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Mothers Day
A Mother s Love is like a Flower
Ever-blooming, Ever-lasting
With formalities of the Meeting concluded, the members were eager to
celebrate Mothers Day. As usual, no celebration is without filo-macau
delicacies.The buffet table was loaded with savouries and sweets from
chilicote and lumpia to pao de leite, marble cake and much more.
This brings to mind those happy days at Club Recreio, famous for its prego ,
and Lusitano for shrimp toast and cheese toast . These were the favourites
enjoyed by all that frequented the clubs. After a tête-à-tête over a cup
of tea, it was time to limber up!
Francis
da Costa guided members through the intricacies of line dancing and there
was much joy and laughter as they stumbled and bumped into each other. But
despite all that, no one gave up, and before the hour was over they had
mastered several dances.
We
look forward to everyone showing off their moves at the October Swing
Festival on Saturday 19th. Hope that all members and friends join us in this
autumn festival.
As
a finishing touch, little glass containers of delicately scented potpourri,
with the club logo attached, were given to the ladies as a small remembrance
of this day.
San Joao and Fathers Day Picnic
What a day! The sun was shining, with a cool
breeze to chase the heat away. The aroma of meat patties and Bratwurst
sausages for hamburgers and hot dogs filled the air. The table was laden
with buns, salad, and a variety of condiments, with cakes, cookies and, of
course a must - fruits.
But most
of all, the mothers were having a free day, thanks to energetic Diane Pires
who took control of the children. She excelled in organising games for them
and they were rewarded with prizes that she had laboriously made with her
crafty art hands.
Thank you
Diane, it was great! The children enjoyed themselves while Mamas,
Papas, Avos and Avos, did justice to the bounty laid out for them.
Not to be
outshone by Mothers Day in May, Fathers Day was also remembered and fathers
collected a much-appreciated Casa gift.
Adding to
the family atmosphere of the gathering were four beautiful dogs.
Buddy - Dalmatian
Maggi - Golden Retriever
Peppy - Labrador
Bebe - Poodle
They were
having as much fun as the human participants adding to the amusement of
everyone present.
Our
thanks go to the Social Committee who went all out in making this a
wonderful and memorable day. Thanks also to all the helpers and those who
donated goodies.
The
Social Committee, in turn, would like to thank all the cooks and helpers for
assisting in setting and clearing up.
See you all next year.
Mensagem por ocasiao das celebracoes
do
Dia de Portugal, de Camoes e das Communidades Portuguesas
Dear Compatriots and Luso-descendants,
On this great occasion I wish to extend my greetings to the Portuguese
Community , all Associations and Clubs, in one way or another, with
Consulates of all respective areas, who together with this Embassy,
celebrate with Portugal as the country of their roots, of their
culture in the various regions.
Permit me to express a special admiration for the excellent work that all
the associations and Portuguese organisations have developed, and
commemorated Portugal Day, and Camoes of Portuguese Community that are now
together under the name of Portugal and all the Luso-Canadians in this great
country.
Last year we had the privilege of having his Excellency the President of the
Republic with us. This year we were honored with the visit of his Excellency
Governor General of Acores to visit the Portuguese Communities spread
out in Canada.
As we celebrate National Day, we reflect upon those that have been many
years away from Portugal, in particular the young who represents the future
of Canada (where they were born in their adopted country) but is also the
future of Portugal. Portugal is where there are Portuguese, where
there are Luso-decendents, where there are those who speak Portuguese.
It was the millions of Portuguese that arrived in this country bringing with
them the language which today is learned by millions of Luso-Descendants and
Canadians of all origins. The Portuguese language is being taught in
Primary and Secondary Schools, in Universities and Institutes, as part of
the cultural identity, and for luso-descendants, as an important language
that is universal for all.
It is well known the value of the Portuguese who have emigrated to various
parts of the world and Canada is no exception. I wish to reiterate the
importance of unity, the investment in education and the professional
instruction of the young to participate in Civil Adminstration in this big
country that has generously accepted them, to attain their potential
aptitudes, in public sector or private.
Jose Pacheco Luiz Gomes
Ambassador of Portugal.
An email from Eduardo da Silva
I'm a filho de Macau and recently by luck
(as I was checking other websites referring to Macau) I had the chance to
access your website and read about your activities in Vancouver ! I
must say that I m amazed with your organization as well as the events that
you organize yearly in order to get all the Macanese together.
Let me make a brief self-introduction so that you know who s writing to you.
My name is Eduardo Valerio X. da Silva, born in Macau in 1948, studied at
Escola Comercial during 1960 to 1965. Worked for the Portuguese
Consulate in Hong Kong from 1966 to 1973 and then immigrated to Brazil since
1973.
Reading your newsletter of Sept/00 I could identify one of my schoolmates
(Josefina Placé Estevao) who wrote to you and you can be sure that I ll
write to her to establish the contact.
Also in another newsletter, I saw the name of Antonio Amante and as this
surname is not so common in Macau, I m quite sure that he was also one of my
schoolmates at Escola Comercial and obviously I would also like to establish
contact with him.
I would be grateful if you could furnish me Antonio Amante s e-mail address
so that I can write to him ! Thank you in advance for your help.
Minhas lembrancas para todos da Casa de Macau de Vancouver ! ... e
muita saúde.
email: eduardosilva@ajimpex.com
Another email
Hello,
I note your website. As we deal in old books about Asia/China we seek to buy
old books in this field. Should any of our members have old books on China
or Macau to sell we are always pleased to have their offers.
We are in business 28 years, and once acquired books from Fr. Teixeira at
St. Joseph s Seminary in Macau.
Sincerely,
Stephen Feldman
ASIAN RARE BOOKS (NYC)
http://www.erols.com/arbs
Macau Licenses 3
Gambling Empires
Las Vegas Gambling Empires Win Two of
Three Licenses for Macau Casinos
By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer
HONG KONG (AP) Hoping to lure millions of dollars
in investment from flush Las Vegas casinos, the gambling enclave of Macau
awarded two gaming licenses to two U.S.-based companies Friday, ending a
40-year monopoly held by local tycoon Stanley Ho.
Las Vegas casino giant Wynn Resorts and Galaxy Casino Co. Ltd., a venture
controlled by Venetian, which is owned by Las Vegas Sands Inc., won two of
three licenses awarded by the former Portuguese territory on China s coast.
The third went to Macau Gambling Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Ho s Macau
Tourism and Amusement Co., which now operates 11 casinos in the city of
440,000 people.
Francis Tam Pak-yuen, Macau s secretary for economy and finance, said Ho s
company was awarded a license for the sake of the stability of the gambling
industry.
Ho s Macau Gambling Co. offered its congratulations to the newcomers and
welcomed the decision as evidence of the government s recognition of the
pivotal role of his gambling empire, which accounts for more than half the
city s economic activity.
We ll employ more people and create more job opportunities so fewer people
will be unemployed, said Ho, 80, who spends most of his time in Hong Kong,
40 miles east of Macau.
Twenty-one companies, including Las Vegas gambling empire MGM Mirage and
Britain s Aspinall s Club Ltd., had bid for the chance to compete with Ho s
gambling empire, which owns most of Macau s hotels and shuttles most
visitors on high-speed ferries from Hong Kong and other Chinese cities.
Las Vegas casinos say they expect a lucrative gaming market among the
increasingly affluent 1.3 billion mainland Chinese.
The opportunity to be the first American company (in Macau) to do the kind
of things we do there, to make the best hotel in Asia, is so delicious that
it s irresistible, Steve Wynn, who owns 90 percent of Wynn Resorts Macau,
told the Las Vegas Sun on Friday. His minority partner is Wong Chi Seng, a
Macau textiles executive.
Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson said the Galaxy Consortium wants Macau to be
a bridge between Asia and the West.
Our proposal will provide extensive benefits to everyone in Macau and will
help to energize the real estate market in the region, Adelson said.
Macau expects the Las Vegas casinos to polish its gaming industry with their
flashier style and resort-like atmosphere, helping the sleepy port achieve
its aim of becoming a regional center for tourism, entertainment and
conferences.
Gambling is banned in Hong Kong and in mainland China, which took over Macau
in 1999 after more than four centuries of Portuguese rule but allows a high
degree of autonomy.
Macau s economy has been in decline since the Asian financial crisis of the
late 1990s. Though Ho s casinos exude opulence, with marble floors and
sparkling chandeliers, gambling patrons crowd grimly around tables in
crowded, rundown rooms. Prostitutes openly prowl the corridors.
Ho s casinos and related businesses employ 15,000 people, about a fifth of
the city s work force.
In the past, if you didn t work for (Ho s) company you didn t have a job at
all, now there are two more choices this is good news for the workers, Cheng
Hong-lok of Macau Entertainment Workers Union told Hong Kong television
network TVB.
Ho, whose assets have been valued at $1.8 billion by Forbes magazine, has
been diversifying his business for years, with investments in Portugal,
Australia, Vietnam and North Korea as well as a cyber-gaming venture.
We are not worried. We are the biggest company in Macau and the richest
company, Ho said in an interview with The Associated Press last year.
Competition won t come right away. Macau officials said the newcomers would
be allowed to set up temporary casinos within six to nine months, pending
completion of their permanent facilities.
Ho, born into a wealthy Eurasian family that later lost its fortune,
fled penniless from Hong Kong to Macau during World War II and acquired the
gambling monopoly in 1962. At the time, Macau was a dying fishing port
deluged with refugees from communist China.
From the:
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
Friday, May 17, 2002
More action needed to put newest nation on its feet
HARALD BRUNING'S MACAU
East Timor's independence celebrations next week and
Macau's handover ceremony 2-1/2 years ago have a great deal in common.
Both events have a coincidence on the calendar that is seen by some as
reflecting a certain historical nexus: while Macau reverted from Portuguese
to Chinese administration at midnight on December 19-20, 1999, the United
Nations will hand over authority to East Timor at midnight on May 19-20,
2002.
Both events include official receptions, solemn ceremonies, cultural shows,
the changing of flags, swearing-in functions, inaugural meetings of the
legislature and executive, and fireworks extravaganzas.
Both of the rather similar handovers are, ultimately, the result of four
centuries of Portuguese colonialism in Asia. While Lisbon managed to hand
Macau back to China in a relatively smooth fashion in 1999, it shamefully
abandoned East Timor to its fate in 1975.
The Democratic Republic of East Timor - whose independence lasted just nine
days before being brutally nipped in the bud by Indonesian invaders on
December 7, 1975 - will be reborn on Monday after 24 years of occupation by
Jakarta and 31 months of UN nation-building efforts.
Representatives from 80 countries are scheduled to attend the independence
bash, including Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and former US
Republican vice-president Dan Quayle and former Democrat president Bill
Clinton.
Macau's Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau-wah, will not be part of the official
Chinese delegation, apparently because of scheduling problems. However,
several Macau residents, including East Timorese expatriates, local
businessmen and journalists, will witness the celebrations in Dili, among
them Eduardo Ambrosio, who heads the Forum for Portuguese-speaking
Entrepreneurs in Macau.
Mr Ambrosio said he was ''very optimistic'' about East Timor's future
economic development and Macau's desired role as a bridge for trade and
investment between East Timor and mainland China.Agostinho da Silva, one of
the initiators of the Macau-Timor Friendship Association, said he was
thrilled by his homeland's statehood after its long struggle for
independence.
East Timor, which is about half the size of Taiwan, takes great pride in
becoming not only the first nation of the new millennium, but also the
world's newest democracy.
However, it will also come to life as one of the world's 20 poorest
countries, alongside two other former Portuguese colonies, Angola and
Mozambique, in terms of the UN human development indicator.
According to the UN Development Programme, about half of East Timor's
800,000 residents earn less than 55 US cents a day (HK$4.30), life
expectancy is just 57, and more than 50 per cent of infants are underweight.
Macau could, indeed, play a role in supporting East Timor's economic
development from scratch following centuries of colonial neglect and
exploitation, and the pro-Indonesian militias' 1999 scorched-earth campaign.
However, Macau's much-touted policy of maintaining ''privileged relations''
with the world's eight Portuguese-speaking countries, including East Timor,
has so far been characterised by very little action.
Hopefully, things will change. The government-run Macau Trade and Investment
Promotion Institute is scheduled to send a fact-finding mission, including
businessmen from Hong Kong and the mainland, to East Timor this summer, and
Dili plans to open a consulate in Macau for southern China.
Harald Bruning (buttje@macau.ctm.net)
is the Post's Macau correspondent.
Important Announcements
Lady Anna Maria Basto Noronha Rodrigues (better known to her
friends as Aninhas) passed away in Hongkong on 20th June, 2002. She is
survived by her husband Sir Albert Rodrigues and her son George Noronha, now
residing in Australia.
Alvaro Campos (Avito) has been in a coma for a month now. Let us pray for
him and his wife Teresa as this must be a terrible strain on her.
Monique Guterres, daughter of George and Cecile Guterres, will be undergoing
surgery for a Cochlear Implant on 19th July, which will help her hearing.
Our best wishes and prayers for a successful operation and quick recovery.
Editor s note:
Once more much thanks must go to Margie Rozario s energy and dedication to
our Casa. Her emails to me have been invaluable for material and updates for
this newsletter.
Unfortunately, due to personal time constraints, I have been unable to get
back to Cicero s and Anne s war time memoirs. My apologies for that and I
hope to work again on them soon.
Please email any
comments or contributions to totav@infinet.net or camtav@shaw.ca or fax them
to (604) 737-2266 for my attention. Thank you.
Tony
Tavares
EDITOR
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