Trust

[Exxtol]

After extensive research CULTURE MATTERS points out that economies from countries with ingraned values from a Judeo-Christian mindset normally perform the best and are the most prosperous, while those from animistic cultures such as Haiti (with voodoo) are the poorest. [/QUOTE]

My question here is: who is doing the research. I suspect religious and cultural bias here. How have these "theories" been substantiated?

Does anyone know of a country that is animistic yet has a good economy? Zaire? Rich in minerals, but very poor. These countries have destroyed their economies through animistic religion because in these kinds of religions, the line between good and evil is eliminated?it?s evil only and only if you get caught?and then if your bribe is large enough, they let you go anyway.

Subsequent to european imperialism in Zaire, almost half its people practice Catholicism--why has the revision of religion in Zaire not alleviated its current economic state? What about internal/external corruption, history, colonialism, intl' economic policy, corruption? How has CULTURE MATTERS so callously disregarded the aforementioned's significance? Or perhaps this analysis has been truncated from your review?

When one thinks of voodoo, one thinks of witchdoctors chanting spells around open fires in the dead of night. One thinks of the erotic dancing, climaxed by frenzied passionate seizures as an evil spirit possesses one of the dancers. One thinks of the incessant pounding of the drum, leading the rythmic chanting and dances. Extraordinary powers the witchdoctors seemingly possess spawn stories sending chills up one's spine, stories of curses, death, and zombies. When voodoo is mentioned, one thinks of Haiti. Voodoo is Haiti; Haiti is voodoo. And because voodoo is part and parcel of Haitian life and folklore, multiculturalism defends voodoo.

Unfortunately, this is a gross misconception and generalization of what Voodoo is. Blame this on hollywood and an ignorance of the unknown.

But did you ever think that the reason Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere is because of voodoo? The Wall Street Journal does, stating, "Creating stability in a culture long poisoned by voodoo and revenge is equally tricky. . . . It will be difficult to lift the ravaged Caribbean nation out of its chronic poverty (10/21/94)."

Y que? A Wall Street Journal editorial (key word: editorial) is neither scholarly nor remotely objective in its research.

Voodoo erases the line between good and evil. One witchdoctor told the author of THE BEST NIGHTMARE ON EARTH, ?Good and evil are one.? (page 6).

This is ridiculous.

--Exxtol

 

[bilijou]

Is Bilijou taking forgranted "Communication"? [?]
Trust is NOT something that is a given - it has to be EARNED.

This is at the essence of the cultural theory vs. institutional theory debate.

Institutional theories say that trust is something that is EARNED. It is a rational response to a person or institution?s actions or what they say. More specifically, it is about perception, which is affected by communication. People trust those institutions which they perceive as being most beneficial to their personal welfare, i.e., that perform best.

Now, don?t get me wrong, I do believe that trust is something that is earned, and I don?t deny that the theory I described above is wrong. For example, when Hipolito plunged millions of Dominicans into poverty, it was only rational for Dominicans not to vote for him as they did. But Dominicans aren?t always rational when choosing their leaders, CULTURE does play a large part.

Cultural theories say that trust is something that is LEARNED. A child learns to trust their mother, as they grow older their neighbor and eventually, maybe their government.
OK. Trust, I agree, at many times IS rationally earned, but we also have these irrational tendencies, maybe a product of the associative nature of our brains, where we learn to trust certain individuals and/or institutions more than others. This is learned.
My mother, for example, kept giving money to the church, even though everybody knew the pastor was stealing it and that it was completely irrational to give up your paycheck, she had learned to trust him because of religion even though he hadn?t earned that trust.

In this irrational tendency to trust when it isn?t deserved is where race comes in? (just as you would learn to trust institutions which you associate to God.)

Not too many Dominican 'leaders' have portrayed the characteristics needed to gain the respect, admiration &/or trust of the Dominican populace - fear WAS the modus operandi & we are now coming out of that era Thank God. Too many politicians will say something to the electorate & then backtrack once they are 'in power'. Hence - no trust, no respect, no motivation, NO PROGRESS!

I don?t think you understand the Dominican mentality as well. In one of the links in my prior post the study finds something very weird in the DR. While in these new Eastern and Central European democracies we find that people who grew up under authoritarian regimes were the least trusting. In the DR the opposite is true, those who grew up under Trujillo were the most trusting Dominicans. Dominicans respected, admired and trusted (still do today) a man who is known as one of the most vicious dictators in Lat. America. Despite living total oppression, which they obviously undermined their own welfare, they irrationally trusted the man. Did he earn it?

What?s even crazier the study shows that the peasant class in the DR, despite being the most neglected by the government (lack of education, social security, infrastructure, etc.), is the most trusting of institutions? even more than the elite classes which have always benefited the most from the government. What does the government do to earn their trust?

For more than a century the country?s intellectual class has classified this peasant class as two things almost at odds with each other: servile and violent.
Violence towards those within the community, which throughout Dominican history has only been cured by an ironfist government. Servility for those outside their immediate community (like impersonal institutions outside their reach), fits dictatorships perfectly. It is not surprising that the peasant class has been the backbone of every authoritarian government in this country?s history.

Rather than saying,

And as for the DR, mabey a benevolent dictator is what they need?

and justify authoritarianism as it has been for so long?
why don?t we take another look at culture (in particular, how Dominicans see each other) and maybe have a liberal democracy for once.

 

[sollie]

Again, good read

Bilijou,
My benevolent dictator question was rhetorical. I'd be all for a liberal democracy, or a conservative one. The sad truth, as I see it, is the Dominican people aren't willing/able to handle the responsibility of either. Laughter and tears come from the same well, just different buckets.
Be well all and happy holidays!
Sollie

 

[Tordok]

IMO Enh has correctly identified the need for SHARED values, etc in order to expect effective outcomes in communication, and by extension in helping build a more prosperous nation.

The problem in the DR is that the shared values are not always the RATIONAL ones, and of course there can be no shared sense of purpose and public wealth creation when the collective aspirations of the people are based on the premises formulated by a largely undernourished and undereducated population. The ignorant classes unknowingly shoot themselves in the foot all the time. And of course not by their own design. Dominicans are not inmoral nor are they stupid, but they are lacking formal training and instruction in civism, or on any of a number of things that took many years for others to figure out. Rational beliefs did not spontaneously arise in "western civilization" as Huntington would like us to believe. Nor could they be imposed by any benign prince. It took several hundred years for Europe to integrate rationalism into their ethos, to rise above the anachronistic dogmas of the religious conservatives and powerful elites to finally stabilize politically and to redistribute its resources and grow in more rational, peaceful and equitable manner. The interests of the powerful few cannot be underestimated in how they can cling to the status-quo by keeping the masses ignorant.

In the DR populace political and philosophical ignorance is the established norm, thus it is how politicians win elections. The populist rhetoric and paternalistic style have always been en-vogue in the DR,......... because it works. And each and every time the unscrupulous -but astute- are rewarded with power over the same mass of people with irrational values and expectations. A vicious cycle of rewarding innefficiency.

As already posted by others, basic trust is indeed an essential component of any successful society. But trust must be based on rational expectations and not just on some pollyanish wishful thinking or magical dreams of social cohesion. Ignorance creates mistrust and the DR unfortunately has large amounts of ignorant people.

The road to prosperity must be substantiated by a common socioeconomic and institutional frame of reference. A reliable one. And I would add that a level-playing field in terms of education and health is a requirement to provide such a workable frame of reference of shared RATIONAL beliefs.
There can be no rational level of trust without certain amount of predictability in the system. Randomness is not conducive to good businness environment. Imagine if a can of Coke ever tasted like Pepsi. It would then cease to be a predictable branded product because the trust placed in it by its costumers would quickly be lost. The DR marketplace for good and services has too much in it that is still random and unpredictable. Even if risks and variations are inherent to being alive, I find that there is a big difference between the mere survivalist mentality with which many among the uneducated and marginalized masses are compelled to live their lives, thus unable to trust anyone. Ignorant people expect irrationally (ergo, by having faith) that some God, Goverment of Rich Uncle will come to protect them, somehow rather than build trusting relationships with fellow humans that protect each other.

Having productive, wealth-promoting, socially-enriching lives requires REASON to prevail over the political superstitions to which ignorant people ascribe. Dominicans have as much common sense as any other people on Earth, but their natural tools are not sufficient, true leadership is needed to defeat ignorance. Only through reason shall people feel truly free to trust each other and grow together. Without that basic rationality, social trust is otherwise an artifact or a mirage created for the short-term convenience of a few, rather than a self-sustaining mindset that permeates the whole of society.

- Tordok

 

[BushBaby]

I don?t think you understand the Dominican mentality as well.

You are absolutely right of course - 14 years here & I have learned NOTHING!

In one of the links in my prior post the study finds something very weird in the DR. While in these new Eastern and Central European democracies we find that people who grew up under authoritarian regimes were the least trusting. In the DR the opposite is true, those who grew up under Trujillo were the most trusting Dominicans. Dominicans respected, admired and trusted (still do today) a man who is known as one of the most vicious dictators in Lat. America. Despite living total oppression, which they obviously undermined their own welfare, they irrationally trusted the man. Did he earn it?

A LOAD of baloney. That wasn't TRUST, that was FEAR of reprisals. Check the facts with DOMINICAN historians! Respect & admiration were not the vogue during Trujillo's term of dictatorship & even if they were, these per se do NOT lead to trust. May I ask whose study you are quoting & where this was quoted in the report? Maybe the should have checked with the Dominican "peasantry" as you refer (below) to the camposinos!

What?s even crazier the study shows that the peasant class in the DR, despite being the most neglected by the government (lack of education, social security, infrastructure, etc.), is the most trusting of institutions? even more than the elite classes which have always benefited the most from the government. What does the government do to earn their trust?

Have you heard of the expression "Learned Helplessness"?? I doubt whether the 'investigators' who compiled the study report really gave that much consideration - it may not have supported their predetermined view of the camposinos or "educated Dominicans".

For more than a century the country?s intellectual class has classified this peasant class as two things almost at odds with each other: servile and violent.
Violence towards those within the community, which throughout Dominican history has only been cured by an ironfist government. Servility for those outside their immediate community (like impersonal institutions outside their reach), fits dictatorships perfectly. It is not surprising that the peasant class has been the backbone of every authoritarian government in this country?s history.

Servility has been learned I agree - too much so to be good for the country, ....... but VIOLENT???????? who the heck doesn't understand the Dominican people (peasants) now?? Come on, as a nation the norm is NOT to show violence except in outbursts of passion!!

why don?t we take another look at culture (in particular, how Dominicans see each other) and maybe have a liberal democracy for once.

What is your definition of Liberal Democracy? Is that Liberal with a CAPITAL 'L' or liberal with a small 'l'? Who of the present political parties do you think best fits that category?

Sorry if this sounds confrontational but I just LOVE these studies that appear to be conducted by people from outside the country. How long did the study group spend in the DR? Or did they talk to Dominicans now living in New York for their information? ~ Grahame.

 

[bilijou]

A LOAD of baloney. That wasn't TRUST, that was FEAR of reprisals. Check the facts with DOMINICAN historians! Respect & admiration were not the vogue during Trujillo's term of dictatorship & even if they were, these per se do NOT lead to trust. May I ask whose study you are quoting & where this was quoted in the report? Maybe the should have checked with the Dominican "peasantry" as you refer (below) to the camposinos!

Dominican historians agree that el campesinado was the backbone of Trujillo?s regime. I?m sure you?re familiar with the ?Trujillo Information? thread, I?ll quote post#62 recommending books about the dictatorship:

Foundations of Despotism , Peasants, the Trujillo regime, and Modernity in Dominican History (2003) By Richard Lee Turits.
This book attempts to explain the methods used by Trujillo to build support for his dictatorship over the Dominican Republic. What the author argues is what many other writers have argued for decades. That Trujillo's regime was not kept in power solely by force of arms and terror. That Trujillo was a leader of very real popularity among the Dominican masses.

It is no secret among Dominican historians that they trusted Trujillo.
Still today Dominicans talk in terms of TRUST about Trujillo. When you ask about Trujillo, many Dominicans say that though he was violent, the country was in good hands under him. The same goes for Balaguer, though he committed fraud in most of his elections, he guided us in the transition to democracy. It is TRUST in authoritarian regimes. It is evident in the 80% of the population in favor of a ?mano dura? and the increasingly authoritarian stance of all the parties in the political scene as a response to these demands.

but VIOLENT???????? who the heck doesn't understand the Dominican people (peasants) now?? Come on, as a nation the norm is NOT to show violence except in outbursts of passion!!

Like these joyful outbursts of passion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ne6bRVpGkQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBOxPtrdwhM
You should get out of your enclave.

What is your definition of Liberal Democracy? Is that Liberal with a CAPITAL 'L' or liberal with a small 'l'? Who of the present political parties do you think best fits that category?

Liberal Democracy what many scholars now refer to as the ?final form of human government?, with the BIG L; and none of them fits that category.

Sorry if this sounds confrontational but I just LOVE these studies that appear to be conducted by people from outside the country. How long did the study group spend in the DR? Or did they talk to Dominicans now living in New York for their information?

Those studies were actually based on general surveys conducted from 1994 to 2001 in the country by the PUCMM. I am sure you could find a copy online, it?s called ?Hacia donde va la democracia dominicana??. It is considered very important in the Dominican academia.

May I ask how exactly you are an expert on this subject? Did you conduct your own study showing contradicting these results?
Ah, that's right... you've lived in the country for 14 years... intuition.

 

[greyman]

Another Newbie here.

I admit I have been spooking this site for a long time now to keep up with everything back in the D.R. while I am away. I spend the summers in Sosua. Have met some members. This discussion really prompted me to break out of my shell so to speak.

In dealing with developmental issues concerning L.D.C's, Many comparisons can be drawn from around the world as many contributors have pointed out. Nals,bobandjudy,bilijou and others all have very valid points. I had a professor a few years back in Latin American History argued that the protestant work ethic that was a chief component in the United States development was absent in Latin America. He argued that the basis for Latin American development was instead the concept of the "Caudillio"(sp?) Man on Horseback. The large colonial and postcolonial Estancias etc. The development of individual powers leading to a patronage system When this moral compass is lost corruption is a natural outgrowth. In China it is called Guanxii, in Kuwait it is called wasta. Different countries different names same concept. From the guy who turns on your gas to a drivers liscence all have their individual power. It is this intricately designed system wherein corruption is entrenched.

The question is now how to break the cycle and exactly where in the curve the Dominican Republic is.

Sorry if I am a bit behind but I just registered and I am half way around the world time wise.

 

[Tordok]

Welcome greyman. Your analysis is right in line with the issue at hand. I entirely agree that this lack of trust is universal but for historical reasons indeed some nations are further ahead - or further behind - along the curve.

It would appear almost paradoxical that the early US had a collective approach to problem-solving, with a decent social cohesiveness empowerment system. The same nation that up to now has become possibly the world's most individualistic. That is both an accomplishment and a problem, but certainly an off-topic subject.*

The lesson however is that widespread individual prosperity can oncly occur when an effective, rational social contract is in place.

In Latin-Caribbean cultures (DR included), a few individuals dictated norms and procedures for the many, and the "mano-dura" regional or national honcho was the ultimate source of validation for social, commercial or individual actions. This fosters -like BushBaby said: FEAR, not TRUST.

So, the curve is still quite steep for the DR because certain cultural traits are harder to shed than others, but progress has been made and will continue to be made, it just feels too slow.

cheers,
- Tordok

*On comparing the north and south of the Americas, I recommend this realtively recent book:
The Americas: A Hemispheric History (2003) by the British historian Felipe Fern?ndez-Armesto.

 

[greyman]

Thank you Tordok, I spent a few years in China in both developed and under developed areas. Open and not. It was very interesting to observe the differences in the level of development and the overall attitude of the people in regards to their futures etc.

Without exception in the far north industrial belt failed S.O.E.'s(state owned enterprises) led to despair, higher crime rates an almost palpable sensation of resigned gloom and doom on the street. This inspite of the iron fist of the Chinese government. However, after their admittance into the W.T.O attitudes lifted.

Particularly in the more developed areas. Shanghai with all their various J.V.'s(Joint Ventures) is really doing extremely well and young people their are very optimistic about their future. This shows the power of the Global economy in exerting a positive influence on the overall development of a nation. Along with this comes a higher degree of transparency. "Structralism"(international political theory) is working on areas of "low politics"in removing trade barriers, tariffs etc. and then building on this into areas of "high politics." A pathway to development. The thin veil of corruption is exposed to the world and in order to fully participate in the world economic system there are certain demands. I fully believe that at this point it is generational. Within one generation alot of the corruption can be dealt with. Particularly if there is an educational system in place to bring up new young leaders that can eventually replace those of the old minds. The moral compass can return as poverty diminishes and corruption is dealt with. Through this new prosperity, instead of austerity, pride returns and trust begins to be renewed.

 

[Tordok]

We all agree that improving education is the best shot at conquering chronic underdevelopment, yet our governments have never prioritized it.

Look at Tourism -even with an often erratic strategy, 30 yrs ago tourism was virtually nothing and today is almost everything in the DR economy. The DR & friends were able to foment and create a successful industry.

If the DR & world friends decided to fundamentally and radically improve public education then even half of what has been devoted to cater to tourism would improve chances of a more equal, more sustainable, and more diverse kind of development.

We should aim to become one of the most literate nations in the world. Settling for any less an objective is shortsightedly dangerous. And if reason and leadership prevail, then a concerted/rational effort will succeed. I'm sure it can be done, but lacking the political will of those holding the reins of power it's not going to happen. If we get the large NGOs, private industry, and all concerned governments on the same page, then we have a chance.

- Tordok

 

[Chirimoya]

Two pieces of news I read today:
1- The government has announced that this year is going to be their a?o del libro y de la lectura (year of books and reading).
2- The DR spends the lowest percentage of GDP on education in Latin America (1.2%).

:ermm:

 

[gary short]

Two pieces of news I read today:
1- The government has announced that this year is going to be their a?o del libro y de la lectura (year of books and reading).
2- The DR spends the lowest percentage of GDP on education in Latin America (1.2%).

:ermm:

Just curious...where did you get that stat??????

 

[Chirimoya]

Today's DR1 news, quoting a UNESCO report

DR invests minimum in education
The Dominican Republic is the only country in Latin America that spends less than 2% of its Gross Domestic Product on education, according to the recently released UNESCO 2007 Education For All Global Monitoring Report. The DR's public investment in education is 1.2%. Uruguay and El Salvador are also at the bottom of the list with 2.3 and 2.9%.
In an editorial, Hoy questions the irony that the government invests so little in education while it preaches about turning the DR into a society of knowledge and reducing the digital gap.
Hoy also points out that another study recently found that the quality of education in the DR is low, primarily due to the few hours of classes and level of education programs in public schools. "That is, add to the low investment the bad quality of teaching and few hours of instruction," points out the newspaper.
See UNESCO.ORG | Education| Home Education for All - Global Monitoring Report

Dominican Republic News & Travel Information Service

 

[macocael]

Thank you Tordok and Exxtol . . .

. . . for injecting, as usual, some sense into this thread. First of all, Tordok is quite right to point out how the historical nature of this society has impeded the development of a truly democratic and rational social contract. Nuff said. And Exxtol has pointed out the ludicrous definitions of Vodun given by BobandJudy--all I can say is I am astonished at the shallowness of this reasoning as well as its utter incomprehension of Haitian society and history -- or the history of the african diaspora. But I suspected after reading about a third of their comments that they are in fact missionaries of some sort, and it has been my experience that missionaries rarely understand the people they are trying to convert. A comical instance of this is the Mormons who are now so active in DR. They built this ostentatious cathedral over on the Bolivar in an area that is called Los Robles -- I imagine because it once sported a grove of the same flowering oaks that decorate the avenue. But no more. No, they cut all the trees down and rolled out a lawn. Now I ask you, what could be more foolish than to plant an enormous lawn without any shade in a hot tropical city where we already suffer from a lack of trees? It is the perfect symbol of their complete incomprehension of the country they are so determined to sway to their way of thinking. Instead of adapting to the land, they force the land and its inhabitants to adapt to their ideas of reality, however out of synch they may be. BobandJudy unfortunately display the same kind of ignorance about Haiti and vod?. And by the way, it might be a good idea to go back and read your bible more carefully. I think you will find plenty of stories of deceit, lack of trust, brother against brother, father against son -- in the very patriarchs whose values you would foist unthinkingly on others. The judaeo-Christian tradition -- a great and noble tradition, dont get me wrong, but flawed and human nonetheless -- does not have a monopoly on good values of any sort. If you actually took the time to learn about the African traditions that you so carelessly dismiss you would find plenty of the same kind of stories and values that you believe lie at the heart of your supposedly superior social vision.

 

[A.Hidalgo]

Just curious...where did you get that stat??????

Hey Gary go here the link will take you to my post that will take you right to graph stats.:cheeky:


http://www.dr1.com/forums/dr-debates/57659-poverty-culture-conspicuous-consumption-5.html#post471218

 

[qgrande]

The situation is even worse I'm affraid, according to the global UNESCO statistics (Report Folders , Table 19 Finance Indicators) the DR has the lowest percentage of GDP spend on education, not only of Latin America, but of the world. At least, of the countries with data for 2004. :surprised

 

[NALs]

The situation is even worse I'm affraid, according to the global UNESCO statistics (Report Folders , Table 19 Finance Indicators) the DR has the lowest percentage of GDP spend on education, not only of Latin America, but of the world. At least, of the countries with data for 2004. :surprised

You say: the DR has the lowest pecentage of GDP spend on education

Correction: GDP is not spent on anything by the government of any government. However, expenditure as a percentage of GDP is a way of measuring the amount of money being devoted to a particular institution in relation to the size of the economy of the country. I will assume that is what you were trying to say.

I wish the report would be specific as to what causes the change in expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP.

Such percentage can decrease if expenditure is lowered or if expenditure is maintained the same but the economy (ie. GDP) rapidly grows.

It also does not mentions what percentage of the national budget (ie. the amount of money the government has at hand for its operations and duties) is devoted to education. I think that would be a better measurement of the priority or lack of priority a government gives to a particular institution in any particular country.

Afterall, the size of the economy and the size of the national budget are two different things and one is completely intangible to authorities while the other is ready and available.

Having said that, I won't be surprised if the DR ranks low on the percentage of national budget devoted to education.

We all should be aware that about half of the national budget goes to pay installments towards the interest of the national debt to the richest countries on earth.

So, even before Dominican officials begin to distribute funds for the functioning of the Dominican state; half of all the money collected via taxes and such goes to North America and Europe.

The remaining half is used for national spending including education, health, infrastructure, electricity, water, membership to international institutions and organizations, tourism, foreign investment promotion, migration control, civic employees, election campaigns, etc etc etc.

-NALs
-NALs

 

[qgrande]

You say: the DR has the lowest pecentage of GDP spend on education

Correction: GDP is not spent on anything by the government of any government. However, expenditure as a percentage of GDP is a way of measuring the amount of money being devoted to a particular institution in relation to the size of the economy of the country. I will assume that is what you were trying to say.

:ermm:

It also does not mentions what percentage of the national budget (ie. the amount of money the government has at hand for its operations and duties) is devoted to education. I think that would be a better measurement of the priority or lack of priority a government gives to a particular institution in any particular country.

It's there, check table 19. The % of government spending on education is by far the lowest of the world in the DR too, in 2004.

We all should be aware that about half of the national budget goes to pay installments towards the interest of the national debt to the richest countries on earth.

So, even before Dominican officials begin to distribute funds for the functioning of the Dominican state; half of all the money collected via taxes and such goes to North America and Europe.

The remaining half is used for national spending including education, health, infrastructure, electricity, water, membership to international institutions and organizations, tourism, foreign investment promotion, migration control, civic employees, election campaigns, etc etc etc.

Yes, but al this applies to most other developing countries too. Still they give more priority to education than the DR, all of them.

 

[Tordok]

For folks interested in how the world's economic balance is changing very fast, with opportunities and perils for all of us to either plan and move to the forefront of the competitive line or lose steam and remain in the back forever; I strongly recommend reading THE WORLD IS FLAT by Thomas L. Friedman. The book details what happened to the world in the very 1st few years of this 21st century and how it is goinf to impact the global workforce for many years to come. it also makes recommendations for the US (and why not, for other nations too) on how to take advantage of these changes.
- Tordok

 

[Mirador]

For folks interested in how the world's economic balance is changing very fast, with opportunities and perils for all of us to either plan and move to the forefront of the competitive line or lose steam and remain in the back forever; I strongly recommend reading THE WORLD IS FLAT by Thomas L. Friedman. The book details what happened to the world in the very 1st few years of this 21st century and how it is goinf to impact the global workforce for many years to come. it also makes recommendations for the US (and why not, for other nations too) on how to take advantage of these changes.
- Tordok

A very good read! here's several recent reviews...

San Francisco Chronicle

Deseret Morning News

Washington Post


The Telegraph review"]The Telegraph review[/URL]


The Telegraph review