May 28, 2001 – Want a fun, inexpensive, clean place to visit which is very European with a mixture of architectural styles, interesting food, extensive transportation system, and a high probability of finding polite English-speaking residents? Look no further; Budapest is for you.
We discovered Budapest last year. This year, we went back for more.
What is your favorite architecture — Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Eclectic, Modern? You name it, you can find it in Budapest — sometimes all in the same block. The Baroque castle and churches in Buda, the Classical National Museum and Obuda Synagogue, the Romantic Pest Synagogue and Nyugati Railway Station (complete with a Romantic McDonald's behind hundreds of panes of glass) are great examples of the genre.
Into Eclectic? Experience the new Town Hall and parish churches in Ferencvaros and Erzsebetvaros. For Art Nouveau, there is the Gellert Hotel and Baths. Folkloristic-Modern enthusiasts have the Nerve Surgery Institute, while the Neo-Neo-Baroques have the Corvin Cinema and Corvin Department Store. For Bauhaus devotees, there's the row of apartments lining the Eighth District. Fans of the '50s will love the College of Applied Arts; and those of the '70s, the Scala Budapest Department Store.
These are but a few of the hallmark buildings in this often-destroyed, often-rebuilt city. The views of Buda and Pest from the elbow of the Margaret Bridge are said to be finest cityscape on the Danube, with the Parliament building on the left hand curve, Buda's Castle District on the right and Gellert Hill and the Citadel in the background.
For me and my wife, the best building of all was the "house of chocolate" at the head of Vorosmarty ter (plaza) and the tourist shopping street Vaca ut (street). You are right! We’re not so much into architecture as we are into chocolate. The chocolate maven Gerbeaud began his business here in 1870.
The Frank Joseph Underground Railway was started in 1894 and opened in 1896. It was the second subway in Europe (after the London tube), and the Vorosmarty exit from the east end of the rail line is directly in front of the chocolate master's café.
The Gerbeaud pastries are exquisite works of art crafted in whipped cream and chocolate. Prices are a bit more here than elsewhere, and the service is slow, but who cares? You are seated in a European center of indulgence, eating and drinking the finest products of the master known for the Konyakos Meggy (dark chocolate coating of sour cherries matured in cognac).
Two years ago, a new pub featuring its own micro-brewed ales opened for business in the basement of the Gerbeaud building. The service is excellent, the brews superb and the food top of the line. So far, though, the clientele is sparse; it's just not a place for maximum visibility like the sidewalk café, and it's too new – two years can't compare to 130-plus.
One of our favorite etterims (restaurants)is Kispipa in the Jewish District. We sought it out our first night and got lost. Stopping at a beauty salon, we asked directions. The proprietor consulted his watch and his schedule, hung out the "gone for a bit" sign, and ushered us down the street to the restaurant.
Our total bill for soup, main course, dessert and wine was $13.52. Generally we ate breakfast and lunch at our hotel as part of our hotel package, then had dinner out before attending almost nightly musical events. Our dinner prices ranged from $8.50 to $17.
Our favorite neighborhood restaurant from last year was Szep Ilona in northern Buda. The first time we looked for it this time, we had instructions to "take the 158 Bus above Moszkva ter to 1-3 Budakeszi ut." We found the bus easily enough, but the driver didn't speak English. When I asked if he went to Budakeszi ut, he nodded happily. I then realized this was not a good question, as his route could take us miles down Budakeszi ut but not to where we wanted to go.
Next I wrote the name of the restaurant on a piece of paper and showed it to him. Again, he nodded happily and motioned for me to sit down. After a mile or so, he caught my attention and motioned for me to come to the door. With a flourish, he stopped the bus and opened the door — directly in front of the restaurant.
The Szep Ilona's goulash soup is among the best, the pork knuckle and red cabbage are to die for, and the sour cherries are an excellent complement to the full-bodied red wine. Our total bill this year was $14.
Speaking of wine, we spent a great afternoon in the Budapest Wine Guild in Buda sampling Hungarian wines. While there, we met a Hungarian-American wine merchant from Delaware who was attempting to purchase commercial quantities of wine. He said the reason Hungarian wines are not better known in the United States is that they are so good they are fully subscribed in Europe, leaving nothing available for export to the U.S.A.
My wife and I have now spent six weeks seriously sampling Hungarian wines, and in our view they range from very good to superb.
We spent another pleasant evening wine tasting in the catacombs of an ancient monastery located beneath the Hilton Hotel in the Castle District. After wending our way in/out/down the stairs, we found this first-class cellar filled with rare wines available by the glass. We then spent more than an hour alone with the wine steward and his bottles, sampling some outstanding vintages to the accompaniment of classical music in the background.
One of the more off-beat etterims is the Nineteenth Hole. Walking south from the Parliament building on Nador ut along a nondescript building, one comes upon the entrance to the Golf Centrum and the 19th Hole. The Golf Centrum is a pro shop with clubs, clothes and all that rigmarole. It is has a virtual golf course, where you smack a ball into a screen showing a computer-generated video golf course. For the less adventurous, there are several driving nets to practice tee shots.
Friends in our hotel stumbled across this spot one afternoon and one of them had the good fortune to try the Hungarian onion soup. The creamy soup is served with grated cheese in a hard, round loaf of pumpernickel bread. Add a glass of full-bodied red wine, and you have a supper to suit almost any palate.
One morning we decided to lunch at Gundel's, take in the tapestry exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in the afternoon, then do our hotel's "folk night" buffet complete with gypsy music.
Eating at Gundel's cannot be a simple meal. Our experience last year — at dinner — lasted about four hours, involved four close companions whose friendship developed the first half-hour, and expanded to include five additional diners before the evening was over. Throw in half a dozen waiters, wine steward, maitre d', coat-room attendant (I needed a proper jacket, which she arranged), and an orchestra of seven or eight musicians, and you get more of a production number than a meal.
Lunch was different, but only a smaller-scale production. Instead of a bottle of Hungarian fine wine, we settled for a glass each. Instead of five courses, we made do with three. Instead of $125 dollars, it came to $55. Instead of four hours, we were able to trim it to three, allowing for an hour in the museum before we headed back to the hotel for a nap, a swim in the thermal pool, and a light dinner after nine. It doesn’t get much better.
Next: So much to see and do, so easy to get around, and so hard to keep your pockets from being picked.

May 28, 2001- Each year at the start of the mainland "beach season" — that is, over Memorial Day weekend — Stephen P. Leatherman, a respected marine scientist who's parlayed his research into a popular sideline, releases his latest list of "America's 20 Top Beaches."
He did it again this weekend. As usual, Hawaii and Florida are all over the place. And, as always, the Virgin Islands is nowhere to be found.
That, however, does not speak ill of the beaches in America's Paradise. Leatherman, who issues his lists using the monicker "Dr. Beach," simply doesn't include U.S. territories in his research.
"I just do the continental United States and Hawaii," he explains.
And, he adds, "I think if I put Caribbean beaches in with mainland beaches, it would skew the study. If I put the Virgin Islands in there to compete, they would be very close to the top, if not at the top — certainly the ones I'm familiar with, like Magens Bay and Trunk Bay."
Virgin Islanders might find his concern about skewing the study less than persuasive, given that Hawaii and Florida have dominated the list since its inception and no other state has made it to the No. 1 spot.
He rhapsodizes about the beauty of Hawaii's beaches "where the mountains meet the sea" with "lots of coral reefs close to shore." Nothing the territory couldn't compete with there, for sure.
The good news is that the Virgin Islands may get its go at glory soon.
Leatherman admits he's been "informally working on" an annual list of the best beaches of the Caribbean, which he would issue in the fall at the start of the tourist season. "I'm working on it as I can take trips down there," he says in a telephone interview, adding that he hopes to be ready to launch the project "in a couple of years."
Having traveled extensively, including in the South Pacific, he says, "I really look at the Caribbean as having some of the best beaches in the world."
"I've been to a few of them," he says, mentioning Antigua and Barbuda and Margarita Island in addition to the U.S. Virgins, "but I've got a lot more to go."
In his full-time job, Leatherman is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami.
He is the author of 13 books and over a hundred journal articles and is a noted authority on coastal erosion management and the implications of changes in sea level. He wrote the "Barrier Island Handbook," edited "Island States at Risk: Global Climate Change, Population and Development" in the Journal of Coastal Research, and has conducted and collaborated on studies for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The National Geographic Society and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 1998, he came out with a full-length book on his research of "America's Best Beaches."
Since issuing the first list in 1991, he has imposed his own rule that once a beach makes the top of the list, it can't be considered again — but each year he also cites the previous winners along with his new list.
Leatherman uses 50 criteria in evaluating beaches, awarding them from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) points on each. The criteria include low-tide width, sand type and color, water color, air and water temperature, wind, size of breaking waves, bottom conditions and slope, currents, turbidity, suspended waste matter, oil and tar balls, sewerage runoff, algae, seaweed, smell, insect pests, wildlife, domestic animals, vistas, cleanliness, surroundings, access, amenities, lifeguards, swimming safety record, beach crime, intensity and types of use, and noise level (mechanical, musical and human).
At the top of Leatherman's 2001 list is Poipu Beach, Hawaii, followed by St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Fla.; Kaanapali, Hawaii; Hanalei Beach, Hawaii; and Caladesi Island State Park, Fla. In places 6 through 20 are four other Florida sites, three others in Hawaii, two in North Carolina, two in New York, one each in California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and one beach shared by Florida and Alabama.
His No. 1-ranked beaches in previous years were Kapalua Bay, Hawaii (1991), Bahia Honda State Recreation Area, Fla. (1992), Hapuna, Hawaii (1993), Grayton Beach State Recreation Area, Fla. (1994), St. Andrews State Recreation Area, Fla. (1995), Lanikai Beach, Hawaii (1996), Hulopoe, Hawaii (1997), Kailua Beach Park, Hawaii (1998), Kailea Beach, Hawaii (1999) and Mauna Kea Beach, Hawaii (2000).
In addition to his annual list of best overall beaches, Leatherman nowadays comes up with a list for The Travel Channel of the 10 "best beaches with nightlife." In exception to his "mainland and Hawaii only" rule, Puerto Rico's off-island of Culebra managed to make its way onto this one for 2001, ranked third, in fact, behind East Hampton Main Beach on Long Island, N.Y., and Miami's South Beach. The others are two from Hawaii, two from California, another from Florida and one each from Oregon and Texas.
Dr. Beach envisions his new islands list as being "a kind of Caribbean rating for people who could go there for the winter." And of course, he adds, "I would like to put another book together on that."
More information about Dr. Beach and his evaluations can be found at his web site, www.drbeach.org. He can be contacted via e-mail at Dr. Beach.

May 28, 2001- Each year at the start of the mainland "beach season" — that is, over Memorial Day weekend — Stephen P. Leatherman, a respected marine scientist who's parlayed his research into a popular sideline, releases his latest list of "America's 20 Top Beaches."
He did it again this weekend. As usual, Hawaii and Florida are all over the place. And, as always, the Virgin Islands is nowhere to be found.
That, however, does not speak ill of the beaches in America's Paradise. Leatherman, who issues his lists using the monicker "Dr. Beach," simply doesn't include U.S. territories in his research.
"I just do the continental United States and Hawaii," he explains.
And, he adds, "I think if I put Caribbean beaches in with mainland beaches, it would skew the study. If I put the Virgin Islands in there to compete, they would be very close to the top, if not at the top — certainly the ones I'm familiar with, like Magens Bay and Trunk Bay."
Virgin Islanders might find his concern about skewing the study less than persuasive, given that Hawaii and Florida have dominated the list since its inception and no other state has made it to the No. 1 spot.
He rhapsodizes about the beauty of Hawaii's beaches "where the mountains meet the sea" with "lots of coral reefs close to shore." Nothing the territory couldn't compete with there, for sure.
The good news is that the Virgin Islands may get its go at glory soon.
Leatherman admits he's been "informally working on" an annual list of the best beaches of the Caribbean, which he would issue in the fall at the start of the tourist season. "I'm working on it as I can take trips down there," he says in a telephone interview, adding that he hopes to be ready to launch the project "in a couple of years."
Having traveled extensively, including in the South Pacific, he says, "I really look at the Caribbean as having some of the best beaches in the world."
"I've been to a few of them," he says, mentioning Antigua and Barbuda and Margarita Island in addition to the U.S. Virgins, "but I've got a lot more to go."
In his full-time job, Leatherman is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami.
He is the author of 13 books and over a hundred journal articles and is a noted authority on coastal erosion management and the implications of changes in sea level. He wrote the "Barrier Island Handbook," edited "Island States at Risk: Global Climate Change, Population and Development" in the Journal of Coastal Research, and has conducted and collaborated on studies for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The National Geographic Society and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 1998, he came out with a full-length book on his research of "America's Best Beaches."
Since issuing the first list in 1991, he has imposed his own rule that once a beach makes the top of the list, it can't be considered again — but each year he also cites the previous winners along with his new list.
Leatherman uses 50 criteria in evaluating beaches, awarding them from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) points on each. The criteria include low-tide width, sand type and color, water color, air and water temperature, wind, size of breaking waves, bottom conditions and slope, currents, turbidity, suspended waste matter, oil and tar balls, sewerage runoff, algae, seaweed, smell, insect pests, wildlife, domestic animals, vistas, cleanliness, surroundings, access, amenities, lifeguards, swimming safety record, beach crime, intensity and types of use, and noise level (mechanical, musical and human).
At the top of Leatherman's 2001 list is Poipu Beach, Hawaii, followed by St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Fla.; Kaanapali, Hawaii; Hanalei Beach, Hawaii; and Caladesi Island State Park, Fla. In places 6 through 20 are four other Florida sites, three others in Hawaii, two in North Carolina, two in New York, one each in California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and one beach shared by Florida and Alabama.
His No. 1-ranked beaches in previous years were Kapalua Bay, Hawaii (1991), Bahia Honda State Recreation Area, Fla. (1992), Hapuna, Hawaii (1993), Grayton Beach State Recreation Area, Fla. (1994), St. Andrews State Recreation Area, Fla. (1995), Lanikai Beach, Hawaii (1996), Hulopoe, Hawaii (1997), Kailua Beach Park, Hawaii (1998), Kailea Beach, Hawaii (1999) and Mauna Kea Beach, Hawaii (2000).
In addition to his annual list of best overall beaches, Leatherman nowadays comes up with a list for The Travel Channel of the 10 "best beaches with nightlife." In exception to his "mainland and Hawaii only" rule, Puerto Rico's off-island of Culebra managed to make its way onto this one for 2001, ranked third, in fact, behind East Hampton Main Beach on Long Island, N.Y., and Miami's South Beach. The others are two from Hawaii, two from California, another from Florida and one each from Oregon and Texas.
Dr. Beach envisions his new islands list as being "a kind of Caribbean rating for people who could go there for the winter." And of course, he adds, "I would like to put another book together on that."
More information about Dr. Beach and his evaluations can be found at his web site, www.drbeach.org. He can be contacted via e-mail at Dr. Beach.

May 28, 2001- Each year at the start of the mainland "beach season" — that is, over Memorial Day weekend — Stephen P. Leatherman, a respected marine scientist who's parlayed his research into a popular sideline, releases his latest list of "America's 20 Top Beaches."
He did it again this weekend. As usual, Hawaii and Florida are all over the place. And, as always, the Virgin Islands is nowhere to be found.
That, however, does not speak ill of the beaches in America's Paradise. Leatherman, who issues his lists using the monicker "Dr. Beach," simply doesn't include U.S. territories in his research.
"I just do the continental United States and Hawaii," he explains.
And, he adds, "I think if I put Caribbean beaches in with mainland beaches, it would skew the study. If I put the Virgin Islands in there to compete, they would be very close to the top, if not at the top — certainly the ones I'm familiar with, like Magens Bay and Trunk Bay."
Virgin Islanders might find his concern about skewing the study less than persuasive, given that Hawaii and Florida have dominated the list since its inception and no other state has made it to the No. 1 spot.
He rhapsodizes about the beauty of Hawaii's beaches "where the mountains meet the sea" with "lots of coral reefs close to shore." Nothing the territory couldn't compete with there, for sure.
The good news is that the Virgin Islands may get its go at glory soon.
Leatherman admits he's been "informally working on" an annual list of the best beaches of the Caribbean, which he would issue in the fall at the start of the tourist season. "I'm working on it as I can take trips down there," he says in a telephone interview, adding that he hopes to be ready to launch the project "in a couple of years."
Having traveled extensively, including in the South Pacific, he says, "I really look at the Caribbean as having some of the best beaches in the world."
"I've been to a few of them," he says, mentioning Antigua and Barbuda and Margarita Island in addition to the U.S. Virgins, "but I've got a lot more to go."
In his full-time job, Leatherman is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University in Miami.
He is the author of 13 books and over a hundred journal articles and is a noted authority on coastal erosion management and the implications of changes in sea level. He wrote the "Barrier Island Handbook," edited "Island States at Risk: Global Climate Change, Population and Development" in the Journal of Coastal Research, and has conducted and collaborated on studies for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, The National Geographic Society and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In 1998, he came out with a full-length book on his research of "America's Best Beaches."
Since issuing the first list in 1991, he has imposed his own rule that once a beach makes the top of the list, it can't be considered again — but each year he also cites the previous winners along with his new list.
Leatherman uses 50 criteria in evaluating beaches, awarding them from 1 (worst) to 5 (best) points on each. The criteria include low-tide width, sand type and color, water color, air and water temperature, wind, size of breaking waves, bottom conditions and slope, currents, turbidity, suspended waste matter, oil and tar balls, sewerage runoff, algae, seaweed, smell, insect pests, wildlife, domestic animals, vistas, cleanliness, surroundings, access, amenities, lifeguards, swimming safety record, beach crime, intensity and types of use, and noise level (mechanical, musical and human).
At the top of Leatherman's 2001 list is Poipu Beach, Hawaii, followed by St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, Fla.; Kaanapali, Hawaii; Hanalei Beach, Hawaii; and Caladesi Island State Park, Fla. In places 6 through 20 are four other Florida sites, three others in Hawaii, two in North Carolina, two in New York, one each in California, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and one beach shared by Florida and Alabama.
His No. 1-ranked beaches in previous years were Kapalua Bay, Hawaii (1991), Bahia Honda State Recreation Area, Fla. (1992), Hapuna, Hawaii (1993), Grayton Beach State Recreation Area, Fla. (1994), St. Andrews State Recreation Area, Fla. (1995), Lanikai Beach, Hawaii (1996), Hulopoe, Hawaii (1997), Kailua Beach Park, Hawaii (1998), Kailea Beach, Hawaii (1999) and Mauna Kea Beach, Hawaii (2000).
In addition to his annual list of best overall beaches, Leatherman nowadays comes up with a list for The Travel Channel of the 10 "best beaches with nightlife." In exception to his "mainland and Hawaii only" rule, Puerto Rico's off-island of Culebra managed to make its way onto this one for 2001, ranked third, in fact, behind East Hampton Main Beach on Long Island, N.Y., and Miami's South Beach. The others are two from Hawaii, two from California, another from Florida and one each from Oregon and Texas.
Dr. Beach envisions his new islands list as being "a kind of Caribbean rating for people who could go there for the winter." And of course, he adds, "I would like to put another book together on that."
More information about Dr. Beach and his evaluations can be found at his web site, www.drbeach.org. He can be contacted via e-mail at Dr. Beach.

Dear Source,
I just witnessed the most terrifying moment in my entire history of V.I. driving. I had just arrived at the bottom of Crown Mountain Road, in St. Thomas, where it intersects with the Moravian Highway.
I was awaiting the traffic light to change in my favor. I've adopted the habit of waiting for a few seconds even when the light turns green to avoid being broadsided by drivers rushing through the amber and many times just-turned-red, traffic lights.
I noted the amber light and a car rushing to beat the red going west to east. Simultaneously, I observed a youth on one of those low riding bicycles whoosing past me to my left. Perhaps he underestimated his momentum, as he continued without slowing down straight out onto the highway, and directly into the path of that oncoming eastbound car. I heard myself screaming in horror as I saw the car brake. He slowed, but unfortunately, he still hit the youth. Then the light turned green, and angry honking car horns behind me propelled me to cross through the intersection.
I immediately pulled into the adjacent parking lot to see if I would be needing to call the police and an ambulance.
At first I saw only the driver jumping out of the car. Then, miraculously, I saw the youth stand up, stunned but seemingly unharmed. His bike? Not so lucky – mash up badly.
Still I wasn't sure if he was hurt or not, so I went ahead and called the police. They connected me to the ambulance department, who entered into a conversation with me which was seemingly to try and determine whether or not the ambulance was actually needed.
Now, I have three important observations and points to make about this experience. First, to all parents: please, talk to your bike riding children, tell them how much you love and cherish them, and passionately encourage them to exercise extreme caution while bike riding. Next, to all drivers: please, please, obey the V.I. traffic laws, slow down when you reach intersections, remember that amber light means slow down, proceed with caution, red light coming soon and for goodness sake, DON'T RUN THROUGH A JUST TURNED RED LIGHT! And, finally, to the V.I. Police Department and affiliated ambulance service: I recognize how seriously stretched to the limits you are for personnel and equipment, but please, please, please, don't force a witness to an accident to try and determine if anybody is in actually in need of help or not.
Priscilla Lynn
St. Thomas, V.I.

May 27, 2001 – A Bush administration official on St. Thomas to participate in a minority business conference says the Republican administration is committed to including more minorities as stakeholders in the U.S. economy.
Ronald Langston, who heads the U.S. Commerce Department's Minority Business Development Agency, said, "We need to make sure that minority entrepreneurs have help, that their skills be developed. There are a lot of opportunities that should not be missed."
Appearing on Radio One's "Topp Talk" show Friday, Langston said the administration's minority development emphasis is on programs to help such businesses establish themselves as integral players in the overall economy, with a vested interest in how that economy is managed. "Our focus is to make sure that the minority business owners become stakeholders," he said.
He said a part of the effort is to promote greater partnership with established businesses to learn the in's and out's of successful entrepreneurship."We want them to become business owners, not renters, not continued lessors," he said of minority entrepreneurs. And, he said, his agency is prepared to offer training and mentoring programs toward that end.
"There are pockets of poverty in America," he said."They must be overcome."
Langston believes he has a unique opportunity to help the most financially successful generation of African-Americans to sustain their economic gains and pass them on to future generations. "We are the first generation to have accumulated wealth," he said. "We must capitalize on that in order to advance the state of minority-owned businesses."
Republicans and Democrats disagree on whether Americans will reinvest their tax-cut windfall or spend it. Langston defends the GOP view that people want to put their money to work and make it grow. "We must seize the opportunity to reinvest the wealth that has been accumulated over time," he said.
While the Republican administration of which he is a part does not embrace affirmative action, Langston readily acknowledges the negative impact of past racial discrimination. "One of the biggest impediments has been the lack of access to capital," he said. "African-Americans have consistently been denied financing. We want to break down that wall."
The Minority Business Development Agency, he said, is helping businesses get over that hurdle.
Langston was in the territory last week at the invitation of Delegate Donna Christian Christensen. He participated in a conference at Marriott Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort that was organized to promote minority business access to federal contracts.

May 27, 2001 – A Bush administration official in the territory to participate in a minority business conference says the Republican administration is committed to including more minorities as stakeholders in the U.S. economy.
Ronald Langston, who heads the U.S. Commerce Department's Minority Business Development Agency, said, "We need to make sure that minority entrepreneurs have help, that their skills be developed. There are a lot of opportunities that should not be missed."
Appearing on Radio One's "Topp Talk" show Friday, Langston said the administration's minority development emphasis is on programs to help such businesses establish themselves as integral players in the overall economy, with a vested interest in how that economy is managed. "Our focus is to make sure that the minority business owners become stakeholders," he said.
He said a part of the effort is to promote greater partnership with established businesses to learn the in's and out's of successful entrepreneurship."We want them to become business owners, not renters, not continued lessors," he said of minority entrepreneurs. And, he said, his agency is prepared to offer training and mentoring programs toward that end.
"There are pockets of poverty in America," he said."They must be overcome."
Langston believes he has a unique opportunity to help the most financially successful generation of African-Americans to sustain their economic gains and pass them on to future generations. "We are the first generation to have accumulated wealth," he said. "We must capitalize on that in order to advance the state of minority-owned businesses."
Republicans and Democrats disagree on whether Americans will reinvest their tax-cut windfall or spend it. Langston defends the GOP view that people want to put their money to work and make it grow. "We must seize the opportunity to reinvest the wealth that has been accumulated over time," he said.
While the Republican administration of which he is a part does not embrace affirmative action, Langston readily acknowledges the negative impact of past racial discrimination. "One of the biggest impediments has been the lack of access to capital," he said. "African-Americans have consistently been denied financing. We want to break down that wall."
The Minority Business Development Agency, he said, is helping businesses get over that hurdle.
Langston was in the territory last week at the invitation of Delegate Donna Christian Christensen. He participated in a conference at Marriott Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort on St. Thomas that was organized to promote minority business access to federal contracts.

To the Source:
Upon reading your recent article concerning the efforts of the V.I. yachting community and the Coast Guard to come up with a local solution to the current situation [See "Equivalencies might avoid 6-pack limits"], I would like to offer some comments and observations.
First, I should state, I have been owner/operator of an inspected vessel since 1983 (six-pack from 1977 to 1983). I applaud the cooperation of the Coast Guard and the V.I. marine industry in searching for a common-sense solution to the current six-passenger restriction. I have always felt that six passengers is arbitrary and that most modern vessels can safely carry more passengers, the number of which could be based on their size.
The statement that the six-pack regs went into effect in 1988 is inaccurate. The regulations were clearly in effect prior to 1977. Since our charter industry was booming in the 1980s, I find it inaccurate to imply that these regulations were the sole cause for which term charter yachts moved to the British Virgin Islands. Another factor I think one has to explore is the effect of the daily head tax that the B.V.I. government places on vessels entering the B.V.I. from out of St. Thomas or St. John (or elsewhere). At $10 per charter guest per day, for a four-passenger vessel, this amounts to $280 per week to cruise the British Virgins, which is equivalent to 10 percent of the charter fee in many cases. Multiply that by 20 weeks of charter and compare that figure to the cost of a business license in the B.V.I., and I believe the economic reason for charterers to relocate from the U.S. to the British Virgins becomes clear.
B.V.I. boats, on the other hand, have no such tax burden when entering the U.S.V.I.
The eight-passenger boats, if they rebase in the U.S.V.I., will be subject to even higher amounts when they take their guests into the B.V.I. If this fee had no impact on the decision of where to locate, then the U.S.V.I. should have the majority of vessels carrying six or fewer overnight passengers and the B.V.I. should have all the larger boats.
While acceptance of equivalencies to comply with the six-pack regulations can be a positive first step, I do not see it as the panacea for the local charter industry.
Steve Marsh
St. Thomas

To the Source:
Upon reading your recent article concerning the efforts of the V.I. yachting community and the Coast Guard to come up with a local solution to the current situation [See "Equivalencies might avoid 6-pack limits"], I would like to offer some comments and observations.
First, I should state, I have been owner/operator of an inspected vessel since 1983 (six-pack from 1977 to 1983). I applaud the cooperation of the Coast Guard and the V.I. marine industry in searching for a common-sense solution to the current six-passenger restriction. I have always felt that six passengers is arbitrary and that most modern vessels can safely carry more passengers, the number of which could be based on their size.
The statement that the six-pack regs went into effect in 1988 is inaccurate. The regulations were clearly in effect prior to 1977. Since our charter industry was booming in the 1980s, I find it inaccurate to imply that these regulations were the sole cause for which term charter yachts moved to the British Virgin Islands. Another factor I think one has to explore is the effect of the daily head tax that the B.V.I. government places on vessels entering the B.V.I. from out of St. Thomas or St. John (or elsewhere). At $10 per charter guest per day, for a four-passenger vessel, this amounts to $280 per week to cruise the British Virgins, which is equivalent to 10 percent of the charter fee in many cases. Multiply that by 20 weeks of charter and compare that figure to the cost of a business license in the B.V.I., and I believe the economic reason for charterers to relocate from the U.S. to the British Virgins becomes clear.
B.V.I. boats, on the other hand, have no such tax burden when entering the U.S.V.I.
The eight-passenger boats, if they rebase in the U.S.V.I., will be subject to even higher amounts when they take their guests into the B.V.I. If this fee had no impact on the decision of where to locate, then the U.S.V.I. should have the majority of vessels carrying six or fewer overnight passengers and the B.V.I. should have all the larger boats.
While acceptance of equivalencies to comply with the six-pack regulations can be a positive first step, I do not see it as the panacea for the local charter industry.
Steve Marsh
St. Thomas

May 27, 2001 – Makeda Leonard and Elexisca Morriessette are eighth grade students at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School.
They found out Friday that they have a couple of other things in common.
For one thing, they both aspire to careers as pediatricians.
The way they found out about that was when a Source reporter interviewed them about something else they share: They are the territory's winners in the 2001 Promising Young Writers Program sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English.
Both will receive certificates of recognition for demonstrating exceptional writing ability.
In fact, Cancryn eighth-grade English teacher Barbara Bailey (who happens also to be Elexisca's grandmother) said the Source let the cat out of the bag in contacting the girls about the honor after having received a news release from the National Council of Teachers of English. "They were supposed to find out at the honors award program," on June 6, Bailey said. However, she added, "It's okay, though. It was a nice surprise."
Teachers of eighth-grade English language arts nominate students to take part in the annual program. The students submit samples of their best work and write impromptu essays on a topic assigned by their teachers. Judging panels consisting of teachers at the state level evaluate the pupils' writing in terms of content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style.
A total of 895 eighth-grade students in the United States, Canada, and American Schools abroad were nominated by teachers for recognition this school year. Awards are going to 257 of them.
Cancryn eighth grade and honors English teacher Linda Jones, who nominated Elexisca and Makeda, said this is the second year students from the territory have entered the competition.
Cancryn's principal, Yvonne Pilgrim, is the state coordinator for the National Council of Teachers of English. "When I was assistant principal, I found out about the program," she said. She took it to the English teachers "so we could encourage our adolescents to write."
Winning national recognition isn't going to change the fact that neither girl plans to take up a writing career. Elexisca said her favorite subject is math. Makeda said "I'm just into the medical field."
The territory also nominated four other students selected locally to take part in the Promising Young Writers Program this year. They are Yiomara George, Lamoi Hedrington, Shannah John and Winsome Nisbett.