Dear Ricky,

sometimes I feel very, very ashamed about some of my fellow Germans. We have 
some very friendly Germans, we have a wide majority of somehow neutral 
Germans, but we also have this - even rising - minority of really mentally 
underprivileged brainsick and violent right-wing Germans...

When you say that your cousing sheltered you, that might been maybe to your 
intellectual disadvantage but still, in the same time, to your physical 
advantage. Not sure, though. But look to the media reports on Germany. We 
have so many more attacks and attempts to kill colored humans since some 
months, and even worser, the justice system tends to let go right-wing 
criminals back into freedom or just judging minimum punishments while in the 
same time to increase strength of punishments against left-wing criminals 
and counter demonstrants against the pro-right-wing demonstrants. And many 
politicians even declare loudly that Germany has no fascists (upfront to the 
football worldmastership). I believe, there are not vew pro-right persons 
sitting in politics and justice. That scares me. They have the loud idiots 
on the roads to have the people looking to, while silently gaining more 
persons into the key positions.

That's one of the reasons I moved out of Germany. Oh, by the way, here is an 
interesting link:
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,grossbild-631653-417616,00.html

Kingston is - indeed - in wide parts a slum. Caused by the decreasing social 
network, the rising poorness and incompetent political decisions. I think I 
can relatively good compare with many other countries (was in many for a 
long time).

The countryside is still kind of native. Many honest fellows there. Very 
friendly, and not minding to give shelter, accomodation, to even a stranger 
despite of their poorness. They embrace strangers as well as their own 
friends. That is the kind of humanity I look up to.

But many islanders are also very religious. And I really mean: very, very, 
very religious. Some of those religious families even take their children 
out of school just because they don't want their children to learn about 
science and evolution, can someone imagine that...
I am a fighter against religious intolerance. I am also an atheist who can 
be, therefore, tolerant to each person, independent by religion (Buddhism, 
Sikh, Jews, Moslems, Hindus, Christians, Shintoism, and all the other ones).

It would have been good, to be multi-lingual. That also would have opened 
additional business opportunities. But it is never too late, the options are 
even still there: maybe there are some Germans nearby where you live. Or 
some German communities who would like to make friends. That requires some 
research on the Net. There are always some clubs or communities. I am just 
not sure about how close or not close. In addition, language schools, of 
course. It really might pay, later on. There are many international 
companies. But you are right, it is a pity you couldn't achieve these goals 
during your German time. Sorry. But the fault is on our German side, I 
think. Your cousin acted like a caring family member.

Of which descendence are you? When I was still living in Berlin, i was a 
part of "Savannah United e.V.", an African cultural organization group. 
Organizing African festivals, and so. I am a native German (but one of the 
good ones, I hope).   ;-)

Ricky, I would be absolutely eager to see, as soon as anyhow possible, your 
first tropical island scenic renders! I like that island beach photo a lot 
which I posted previously, now it is up to the landscape artists amongst us 
to take the fire and come with a long series of beautiful tropical paradisic 
scenic renders. I want to see quiet hidden lagoons, long lonely beaches just 
escorted by palms hanging over the clear turkey water, I want to see 
colorful tropical blossoms, lianes, white sands, blue sky and all the other 
scenic beauties tropical islands just have. (And that's another reason why I 
am in the Caribbean.)

Best greetings,

Sven





"Cousin Ricky" <ric### [at] yahoocom> schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
news:web.4488adb8df8d5bed43a5e2560@news.povray.org...
> I've never heard a good word about Kingston; only that it's an 
> impoverished
> third world slum.  But how is the rest of the island?  I've heard good
> about Montego Bay, but i don't know what the rural areas are like.
>
> I live in the Virgin Islands.  I'd started working on a beach study, but i
> haven't invested the time to create finished scenes.  I'd gotten as far as
> sand, sea water, rocks, and reflective beach balls, but no vegetation.
>
> When i was a child, i spent a summer in Heidelberg, (West) Germany.  My
> uncle was in the US Army, and was stationed there.  I went there with
> dreams of learning German, optimistic because of its common roots with
> English.  Unfortunately, my cousin felt he had to shelter me from "the
> Germans," and didn't learn anything.  Years later i stopped in my tracks 
> as
> the thought came to me, "Hey, wait a minute!  I was in GERMANY.  Shouldn't 
> i
> have just told my cousin, 'Let's keep going!  I'm SUPPOSED to meet
> Germans'?"  (I know, my reflexes are kind of slow.)
>
>

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