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Mayday! Mayday!
May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several public holidays. In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. . . .
It also used to be an excuse for the commies to parade around Red Square with tanks and missiles and impress us all with how mighty they were.
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Mayday is an emergency code word used internationally as a distress signal in voice procedure radio communications. It derives from the French venez m'aider, meaning 'come to my aid'/"come [to] help me." It is used to signal a life-threatening emergency by many groups, such as police forces, pilots, the fire brigade, and transportation organizations. The call is always given three times in a row ("Mayday Mayday Mayday") to prevent mistaking it for some similar-sounding phrase under noisy conditions, and to distinguish an actual mayday call from a message about a mayday call. . . .
Posted by: Mike 2008-05-01 |
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=238009 |
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