Rotary Meeting April 30, 2019

 

                                                                            

President Tony a little under the weather so no singing today. Ralph, one of three Dove Mountain Rotary member guests, led us in the pledge. He then presented our club with a check for $100 thanks to member Rachel Cheeseman volunteering time at the Dove Mountain Rotary run beer tent at the Cotton Festival. 

Speaking of Rachel, she was hit while riding her bike and while not seriously injured, did break a finger.

 

Bob Bishop says our May 29th speaker is well known in aeronautical circles as the man who recreated the first trans-Atlantic flight from one hundred years ago. Please go to our Rotary Club of Marana for more detail. While there please "Like" and "Share". By the way, Bob, several of us might have begun our travels to the International Conference around that time. At this time Richie, Randy, Don and myself are attending although I do not know everyone's travel plans.

 

Cameroon project has run into more red tape. International now wants a market study regarding the need for the products being produced by the grant. While disconcerting we have no doubt that Mary and her team will persevere. THANK YOU MARY!

 

Randy mentioned the Spring Training this Saturday for new to Rotary and incoming officers. Reference past newsletters or District 5500 website for details.

 

Happy Bucks

 

John-grandson not doing well in French at CDO High School. Dropped it and joined choir. A Month later he is in NYC performing in Carnegie Hall  

Harold-Wife Ellen underwent major surgery stemming from her scoliosis. Doing great, but may be hospitalized for another week

Beckie and Dave-DM guests

Laura-Our health professionals

Mary-???

Bob-Mary's tenacity and will be gone three weeks

Peter-???

Richie-Denver last week with BSA and renewed old friendships

Randy-Ellen's surgery went well

Tony-Taxes??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

Joke #1

Lynne- Little known fact. Captain Kirk had three ears. The normal left and right, plus a final front ear. Good one, Lynne.

Joke #2

Bob gave us a story of good fortune and bad fortune. The good fortune consisted of a plane ride, a parachute and a haystack. The bad fortune consisted of plane trouble, chute not opening, pitch fork in the haystack. In the good, but also bad category is the subjects chute maneuvering  skills.

 

John won the ticket portion again, but Mary failed to do her part when requested to draw the winning card.

 

 Member Dr Peter Mack spoke on Egypt, a country he has visited numerous times as part of his occupation and their National Observatory. As many of you know Dr Mack builds and services telescopes of the largest scale.

 

Egypt and Sudan were one country and split about 100 years ago. Following WWI and in the same year as Versailles Peace Accord of 1919 Egypt experienced a revolution led by women of the upper layer of society. A second revolution took place in 1952 when the Monarchy was replaced by a Republic. Presidents served varying amounts of time in office with Nassar, Sadat, Mubarak, Morsi and el-Sisi all having spent time in office. The last revolution occurred  as part of the Arab Spring When President Mubarek was forced out of office after a thirty year reign .and imprisoned. Last week, President el-Sisi, who was running for re-election, was proclaimed President for life in an election he won by over 90% of the vote, but with only 30% participation.

 

Major events of the 20th century included the aforementioned revolutions, the 1956 Suez crisis involving Russia, France, The UK and Israel, the Six Day war with Israel when Egypt loss 100% of its Air Force in minutes, The Yom Kippur war fought to regain part of Sinai lost in the Six Day War, the Egypt-Israel Peace treaty formed at Camp David and the assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1989. 

 

Today the economy, normally buoyed  by tourism is not good. Oil prices have recently helped but terrorism has dramatically cut into the tourist dollar.  Monetarily they experienced 30% inflation a couple of years ago before allowing their Egyptian pound to float among the world's currencies.

 

Oil, agriculture, tourism and revenue from the Suez Canal users fees are their biggest sources of income. Ships passing through the canal shave 8,000 miles off the alternative of going around The Cape of Good Hope. 

 

Spectacular population growth, encouraged by the government as a way of combating what they see as the Israeli threat, has led to great poverty and an extremely large and poor lower class when compared to the small middle class and the elite class.  Gas is under twenty-five cents a gallon due to the western oil reserves/refineries and a minimum wage of about sixty-nine cents an hour. Housing has been built, but remains unoccupied as developers will not lower prices and poor cannot afford. Cairo and surrounding areas has a population of bout 45 million. 

 

Dr Mack's  work involves the relocation of the National Observatory which has been forced by the encroachment of civilization at the current site. The new site will be in Southern Sinai which is considered safer from terrorist threats than the northern portion of the peninsula. He finds the people to be friendly and the drivers to be aggressive!

 

REMINDER

BOARD MEETING JOHN DOOLNG'S OFFICE TOMORROW 5:30 PM.