of The Venetian Macao, sponsors the club’s signature project, a Christmas party for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It supports the gala that is the club’s primary fundraiser. And in December, Sands employees were among about 200 volunteers involved in a club effort to assemble 27,000 hygiene kits destined for the Philippines. The packages were provided to an organisation that collects bath items from hospitality companies to be recycled and redistributed. Club President João Francisco Pinto says the club’s projects align with Sands’ philanthropic endeavours.