From our Mailbag 10/21/01 - 11/08/01

Say What..?

From Aliza Dichter, New York, NY, USA:

SUBJECT: international news source

Dear friends,

In case you have a hankering for some real international news about the "war on terrorism," straight from the sources in South/Central Asia, Mideast and around the world, I encourage you to check out the new daily news service from Globalvision New Media (company that "produces" mediachannel)...

http://www.gvnewsnet.com/html/WorldReacts/index.html

they are picking up stories from all over so some are state media or otherwise partisan in ways we might not understand but if you are interested in reading widely and seeing news and views that are simply invisible in US media, check it out.

(They were planning to launch in Jan but rushed due to circumstances so there may be glitches..)

Feel free to forward this note to any news junkies in your life....

Liza
--
Aliza Dichter
Senior Editor
MediaChannel
liza@mediachannel.org

www.mediachannel.org
Eye On Global Media


From Ron H. (No City Provided,) USA:

Subject: HO HO HO

Dear Mr. Tuna, or should I call you Charlie---

I certainly will not call you Chicken of the Sea after your blunt but rigt on comments about A HO IS A HO IS A HO. You do tell-it-like-it-is but Charlie, where is the Joie de Vie, the joy from one upmanship? Why do you want to find truth/beauty/a realwoman? It's all too serious.

Instead Have your readers, or perhaps you Mr. Tuna Man, put these Ho's on a pedastal and worship them. That's right, worship them. Tell them how ideal they are. It would be interesting to find out how women would react to being worshiped. Yes, turn a trick on these Au Currant Trickster by filling their basic needs as a woman with the emotional gratification of being worshiped by a man. If you or your readers treat women as idealized versions of Greek Godesses then perhaps we can all gain insight into what women really want.

Regards,
Aroma Therapy

Easter Egg Hunt

WAIT! Could this be the notorious g21 easter egg?

CHARLIE THE TUNA RESPONDS: From the "Subject" line of your message, I thought it might be some kindah holiday greeting. And I get this?

I'll get around to responding to your Aroma --- Er, I mean, answer! -- as soon as I return from this pressing appointment I have on planet Earth.

(Of course this came from someone using a granola handle like "Aroma Therapy." Jeez! I don't understand why Rod even forwards me this crap! Do I look like somebody with a lot of time on his hands? "...idealized versions of Greek Goddesses.." Idealize this, wench!)

From Wolf DeVoon, (No City or Country Provided):

Subject: Event 288 - nice layout

Good reading too.

Wolfie


From Bill P., Oakland, CA USA:

SUBJECT: Home

Rod

Roots are not limited to the physicality of place, space, or time.

They are part of fabric of who we are, GOOD OR BAD, and shape our perceptions of the universe.

Yes, you had a very unusual and somewhat negative childhood and feel disconnected from your history and have spent the better part of your life searching for connection and continuity, but you possess FREE WILL and have the ability to choose your destiny.

If you run from New Orleans, as you have from every other place the past several years, your situation will not improve elsewhere.

Life sucks unless you have the courage to grab it by the balls and kick the living shit out of it.

You have spent many hours with the Irish, yet you have no clue what makes us or any race of survivors flourish. Stay in New Orleans, the physical labor will do you some good.....help you realize what is important in life.....and the hell with poverty keeping you out of a potential relationship. Unless she is deaf, dumb, blind and a complete fool, she already knows your physical situation and does not care!!!!!!

Like most intellectuals you don't know you ass from your elbow, "FORGET YOUR PAST AND EMBRACE LIFE". The Irish have the courage to live....DO YOU?

Bill

Public Service Ranting

From Alexandra Y., CROATIA:

SUBJECT: FOR YOUR INFORMATION - PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD

Animal abuse is a big problem in the Balkan and Central/Eastern Europe regions. I believe Eastern Europe is one of the worst places for animals (Of course there is animal abuse in the West but not to the extent that there is in Eastern Europe.) Being of Slavic decent I understand the cultures and can say they need to be educated on humane animal treatment. I believe these cultures need more exposure to the West and in time, hopefully, will change. Of course many of these areas are very corrupt and have been impoverished by communist rule and have homeless children on the street (former Soviet Union). However, Croatia is a different story. Even under Communist rule they had exposure to the West. Italians, Germans, and Austrians would vacation there. Many of these tourist were not exposed to the animal abuses, for they stayed in the nice tourist areas. However, I met and spoke to several German tourists on my holiday in Croatia who knew of the animal abuses and took animals back home to Germany. Rampant animal abuse has been going on in Croatia long before any war. Furthermore, compared to other Eastern European countries, Croatia was doing quite well economically. Their per capita annual income was on par with Spain before the war, and today they are wealthier than Poland. My sources are the Economist, World Bank, etc., etc. Therefore, there is no excuse for their behavior . Since I speak several Slavic languages I can understand Croatian. What I heard from the natives, during my Croatian holiday, regarding both animal and human abuses was very disturbing.

This summer, I visited the island of Hvar in Croatia on the Adriatic coast. I was sickened by the widespread abuse of dogs and cats. Although not everyone abuses and kills animals, there seems to be a cultural practice of treating cats the same way many cities in the West treat rats. I stayed in the residential section of the city of Stari Grad. Every night I listened to cats being tortured and killed. I saw kittens tied up in airtight plastic bags and thrown in garbage cans. (I was told this was one of many methods of controlling their cat population), I watched cats intentionally run over by cars and I listened to two week old kittens cry all day and night after they were dumped off on vacant land without their mother and left to die.

After listening to a kitten cry all night and afternoon, I found it behind a museum near the house where I stayed. Mind you this was in the center of a densely populated town. Not one person came to rescue or feed this kitten. Many of the employees at the tourist bureaus and business owners or managers who spoke English denied any knowledge of these practices. Others would say they were from elsewhere in Croatia and animal treatment was better in the rest of the country. However, if I spoke to them at length, they would occasionally slip and let on that similar abuses also occurred in their hometown. Others were more truthful and admitted that they had a terrible problem with the cat population. Common methods of controlling the cat population were taking cats, especially kittens, on ships and throwing them into the sea. Another type of animal control is done in the winter, when the tourists are gone. That is when the government places poison throughout the town. I was told this form of animal control had been practiced for over twenty years.

Over the past ten years, owning purebred dogs has become fashionable in Croatian society. During my stay I learned that many people take these dogs to the coast using them as a status symbol only to abandon them when their holiday is over. When I asked the town's veterinarian if there were any laws against cruelty to dogs and cats, I was informed that there wasn't. His excuse was that Croatia is a poor country and doesn't have the means for better animal treatment. But, establishing laws protecting cats and dogs isn't expensive. Croatia, might be considered to be a developing country but is much more developed than other countries in Europe, such as Byelorussia or Ukraine. Homelessness is uncommon. If Croatia's society and government refuse to change their treatment of animals, perhaps people can help persuade them to do so. Since one of their biggest industries is tourism, the threat of a boycott might get their attention.

To observe these practices, one has to live with the natives in their neighborhoods (they keep the tourist areas clear of strays.) Speaking a Slavic language was helpful so that I could understand what the people said.

Every small action will help. Please take the time to let the Croatian government know you do not approve of this behavior. Also spread the word to others who might be able to help. Posting this letter on a web site or reprinting it in a newsletter will help spread the word. The situation on the Adriatic coast of Croatia is horrible. Please spread this information, inform everyone you know.

Help put pressure on the Croatian government to implement and enforce humane animal welfare laws.

Thank you,
Alexandra Yurkiw
Croatian Ministry of Tourism
E-mail: info@mint.hr

pave.zupan-ruskovic@mint.hr
ministrica-turizma@mint.hr

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY
Contact: Bozidar Pankretic
E-mail: kabinet.mps@mps.hr

Contact: Dr. Branka Sosic (In charge of all animals in Croatia)
E-mail: bsosic@mps.hr
Fax: 6106200
Tel: +385/1/6106/111, 6109200

Office of the President -Republic of Croatia
President of Croatia, Stjepan Mesic
Pantovcak 241
10 000 Zagreb
CROATIA
E-mail: office@president.hr


RESPONSE LETTER TO CROATIAN MINISTRY OF TOURISM
Don't be too critical of Dr.Viukola Zujic. Dr.Zujic represents the humane face of Hvar and Croatia. I don't know if it was because of his good heart, or that he was embarrassed by several German tourists standing behind me, who also were well acquainted with your country's reputation regarding animal abuses. But Dr Zujic did apply flea powder and prescribed human formula, for the three week old kitten that I brought in, who was fighting for its life.

Since the island of Hvar has only two veterinarians, I am sure you are aware of Dr. Zujc's colleague. He has a reputation of being an arrogant man, among the island's animal lovers. One Sunday, I brought three malnourished, flea infested, kittens to the veterinary office. The office was closed. But since Dr.. Zujc's colleague lives above the office, I thought he could help. The cleaning woman let me in and told me to wait. The veterinarian refused to see me. It was only my persistent pleas and offer of money that made him respond. He told me the whole island had a problem with feline overpopulation. He informed me that there was no shelter and refused to do anything before he received money from me. The only thing he would do is euthanize the kittens. Even though I oppose euthanasia, I agreed, since it was better than letting the kittens suffocate in an airtight plastic bag, which is how I found them. After giving him his requested fee I was told to leave his office. I asked if I could stay with the kittens as they were being euthanized. His reply was "no". Even today I don't know if those kittens died peacefully.

I didn't realize that I would have to spend my hard earned money on continually saving animals during my visit to your country.

Croatia cannot keep making excuses for the treatment of animals within its borders. I am not the only tourist to witness your country's treatment of animals. On my holiday, I met German tourists who adopted a stray dog and several cats and took them home to Germany. An Italian family on holiday was taking three cats home. It seems the veterinarians on Hvar were more preoccupied with livestock, which seemed strange since I witnesses so many hungry and diseased cats and dogs.

Of course it would be ridiculous for me to stereo-type all Croatians as animal abusers. I met animal lovers on my holiday. However, they were very cynical about the chance for any improvement in conditions for animals in Croatia. I was stopped from complaining to the Mayor of Stari Grad about the animal abuses. My friends were afraid of government repercussions if I complained. Many of your citizens, whose names I will not divulge, ( they asked to remain anonymous because they were fearful of your government) informed me that the mayor of Stari Grad was very corrupt. They stated that, "he was to busy traveling to the larger cities and selling looted items stolen from Serbian homes during the war. Other Croatian animal lovers said, "the Croatian national government was too corrupt to do anything for animals since they only cared about money . Some were a little more hopeful, because Croatia recently elected a new president, but they were still doubtful of any improvement.

So to reiterate - If the Croatian government will agree to the following objectives I will stop bringing the treatment of animals in Croatia to the attention of animal rights organizations and potential visitors to your country and turn my attention to other regions that deserve scrutiny. Those objectives are:

1) Outlaw poisoning and drowning of stray animals throughout the Croatian provinces, districts and towns.
2) Establish and enforce humane welfare laws in all Croatian districts for all animals, including stray dogs and cats.
3) Establish adequate animal shelters operated with humane principles for cats and dogs.
4) Implement a spay/neuter program for stray cats and dogs.
5) Prosecute animal abusers.
6) Implement an educational program teaching that it is wrong to kill and torture animals.
7) Have an international animal rights/welfare organization continually monitor progress towards these objectives.

a) Acceptable monitoring organizations would be:

1. Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
2. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
4. World society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

I think you would agree that if Croatia implemented the above objectives, all the residents of the country would benefit and visitors to Croatia would have a more pleasant experience. The expense that achieving these objectives would cost would be more than recovered by the increased tourism a more animal friendly Croatia would enjoy and a better quality of life for all Croatians, humans and animals.

Please let me know your thoughts on the above proposal. I think it only fair to state that I will continue my campaign to bring the current treatment of animals in Croatia to the attention of the world until we can work out a mutually agreeable solution.

Sincerely,
Alexandra Yurkiw


Dear Ms Yurkiw,

thank you for your e-mail of 29th September 2001 in which you drew our attention to some animal abuse along the Adriatic coast you encountered during your vacation time on the island of Hvar.

Croatia is a democratic country in which animals are protected through various institutions(e.g. Croatian Animal Protection Association) and laws (Law on Welfare of Animals, Penal Code). The veterinarian you talked to was, and this strikes us as very strange, poorly informed about the existing legal framework for animal protection. We might be, both as country and as individuals, be lacking in sufficient financial resources to do everything we would like to for the animals, but I can assure you that the incidents you described are not a rule in Croatia.

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It is possible that there are some sporadic, isolated cases of animal abuse and they can be reported to competent authorities which will act accordingly. We are sorry that you have not done it yourself after being appalled by some specific action against animals you witnessed yourself. As I mentioned earlier, the competent authorities would have surely reacted immediately..

I believe that even in the countries with long tradition in animal protection there are sporadic incidents, but I am sure you would not be made to believe it is a rule in that country.

In the last few years there is a growing interest in pets and animals in general with a growing number of TV shows and articles in various magazines in Croatia about pets and animals in general. A lot of stray animals, as well as those superfluous from the brood, are being donated to those who cannot buy pedigree animals and would like to have a pet of their own.

I sincerely believe that irresponsible behaviour is a trait of character that could not be linked to treatment of animals only. To generalize it as an attitude Croatians have towards animals would be wrong , as irresponsibility and insensitivity is a character flaw of a certain individual that might live in any country of the world.

Believing that with this letter and perhaps by your personal further research into the existence of many societies, institutions and legal framework for animal protection, you will become aware that Croatian society is indeed a humane one with respect not only to its people but animals as well.

Yours sincerely,
ASSISTANT TO THE MINISTER
Gordana Borojević


ANOTHER RESPONSE LETTER TO CROATIAN GOVERNMENT

Dear Mate Maras:

I read with interest your e-mail entitled "Animal Protection in Croatia." It seems that our objectives are quite similar. We both agree that the situation regarding animal abuse is "far from ideal" in Croatia and elsewhere and we both agree that improving the situation in Croatia is ultimately the task of the Croatian government. I think where we differ is in the progress Croatia has made toward those goals and how to measure that progress.

So I have a proposal.

If the Croatian government will agree to the following objectives I will stop bringing the treatment of animals in Croatia to the attention of animal rights organizations and potential visitors to your country and turn my attention to other regions that deserve scrutiny. Those objectives are:

1) Outlaw poisoning and drowning of stray animals throughout the Croatian provinces, districts and towns.
2) Establish and enforce humane welfare laws in all Croatian districts for all animals, including stray dogs and cats.
3) Establish adequate animal shelters operated with humane principles for cats and dogs.
4) Implement a spay/neuter program for stray cats and dogs.
5) Prosecute animal abusers.
6) Implement an educational program teaching that it is wrong to kill and torture animals.
7) Have an international animal rights/welfare organization continually monitor progress towards these objectives.
a)Acceptable monitoring organizations would be:

1. Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
2. International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
3. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
4. World society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

I think you would agree that if Croatia implemented the above objectives, all the residents of the country would benefit and visitors to Croatia would have a more pleasant experience. The expense that achieving these objectives would cost would be more than recovered by the increased tourism a more animal friendly Croatia would enjoy and a better quality of life for all Croatians, humans and animals.

Please let me know your thoughts on the above proposal. I think it only fair to state that I will continue my campaign to bring the current treatment of animals in Croatia to the attention of the world until we can work out a mutually agreeable solution.

Sincerely,
Alexandra Yurkiw


PETITION TO CORRECT ANIMAL ABUSE IN CROATIA

One of Europe's most popular tourist destinations, the Adriatic Islands of Croatia are also the locations of some of the worst animal abuse I have seen in my travels throughout Eastern and Western Europe and Latin America. Croatia, a country that prides itself on being economically and culturally superior to its Central and Eastern neighbors still has a long way to go in emulating the treatment of animals found in Western Europe.

The overpopulated domesticated cat population is dealt with in the same way many cities in the West control rat populations. The government places poison throughout the town after the tourists have left.

Many Croatians take things into their own hands. I witnessed kittens tied up in airtight plastic bags and thrown in garbage cans. Other residents intentionally run cats over with their cars. Still others dumped two-week-old kittens on vacant land without their mother and left them to die. Another incident I experienced was finding a kitten that had been left alone all night and afternoon. It had been crying the whole time but no one had done anything to help it, even though this occurred in a heavily populated area, near the center of town.

Tourist industry members continue to make excuses, stating the problem of large stray cat and dog populations exist throughout the Mediterranean coast. The Croatian government passes the buck to its local provinces and districts and calls witnesses to these abuses unreliable sources  without denying the facts.

In order to correct the current situation and bring the treatment of animals in Croatia up to the standards of Western Europe, we call on the Croatian government to adopt the following objectives:

OUTLAW POISONING AND DROWNING OF STRAY ANIMALS THROUGHOUT THE CROATIAN PROVINCES, DISTRICTS AND TOWNS.

ESTABLISH HUMANE WELFARE LAWS, IN ALL CROATIAN DISTRICTS, FOR ALL CROATIAN ANIMALS, INCLUDING STRAY DOGS AND CATS.

ESTABLISH ADEQUATE ANIMAL SHELTERS, OPERATED AND ENFORCED ON HUMANE PRINCIPLES, FOR CATS AND DOGS

IMPLEMENT A SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAM FOR STRAY CATS AND DOGS

PROSECUTE ANIMAL ABUSERS

IMPLEMENT AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM TEACHING THAT IT IS WRONG TO KILL AND TORTURE ANIMALS

HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL ANIMAL RIGHTS / WELFARE ORGANIZATION CONTINUALLY MONITOR PROGRESS TOWARDS THE OBJECTIVES. ACCEPTABLE MONITORING ORGANIZATIONS WOULD BE: HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES (HSUS), INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW), PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS (PETA) OR WORLD SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS (WSPA)

Please write to these companies and inform them of your concerns about the current treatment of animals in Croatia

1. Investors in Croatia who need to be made aware of animal abuses in Croatia.
2. Companies & entities involved in the Croatian tourism / relocation industry
3. Ivana Trump - Promoter of Croatian Truism - Owns: Television network. One-third of Croatia's second largest newspaper Slobodan Dalmatia and a Bar in Dubrovnik. Mailing Address: Ivana Haute Couture & Company, Inc.
   10 East 64th Street, New York, NY 10021
4. The Wren Group of London
   Hotel Excelsior d. d.
   E-Mail: hotel-excelsior@du.tel.hr

   Hilton International
   Grand Hotel Imperial
   E-mail: hilton_direct@holton.com

   OR Shareowner-svcs@bankonfy.com

   CROATIAN COMPANIES

   Jadrolinja
   E-mail: jadrolinija@jadrolinia.tel.hr

   Hotel Croatia
   Email: info@hoteli-croatia.hr

   Atlas Travel
   E-mail: atlas@atlas.tel.hr

   Dubrovnik Advanced Service
   E-mail: zvonimir.skansi@du.tel.hr

   Marco Polo
   E-mail: marcopolo@marcopolo.hr

   Mediterranean
   Email: <Neno.vulic@st.tel.hr

   EUROPE

   Auto Europe
   Email: president@autoeurope.com

   Cosmos Yachting
   (Located in the UK, Germany and Greece)
   E-mail: info@cosmosyachting.com

   Windstar Cruises
   E-mail: info@windstarcruises.com

   Netherlands

   Meditour International
   E-mail: info@meditours.nl

   Mediterranean
   E-mail: agent@euro-agent.com

   COMPANIES IN THE UK

   Transun
   Tour Operator in UK
   Tel 0870 44 44 747
   Fax: 0870 44 42 747
   E-mail: holidays@transun.co.uk

   Holiday Options
   Tour Operators U.K.
   Tel: 01444 24449, 0161 877 9090
   E-mail: sales@holidayoptions.co.uk

   Thomson Breakaway
   Tour Operators UK
   E-mail: info@thomsonbreakaway.co.uk , webmaster@thomasonbreakaway.co.uk

   Saga Holidays
   Tour Operator UK
   E-mail: sales_info@sagaholidays.com

   Bond Tours
   Tour Operator UK
   E-mail: bondtours@btclick.com

   Sailing Holidays Ltd.
   E-mail: mail@sailingholiday.com

   U.S.A. COMPANIES

   KollanderWorld Travel
   E-mail: mbenzo@kollander-travel.com

   General Tours
   E-mail: info@generaltours.com

   Isram World of Travel
   E-mail: webmaster@isram.com

   Pan Adriatic
   Tour Operator
   E-mail: info@panadriatic.com

   Kutrubes Travel
   Tour Operator

   E-mail: Adventures@kutrubestravel.com

   Holiday Travel World
   Email: sales@goDalmatia.com

   Blue Heart Tours
   E-mail: info@blueheart.com

   Barrington-Hall Corporation
   E-mail: info@yacht-charters.tv

   Dubrovnik Advanced Service
   E-mail: stanovic@email.msn.com , travel@wcnet.net

   GPSC CHARTERS, LTD.
   Email: ginny@gpsc.com

   IterpacYachts
   E-mail: bev@interpacyacths.com

   Anemos Tours, Inc.
   E-mail: tours@anemos.net
   
   
   From Nancy M., (No City Provided,) USA:

   Subject: Sean Upcoming

   * Thu. 11/15 @ Arlene Grocery @ 9pm
   Sean's Full Muscular Band
   (Matt Detro, Bob Golden, George Rush)
   95 Stanton nr. Ludlow, NYC. $free

   * Fri/Sat 11/16 & 11/17 @ 9pm @ Westbeth Theater
   Loser's Lounge tribute to David Bowie
   http://www.loserslounge.com/

   * Mon. 12/24 @ Knitting Factory
   "What I Like About Jew" Xmas Eve Concert
   7pm & 9:30pm
   74 Leonard St., NYC. 212-219-3055
   http://www.knittingfactory.com/
   *****************************
   Bio, photos, profane essays & more at http://www.seanaltman.com MP3s at http://www.seanaltman.com/newsongs.shtml
   Sean's 19-song album, "seanDEMOnium," Sean's 10-minute rockumentary film, "Planet Sean," Sean's Holiday 2-song CD "Hanukah With Monica," and Sean's latest political satire "A Jew In The White House - The Ballad of Joe Lieberman" are available there. Credit cards accepted!

   To subscribe to, unsubscribe from or get information about Sean's mailing list, visit Sean's web site, or send an email containing only the word SUBSCRIBE, UNSUBSCRIBE or INFO in the text (not the title) to news@seanaltman.com or send snailmail to: Big Sean Music, 200 E. 10th St. #490, NYC 10003.
   
   
   From Meredith T. (No City Provided,) FL, USA:

   Subject: Why is Jeb telling Nicaraguans what to do?

   Florida Governor Jeb Bush took out a full page advertisement in the October 29 Nicaraguan national newspaper La Prensa to tell the Nicaraguan people they would be electing "an enemy of everything the United States represents" if they vote for Daniel Ortega for president this Sunday, November 4.

   ***** JEB'S AD IN LA PRENSA *****

   In small letters above the headline:
   The Brother of the President of the United States (in blue)

   Headline: GEORGE W. BUSH SUPPORTS ENRIQUE BOLANOS (in red)

   "This November, Nicaragua will choose a new president. This decision rests where it should, in the hands of the Nicaraguan voting public. At the same time, we in Florida want the people of Nicaragua to know that they are not alone in making this decision.

   "The elements which have made of Florida and the United States a place where exiles from diverse countries have found success - democracy, respect for law, transparency and confidence in public institutions - are being developed in many Latin American countries. Florida benefits when its neighbors adopt the successful formulas - free elections, open markets, the integrity of the public sector - which have produced such good results in our country.

   "However, this formula for success is not automatic. Not everyone has the same commitment to these successful free institutions .... As I look at Latin America today, I'm reminded of the motto which is written above the entrance to the US National Archives: "The Past Is Prologue." The past is without doubt the key indicator of the future. In a world which has been transformed during the last decade through political and economic openings, it is inconceivable that a people would choose to return to a totalitarian past.

   "The past and present of Daniel Ortega clearly indicate that he neither understands nor accepts the basic principles of freedom, democracy and the free market. Some say he has changed, that the years out of power have convinced him of the necessity for genuine democracy, for open markets, and for the maintaining of good relations with his neighbors and with the United States. This is what Ortega would want us to believe.

   "Daniel Ortega is an enemy of everything the United States represents. Further, he is a friend of our enemies. Ortega has a relationship of more than 30 years with states and individuals who shelter and condone international terrorism.

   "By contrast Enrique Bolanos is a man whose past promises a future of freedom. I knew him for the first time fifteen years ago, before the end of the Cold War, when freedom was not yet secured in many parts of the world. He spoke with clarity of purpose and with precision about the importance of democracy, of the free market, and of the absolute necessity to have a public sector with integrity. He not only spoke about these ideas but also defended them valiantly in the hostile and repressive climate created by the Sandinistas. Thanks to this experience, I can say that Enrique Bolanos will be an excellent leader for Nicaragua.

   "To construct democracy is not easy. It puts a leader's commitment to the test as well as his will to hold to the true path. This is why Latin America needs people whose valorous past points to a promising future. Latin America needs leaders like Enrique Bolanos, people whose history shows a commitment to the construction of prosperous economies and solid democracies which are the necessary base for reinforcing bonds of brotherhood with Florida, just as with the whole United States of America.

   Jeb Bush,
   Governor of Florida
   
   
   Julia, Vancouver, BC, CANADA:

   Hello my name is Julia. I am looking for a contact that sells, Mangalore Ganesh Bidis 501 made in India or the rolling tobacco and leaf of bidis. I reside in Canada, Vancouver and would appreciate any help in finding a contact that I could privately order for my own personal use. I hope to be hearing from you as soon as possible. Thankyou. I am looking to purchase cartons

   Sincerely
   Julia
   
   
   From Darryl C., Hershey, PA, USA:

   SUBJECT: "The 'Segregation Tax': The Cost of Racial Segregation to Black Homeowners"

   By Eric Siegel
   Sun Staff
   November 1, 2001

   The gap in the value of homes owned by blacks and whites in the Baltimore region is among the greatest of any of the country's 100 largest metropolitan areas, a new study shows.

   Homes owned by blacks in the city and its surrounding counties were worth 30 percent less than those owned by whites after adjusting for differences in incomes, according to the Brookings Institution study by urban researcher David Rusk.

   The disparity is greater than that of all but three of the country's largest metropolitan areas, the study says. Among all the major metropolitan areas, the difference in the value of homes owned by blacks and whites was 18 percent.

   Titled "The 'Segregation Tax': The Cost of Racial Segregation to Black Homeowners," the study says the variations were the result of patterns of residential discrimination.

   "The higher the segregation, the wider the black/white gap. The lower the segregation, the narrower the gap," Rusk wrote in the study, which was released yesterday.

   According to Rusk, the study highlights a problem of "wealth creation" for blacks because of the lack of appreciation of their homes' values compared to whites, making it more difficult for them to build equity.

   Rusk - a former mayor of Albuquerque, N.M., and the author of "Baltimore Unbound," a mid-1990s study advocating regional solutions to stem the city's decline - based his study on 1990 census data. He said it would provide a baseline for measuring the gap based on economic data from the 2000 census, scheduled to be released early next year, but he expected little change.

   Data on race from the 2000 census shows many residential areas in the Baltimore region remain highly segregated.

   Rusk said the way to eliminate the gap was to create "stable, integrated neighborhoods throughout metropolitan areas" by reducing concentrations of poverty in neighborhoods in inner cities and suburbs and changing school enrollment policies to create more middle-class student bodies.

   Those familiar with the housing market in the Baltimore region said Rusk's study offers a clear statement of a long-standing problem.

   "I think it's absolutely true, especially in blue-collar neighborhoods," Vincent Quayle, longtime head of the nonprofit St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, said of Rusk's study. "The black working class who bought their houses hoping they would build equity have found that the houses are not worth much."

   As for Rusk's proposed solution, Quayle said: "Isn't that what we've heard for 35 years and it doesn't happen?"

   Joseph T. "Jody" Landers, executive director of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, said the disparity highlighted in Rusk's study is "a problem people recognize is there."

   "It's not an easy issue to deal with," he said.

   "I think Rusk's study shows [housing] segregation is not benign. It's harmful to the city and harmful to the region," said Barbara Samuels, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who specializes in housing issues.

   For his analysis, Rusk took the mean value of homes owned by whites ($133,000 in the Baltimore region in 1990) and divided it by the mean household income of white homeowners ($55,429) and found that for every dollar of income, whites owned $2.40 worth of house. He then took the mean value of homes owned by blacks ($69,600) and divided it by the mean household income of black homeowners ($41,466) and found that for every dollar of income, blacks owned $1.68 worth of house. He then figured that the mean value of homes owned by blacks was 30 percent less than that of homes owned by whites.

   The gap was greater than that of any major metropolitan area except for Harrisburg, Pa., Philadelphia and Detroit.

   In the Washington metropolitan area, the gap was 16 percent, Rusk found.

   There were 10 metro areas where the values of homes owned by blacks were greater than those of homes owned by whites by between 1 percent and 11 percent, Rusk found, including New Orleans, San Francisco and Tulsa, Okla. Those cities on the whole were characterized by significantly less segregation in housing than all metro areas.

   In a "perfectly functioning market," Rusk wrote, all homeowners of similar income would own houses of equal value. But in segregated regions, he said, white homebuyers shun black neighborhoods, reducing competition and depressing home values.

   Copyright (c) 2001, The Baltimore Sun

   Link to the article: http://www.sunspot.net/bal-md.homes01nov01.story
   
   
   

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