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THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM
 
We HOPED Dick Podolec would be introducing Dartmouth College President Phil Hanlon… but it seems that the Inauguration is happening at noon on Wednesday and since President Hanlon was concerned that some complications might ensue in DC that might result in some complications on campus we decided to see for ourselves by watching the inauguration. President Hanlon will be speaking to us on March 17. 
 
THE ZOOM LINK FOR THE MEETING
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88229582283?pwd=aS9Hd3o1cS9ZK0hQL0ZhUHZXSEdxQT09
 
Meeting ID: 882 2958 2283
Password: 254494
 
The Zoom Room opens at 11:45 AM.  After the Pledge of Allegiance and opening Password Todd will introduce our speaker
 
NOTE THAT OUR SPEAKERS ARE RECORDED FOR REBROADCAST ON CATV.
They are recorded in “speaker view” which means if you do ask questions during the Q and A session you will appear on screen unless you disable the camera. 
 
LAST WEEK’S ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
Todd Allen announced that David Allen received a Paull Harris + 7 pin, which would be mailed to him. 
 
Todd also reminded club members that the COVID 19 fund, which accepts donations in lieu of meals (see next section for details) was still in place and the Board would be determining the donation recipient in the near future. 
 
Dick Podolec announced that a Rotary Friendship Exchange with Rotarians in Glasgow and Edinburgh was scheduled for 2022, with our region going to Scotland in May and the Scots coming here in the Fall. Dick has the application materials. If you are interested, please email him at dickpodolec@comcast.net.  
 
The Raffle Management Team (RMT) awarded Arthur Gardiner with a $10 in-kind donation for his response to the question of how many club members played musical instruments. While the answer (15 out of 18) was immaterial, it was interesting nonetheless. 
 
DONATIONS IN LIEU OF MEALS
 
REMINDER: Here’s the link to make your donation in lieu of paying for meals at Jesse’s AND the place to donate your Happy Dollars!  https://hanovernhrotary.ejoinme.org/COVID-19.
 
LAST WEEK’S PROGRAM
 
Todd Allen introduced Emilio Freeman who told us about the Sea Dream Yacht Club, a cruise business that offers “yachting” experiences for 112 guests who are served by 96 crew members. The fleet of yachts operated by Sea Dream offer a unique experience because the yachts are capable of going into ports that the behemoth cruise ships cannot navigate. 
 
Emilio described how the cruise industry was impacted by the pandemic, which resulted in the retirement of 40 ships and the loss of at least $1,000,000,000 per month to maintain the 300+ “floating assets” owned by cruise operators. Emilio shared some astonishing statistics on the cruise industry, which employs 175,000 people and offer some vessels that can house as many as 6,000+ customers. He emphasized the difference between the relatively intimate and customized experiences Sea Dream offers, which include al fresco dining, paddle boards, kayaks, mountain bikes, Jetskis and yoga workshops. He also explained some of the unique and creative ways Sea Dream responded to the pandemic, offering tours in Norway and other Scandinavian ports since COVID was not as rampant in that part of the World.
 
He reported that most of the cruise industry will be back in full swing beginning in May of this year based on the hopes that vaccines will bring COVID under control. At an all-inclusive cost of $400-$700 per day a cruise might be just what is needed! If you are interested you can get more information by emailing Emilio Freeman at  efreeman@seadream.com
 
Coming Attractions
 
January 27 – Dick Podolec will introduce our club’s favorite economist: Danny Blanchflower
 
February 3 – Len Cadwallader introduces David Hoffer from Lyme Timber to update us on how that sector of the economy is faring during the pandemic
 
February 10 – Todd Allen presents a longtime friend, John Bowman, who will tell us how to write a joke. I will be taking copious notes…. 
 
February 17 – Wayne Gersen introduces Alex Thurman, an archivist affiliated with Columbia whose been tracking web information on COVID for well over a year and also collected web data on the Trump resistance movement. More details on this will be forthcoming. 
 
February 24 – Todd Allen will introduce Eric Benn who will tell us about how we are being spied on from space… and no, this is NOT a Q-Anon conspiracy! 
 
Do YOU have any ideas for speakers to fill in the blanks moving forward? We’d love to hear them! We’re now booked through March but have open dates thereafter…. 
 
Wayne Gersen
Russell Hampton
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