Article Translation

Thanks to all the readers who wanted to help out, especially Sjoerd who provided the translation below. Tom and Red at Scared Monkeys are good guys and colleagues - but I'm wondering if someone didn't juiice up the translation on them just a little bit without their knowing, or perhaps just make it at least a little more inflammatory than it was. Either that, or mine was watered down.

Comments later, perhaps. I'm in a rush.

Tieners VS feesten vooral op Aruba

door onze correspondent Nina Jurna

ORANJESTAD - De op Aruba vermiste tiener Natalee Holloway wordt in de media neergezet als een keurig, onschuldig, conservatief meisje van achttien dat op schoolreisje ging. Geen meisje dat zich op Aruba zou uitleven. Maar is dat wel realistisch?

Arubanen weten het: maandelijks komen duizenden Amerikaanse jongeren naar het eiland voor seks, drugs en drank. Op Aruba mag je, in tegenstelling tot thuis in Amerika, al op je zestiende drinken en voor een jointje beland je niet in de gevangenis. ,,Hier doen ze alles wat ze thuis niet mogen en zeker niet kunnen'', vertelt Gijs van 't Hullenaar. Hij is manager van enkele bars en nachtclubs, zoals van Moomba Beach, een populaire strandtent pal naast het hotel Holiday Inn, waar Natalee Holloway logeerde.

Los

Van 't Hullenaar schetst een duidelijk beeld van de Amerikanen zoals hij ze tijdens zijn horecacarrière op het eiland heeft leren kennen. ,,Ze kennen geen grenzen. Ze gaan helemaal los. Ze drinken abnormaal veel, ze blowen en gebruiken vaak ook meer drugs. Ook de meiden. Die zijn misschien nog wel erger dan de jongens. Ze flirten met de barkeepers en komen vragen om gratis drank. 'Als we niets hoeven te betalen, zetten we je tent op stelten en maken we een leuk feestje' zeggen ze dan.''

In Amerika mogen jongeren vanaf hun 21e verjaardag alcohol drinken en tot die tijd komen ze ook geen bar binnen. Op Aruba gelden de veel soepeler Nederlandse regels. ,,De jonge Amerikanen komen niet gewoon gezellig de bar binnen om wat te drinken; nee, ze willen stomdronken worden. Soms leggen ze gewoon een pakketje dollars op de bar en zeggen: 'geef me iets voor dit geld waar ik zo snel mogelijk dronken van word'.''

In de zaak van de vermiste Amerikaanse studente Natalee Holloway werd Van 't Hullenaar ook verhoord. Tegenover de politie en ook in een uitzending van de Amerikaanse televisiezender Fox heeft hij de reputatie van de Amerikaanse jeugd niet onder stoelen of banken gestoken. ,,Heel wat Amerikaanse ouders weten waarschijnlijk niet wat hun kinderen hier op Aruba allemaal uitspoken.''

Hypocriet

Hij vindt het hypocriet nu net te doen alsof het er hier allemaal zo netjes aan toe gaat, hoe vreselijk het ook is dat het meisje wordt vermist. ,,Maar dat ze stomdronken uit de nachtclub kwam, dat hoor je wel hier op het eiland, maar lees je niet terug in de Amerikaanse pers. Natuurlijk zeggen alle ouders: zulke dingen doet mijn dochter niet. Maar dat zeiden mijn ouders vroeger ook over mij.''

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Above all US teenagers party on Aruba

by our correpondent Nina Jurna (Nederlands Dagblad)

ORANJESTAD- The missing teenager Natalee Hollway is being described in the media as a tidy, innocent, conservative eighteen year old girl on a graduation trip. Not a girl who would be a party animal on Aruba . But is this surely realistic?

Arubans know this: every month thousands of American juniors bcome to the island for sex, drugs and booze. On Aruba you are allowed, contrary to the situation at home in America , drink when you are sixteen and for (smoking) a joint you will not end up in jail. ”Here they do everything what they are not allowed to do at home and surely can’t do at home”, Gijs van 't Hullenaar says. As a manager he owns several bar and nightclubs, like Moomba Beach , a popular beach club right next to the Hollyday Inn where Natalee Holloway was staying.

Loose

Van ’t Hullenaar illustrates a clear image of the Americans as he has gotten to know them throughout his career on the island. “They have no limits. They’re going totally loose. They are drinking excessively, they smoke pot and often use other drugs as well. Likewise the girls. May be they are even worse than the boys. Thet flirt with bartenders and ask for free drinks. “We will cheer up this place and make a big party if we don’t have to pay”, they say.

In America juniors are permitted to have alcoholic beverages from age 21 and before that they cannot even visit a bar. On Aruba we have the much more flexible Dutch regulations. “The young Amricans don’t just just enter a bar to socialize and enjoy a drink; no, they want to become blind drunk. Sometimes they just drop a pacjage of dollars on the bar and say: “Give me something for this that makes me drunk fast”.

Van ’t Hullenaar was heard in the case of the missing American graduate Natalee Holloway. In talks with the police and also during a Fox interview he didn’t restrain in describing the reputation of the American youth. “A lot of American parents probably have no idea what their children are messing with here on Aruba ”.

Hypocrisy

He (Van ’t Hullenaar) thinks it is hypocritical to pretend that everything that happens here is going so decent and proper over here, not to mention the dreadful fact of the missing girl. “But that she left the nightclub ‘blind drunk’, yes that’s what we hear on the island, but you never read this in the American press. Ofcourse all parents say: “My daughter doesn’t do these things. But that is what my parents used to say about me too”.

Comments

[moey]

pkt

No it is not irrelevant. I didn't say she should have 'expected' to be raped or murdered for partying. She should have had a reasonable expectation of safety. BUT she also had a duty to act responsibly and acting responsible does not include getting 'shitfaced drunk' as others have put it. If you decide to do that then you assume a big risk for what might happen. Not that you expect it will happen, but you should at least know there is a very increased probability that something terrible could occur.

[JustMe]

Michele in Bham:

Just curious.

Is Marcia Twitty married to one of Jug's relatives?

Thanks.

[pkt]

"What thinking person sends their 18 year old innocent daughter off to a foreign country on a drinking and gambling junket?"

18 years old is old enough to be drafted, old enough to drive, old enough to vote, and old enough to drink in most countries.

"I know she regrets it now, but lets be logical, what in the world were they thinking anyway???"

This could have happened anywhere... even in the US. In fact, Aruba was probably deemed a better and safer option than Datytona or Corpus Christi. Again... she wemt to Aruba.... not Nigeria or Columbia for Christ sakes.

[arubian]

IM SORRY ONE OF THE THOUSANDS OF WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN SYSTEMATICALLY VICTIMIZED AND RAPED HERE IS MISSING....IM SORRY BECAUSE LESS WILL COME HERE
IN THE FUTURE TO BE "CARVED OUT".

[moey]

pkt

You're right it could have happened in any city in any country, including the USA. Aruba does not have a corner on crime/violence.

That's why I tell my 14-year-old granddaughter to THINK before she decides to do something, not just act before thinking. It takes a little more self control, but keeps one out of some bad situations for the most part.

[pkt]

"BUT she also had a duty to act responsibly and acting responsible does not include getting 'shitfaced drunk' as others have put it."

First of all, there is no evidence she was "shitface drunk." If she acted like it, she may have been slipped a date rape drug. Seoond, even if she did, how many people on these threads have been drunk before?

Lastly, you. Justme and others sit here spewing out your recriminations of the parents in retrospect. Natalee was an adult. Maybe they gave her money and gave her options. However, they probably consider Aruba the safer option than elsewhere.

[michele in bham]

Marcia is married to Jug's brother Jar.

They have twin sons that were on the trip.

[pkt]

"That's why I tell my 14-year-old granddaughter to THINK before she decides to do something, not just act before thinking. It takes a little more self control, but keeps one out of some bad situations for the most part."

Not necessarily. A university campus - a dorm room - is much more dangerous than Aruba. This type of crime can happen anywhere... not just in a seedy tourist bar in Aruba.

[JustMe]

PKT:

My town of about 18,000 people is pretty safe too, but I do not allow my children to leave home and check into a hotel for five days unsupervised. And we don't have casinos or a legal drinking age of 18 years-old.

[evil]

PTK,
Obviously Aruba is not Mayberry either. It is a foreign country and has a different way of thinking (have you noticed the legal system?). To deny personal responsibility is "Stupid" (as you put it) I suppose you are saying she did not have to act responsible, she was in Aruba. Now that is Stupid.Get drunk, flirt with the locals and leave your group with 3 island boys, who need responsibility? I'm 18!
What bothers me is that the BTH is so frustrated with the lack of open communications from the Aruban authorities but, she has put the quietess on the others (Chaperones and other partiers) that were on the trip. Since "They" made this a public forum, the story should be told and nothing should be covered up. The fact that she was hoopin and hollering after she got in the car with these guys sort of makes you question the kidnapping too, huh? The circumstances surrounding the night at Carlos and Charlie's could shed some light on this story. Maybe she was so drunk they did not have to "drug" her either.
The fact that the group has been so hush,hush raises a lot of questions in my book.

[arubian]

don't hate us because we are shit

[michele in bham]

PTK, 18 is old enough to do a lot of things, true.

But why send an innocent 18 year old girl to a foreign country on a drinking junket with very little (if any) supervision.

No matter how responsible YOUR CHILD may be, when that child is drunk, it's very easy for some slime like Joran to take advantage of her.

It's not a smart thing to do, sending your kids off on a drinking junket.

It doesn't mean she deserved to die.

It means that parents out to rethink what they are sending their kids out to do at age 18.

It's a jungle out there.

[moey]

pkt

The part about heavy drinking is what you read about on all the postings including those coming from Alabama. This was a group of kids going to party, even my granddaughter has heard about the summer and spring break parties in Jamaica, other Caribbean areas, and Cancun. Yes, she could have been slipped a drug and probably was. Someone should have educated these kids to the fact that they were going to a foreign country (no matter how 'safe' everyone says it is and wised them up to the fact that they should use caution in accepting open drink containers.

Its too bad and I'm not blaming anyone other than whomever it was that actually hurt her, but there could have been more cautions in the beginning. Whomever it was that hurt her and caused this family all this hurt deserves to rot in jail the rest of their lives.

[JustMe]

PKT:

Get serious. Natalee is an adult?

Oh, yes. I guess you are correct. That is why Senators, Congressmen and the Royal Dutch Air Force get involved every time a 58 year-old man goes missing in Dutch territory.

Natalee is a child.

You really need to think of a better argument.

[arubian]

don't blame us because we are a subculture of fools, idiots, and savages...really......we almost have a society.

[michele in bham]

PTK, no one is "spewing" anything except for you.

You just have to face facts here, it's ALL part of the story.

A long time ago parents taught their daughters to avoid places where drunk men were.

It was the moral and intelligent thing to do.

Women, daughters and girls were to be protected.

Now we have a certain mindset of people that don't think drunk men can be harful to their daughters.

We find that history hold true, drunk men can and will be dangers to girls and women.

Discussing that horrible fact doesn't mean that Natalee deserved to die, or course she didn't.

But maybe she deserved better parenting?

I understand that her father wasn't in favor of the trip.

[pkt]

"But why send an innocent 18 year old girl to a foreign country on a drinking junket with very little (if any) supervision."

Again... this is insular thinking. This has nothing to do with going to a foreign country. The U.S. is more dangerous than most developed countries. This could have happened in Alabama, except we'd have seen some results in the investigation by now. If the drinking junket weren't in Aruba, it would have been elsewhere. At some point, our children have to be given the oppotunity to succeed or fail.

At the end of the day, this is not the parents responsibility. They trusted their daughter to go on this trip and they trusted the friends and family (her cousins) to support each other. We don't know if Natalee failed in that trust because we don't know what happened to her. I must admit though that I think her friends failed her.

[Gordan_Gekko]

I disagree Michele. I don't blame the parents whatsoever. As a parent you can only hope that the values and lessons you teach your child will help the decisions he or she make in their lives. These are especially valuable when you get to the young adult period of your life when you don't have parents dictating what goes on. NH was leaving for college in a few months. Should these parents think twice about sending her away knowing that frat parties and under age drinking takes place? I don't think so. The only people responsible are the ones that committed the crime. Based on the what I've seen the one sitting in jail and his father look like the guilty one's. Hopefully this a lesson to be learned for a lot of kids who are put in this situation. Don't go home with strangers you meet at bars.
GG

[arubian]

yes parents......warn against us because we are SHIT.

[JustMe]

Michele:

Thanks.

I thought that Marcia is married to Jar.

I read that one of the Twittys came close to whipping JVDS's ass the first night the kids were in Aruba. Too bad he did not break Joran's jaw.

I have been consumed by this since the first day. Later I read that David Holloway is from Jonesboro, Arkansas. That is real close to home. I don't know any of the Holloways but what I have since heard of them is that they are very good people.

One last thing. The Holloway family is also incurring expenses in Aruba. If anyone would like to help out there has been a fund established at one of the Jonesboro banks. I cannot remember the address, but you can probably find it by doing a Google.com search for "Jonesboro" and "The Sun."

[Silly]

Are there any facts on this website, or just useless bickering?

[Steve]

Nina people party everywhere, but nothing gives a person or persons the right to hurt or kill another person. The problem is the apperance of your lawenforcement. They look corrupt, thus guilt by association. They maybe good but they look bad. People can lie to police and get by with it and then the people like the poloice. They look like you and your letter corrupt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[arubian]

steve......life on aruba is cheap.......rape and drugging is a nightly event...ALL women are eyed as prey.....don't you know the handsigns?

[pkt]

"Natalee is an adult?"

She certainly was. A full grown woman.

"A long time ago parents taught their daughters to avoid places where drunk men were."

Drunk men? Have you ever been to college in the USA? 99% of them are full of drunk men.

"foreign country"

Again... this is narrow minded viewpoint. The U.S. is more dangerous in per capita crime than Aruba or almost anywhere in Europe.

[michele in bham]

The trust fund to help the Holloways is at Trustmark Bank. I think any branch, and from what I understand they are in Mississippi.

He seems like a top notch guy, Mr. Holloway.

[arubian]

if/when joran gets out, Im going to break his neck for what he has done to our island.

[lesmes]

pls, can you all just write something fresh on NH dissapearance and stop bitching on who is at fault on this case?
NO BODY, NO CASE IN HERE AND IN THE UNITED STATES. I have a good source that told me that in the natural bridge on the north side of the island, Aruban used to dump animal remains into the ocean. Have somebody investigate this fact. This source, also stated that those waters are infected by sharks.

[Concerned]

I just returned from Cancun. Nearby was a Carlos & Charlie's. It is on a strip of "partying til you drop" bars, dance clubs, and eateries. This could have been Aruba.
Because of the terrible case of Natalie Holloway missing, my husband and I decided to join my daughter's HS graduation trip organized by an Under 30 type of travel/vacation program for HS and College kids. We were the only parents on the plane out of Philly.
We stayed at a different hotel in the center of the tourist district. We wanted our daughter to have a long leash but still have us to fall back on, should she need us.
I made several observations. We need to be realistic about what kids do at these resorts, remembering they are kids: rebellious, idealistic, mischievious, etc. They are into each other: socially, romantically, etc.
They have their own subculture-- how they behave with us is different from how they behave with each other. It's part of adolescence. Some of it is good; some is bad. Most is "normal". I am not saying I condone all of it.
We as parents and as a society need to learn something from this Aruba tragedy: other countries are not like our country; our country will not necessarily protect our children; foreign countries do not like us, Americans, for several reasons.
Our kids are not always as polite as we would like them to behave. They get out of control and are eager to have a good time. Some take it too far. They need to know that choosing to be rude and obnoxious brings consequences for all of us: a bad reputation. Secondly, we are a blessed nation and unfortunately, there are those who dislike us for our affluence.
They love our money, yet they hate us. (I have travelled enough to know this, however, there are many people in these countries who are kind and loving and acceptant of us.) My point is: we can affect the perception the world has of us by being polite and gracious. We must teach our kids how to be more polite and gracious. This is not to say that Natalee was rude or out of control. She is a victim of the perception of ugly Americans and a victim of someone (or others) dangerous.
I believe that the underlying cause for Natalee's predicament is disdain for Americans for the above reasons. It is conveyed in attitudes. Couple that with an evil turn of events and we have Natalee Holloway missing.

[GG]

Anyone here any details of the interview Greta had with Deepak earlier today? Only thing mentioned was that he's no longer buddies with Joran because of his story constantly changing. Apparently 14 different versions have been explained by Joran about that night. Is that all Greta got out of that interview?

[michele in bham]

PTK, it could of happened anywhere but it didn't.

She couldn't drink night after night in a sleezy bar in her home town, so why send her away at that young and tender age to do that?

People need to come back to old fashioned common sense and morality.

Drunk people are dangerous, to themselves and others.

It isn't wise to send your children out to a foreign country on a drinking junket.

You can kick and scream against that all you want to, but it still all comes back to keeping your kids safe.

A lot of parents refused to send their kids on that trip and the school refused to have anything to do with it.

Why? Some people there with some common sense knew it wasn't a good idea.

Did Natalee deserve to die? No of course not, God bless her soul.

But if you think it's such a good idea to send immature kids out of the country so they can go party in bars and be out at all hours of the night with who knows where, why don't you ask Mrs. Twitty if she would do it all over again?

I bet the answer would be no.

And those two little half sister's of Natalee's, I bet their dad will not let them go off on drinking junkets when they turn 18.

[arubian]

drop bombs on us.......please....we offer nothing....we are slutty garbage.

[grimer11]

on urine.....I will tell all who are listening most clearly......that piece of shit will be trapped and forced to tell all he knows under the worst of circumstances......that motherfucker will be tortured for the truth and I am not kidding.

[Concerned]

Talking trash leads to nothing positive. We need to figure out how this situation can be prevented in the future.

[Lurker]

"One of the best books ever written, 'Alive' by Piers Paul Reid, says it best: 'People under stress always look for a scapegoat.'

Yep.

Let's be rational here. Nobody is under more stress than Beth Holloway Twitty.

[sxmmer]

Because one "bad" thing happend in Aruba (although nobody knows what really happened, but let's go with the general view that she is missing and probably dead), does not justify to call for a boycote for Aruba. Look at the other side, how many good experiences have taken place? Is the risk of going to Aruba and becoming missing, that high? I dont think so. The risk to drive a car and get killed is way higher. Do we ask for a boycote of the car?

Also "Don't go home with stranger you meet at the bars." does make life boring. How are you going to meet new people and make friends? All your friends have been strangers before. When do you call someone still a stranger? If you met a person several times, is it still a stranger? Where is the line?
I agree you have to teach your kids proper judgement. Let them undertand what the risks are and let them make calculated decissions. But to stop enjoying life by stop taking calculated risks is like being dead already.

[grimer11]

anyone who sends their children to Aruba should be most suprised, and grateful if they come home alive.......anxious moments for all.

[Concerned]

First, if we keep the kids in the states, they are restricted by the drinking age. It doesn'r eliminate the problem but the kids are more wary.
Second, parents need to be more vigilant. I can not believe I said ye to my daughter wanting to go to Cancun. It was not a good decision.
Third, if we allow them to go abroad, they need to be educated in the manners of the culture to which they are visiting. They need to know: they do not have unlimted rights and freedom.
Finally, we parents need to be there in some way, visibly or invisibly.

[sxmmer]

anyone who sends their children ANYWHERE should be grateful if they come home alive... Be realistic.

[JustMe]

Michele:

First Community Bank in Jonesboro is in charge of the fund to help the Holloway family.

http://www.fcb-online.com/display_cities.php?citystate=Jonesboro%2C+AR&submit=Select+From+These+Cities

[grimer11]

sxzmmer must live in a horrible, horrible place and state of mind.

[GG]

Sxmmer- Look up "stranger" in the dictionary and figure it out yourself. I didn't realize that refusing a ride home alone from you've known for a few hours in a foreign country would make you "boring".

[Concerned]

I prefer to keep our kids in the states because we have some basic knowledge of the workings of our system, not that a Natalee Holloway hasn't occurred here as well.

[Concerned]

I prefer to keep our kids in the states because we have some basic knowledge of the workings of our system, not that a Natalee Holloway hasn't occurred here as well.

[Lurker]

"Again... this is narrow minded viewpoint. The U.S. is more dangerous in per capita crime than Aruba or almost anywhere in Europe."

WRONG! Per capita the U.S. and Aruba have almost identical crime rates.

[Lurker]

This will open your eyes (hopefully) if you're still naive, stupid, and permissive enough to keep telling yourselves that these out-of-country hedonistic binge-drinking fests are just innocent "parties." No sane, responsible parent would send their 18 year old on a trip like that. Sure, they've worked hard and deserve a break, but there are BETTER and SAFER ways of celebrating H.S. graduation than getting blind, sh!t-faced drunk in a foreign country!!

There are SOUND REASONS we have a minimum drinking age of 21 in this country.

Remember, anytime you travel abroad YOU MUST ABIDE BY THE LAWS OF THAT COUNTRY and YOU ARE IN EFFECT AT THE MERCY OF THAT COUNTRY'S JUSTICE SYSTEM, and all the whining in the world won't change that!

This is from the 06/30/2005 edition of the Tombstone Tumbleweed, p. 13. "Mexican Border Violence Eclipses Other Dangers for U.S. Visitors." [emphases with asterisks mine)

U.S. authorities are warning Americans away from Mexican border areas such as Nuevo Laredo because of drug violence, but the average tourist may face more danger on a Cancun beach, on the Pacific Coast, or in culturally rich Mexico City.

In June alone, two 18-year-old American women were raped in separate incidents in Cancun, in what some activists call an epidemic that is being swept under the rug by U.S. and Mexican authorities. One victim was from Houston and her attacker was a hotel security guard.

[paragraphs omitted]

So how safe is Mexico for Americans? Probably as safe as anywhere in the United States, officials say, but **visitors often let down their guard and do things they woulndn't do at home. Especially youths, who find Mexico's 18-year-old drinking age reason enough to party.**

"Cancun is one of the safest places in Mexico and one of the safest places in the world," said Mayor Francisco Alor Quezada. "But it is also not the exception that bad things happen everywhere."

**Parents, he said, should tell their children: "You can't come here to do things that would be illegal in the United States. You should behave here like you do in your own country, especially for your own safety."**

**The No. 1 problem for Americans, especially young ones, in such places as Cancun, Acapulco and Puerto Vallarta is too much alcohol, U.S. and Mexican authorities say.**

**Many victims of robbery and rape in beach areas are blind drunk and trying to stumble to a hotel whose name they many not remember. Some locals are waiting for such victims.**

**Americans under the influence of alcohol often commit crimes themselves, including rape, seeming to forget that not only does Mexico have laws, but that some of them are more severe than in the United States.**

During Acapulco's increasingly popular spring break period, an overenthusiastic college student stole a Corona beer truck and crashed it. He was jailed until he came up with the funds to pay for the damages.

**"They relax their discipline and do illegal things," said Jorge Munoz, the attorney general for tourism in Guerrero, a special post to help visitors interact with the legal system.

[paragraphs omitted]

Apart from Mexico's northern border, the tourist spot that has received the biggest black eye this year has been the most popular: Cancun.

[paragraphs omitted]

Boldo [head of tourist police] did acknowledge that three rapes over the course of three days in June (the two Americans and a local girl) are unusual and unfortunate. **Still, she said, most crimes can be avoided by taking basic precautions: don't drink too much, don't do drugs, don't wander off alone, don't trust new friends.**

Lidia Cacho runs a Cancun shelter for victims of sexual violence and also volunteers as a certified Spanish-to-English translator. As a result, many of the rape cases fall into her hands.

**So far this year, she has handled 25 cases involving Americans. Many more cases -- four or five times that number -- go unreported, she said. **Most rape victims are young American women. Some are young men. About half the assaults are committed by other Americans, she said.**

**Cacho described sexual assaults in Cancun as an epidemic, adding that Mexican and U.S. officials won't accept that the resort is practically designed to facilitate such attacks.**

How?

Cacho's partial list: **All-you-can-drink alcohol, an obsessive focus on sex, unscrupulous Mexican and U.S. travel agencies that sell drinking packages to youths without the knowledge of their parents, bars and clubs with little interest in the safety of their customers, an indifferent U.S. consulate, easy access to illegal drugs, and minimal screening of hotel employees.**

[paragraph omitted]

**"There's a very imporant coresponsibility by these young people, male and female, who come here to do things that they cannot do in their own country," she said. **

Posted by: Lurker | July 6, 2005 10:59 PM

[arubian]

hey.....where is paulus?......anyone seen him since he scurried into his car like the cockroach that he is?.....how hard could it be for snipers to target his sweaty ass?.......closed slats or no.

[sxmmer]

grimer11; shouldn't be happy for every day you life and thank God for another beautiful day! The same way you should be thankful for the fact that your child comes back.

It is a fact that we take things for granted and dont appreciate the "normal" things in life.

No I don't life in a dangerous and horrible place. I think to life on a caribbean island can be considered a privilege. And I try to enjoy it as much as I can...

[MBHS1980s]

Michelle in Bham - just curious. Do you actually live IN Mountain Brook? I ask that question because so many of your statements are polar opposites to my view of this town.

[JustMe]

MBHS1980s:

I am curious. What has Michele said that causes you to think her mindest is at a polar opposite to MB?

[moey]

Michellein Bham

Do you know for a fact that there were lots of other parents who did not let their kids go on this trip? If so, what were their reasons, if you know?

I've read somewhere that Dave Holloway did not want his daughter to go on this trip, but the mother said okey; do you know if that is true?