(a) Buzz Baxter, (b), Andy Easton and (c) Bill "dorris" Bergstrom all responded to my posting, quite true to type with (a) personal attacks, (b) threats and (c) ... duh ? what exactly were you trying to say, Bill ? Someone has threatened to annihilate the USA ? What, all 9,631,418 sq km and all 300 million of you ??? Sounds like a bad case of paranoia to me. BTW, and FYI, yes, my front door is usually left open; you should try it some time, maybe you'd make some friends.
Guys, you haven't done your homework. Didn't you read the communique that was released on the last day of the ASEAN summit in Vientiane ... as recently as Tuesday last week ? ASEAN appealed to the USA to "assist the bilateral movement of people between ASEAN and USA by removing excessive visa requirements and coming into line with accepted world standards". Andy, did you realise that you were describing your adopted country's trans-Pacific neighbours' official position as "a typically rabid anti-United States response" ? And you thought it was just lil' ol' me you were dissing. Better forget about applying for that job with the State Dept. The bald fact is that the USA's visa requirements and your Immigration Dept's treatment of visitors ARE going to stop people attending Miami '07. If you don't believe me, just check the statistics ... see what has happened to the number of visitors arriving since the first set of excessive visa requirements was imposed. When is the second set due to be enforced ... next March ? Andy, if you're going to win your bet about the number of visitors going to Miami, you'll need those overseas arrivals. I strongly recommend that you start lobbying Washington NOW for a change in visa policy ... hey, you can even quote the ASEAN communique to help you state your case ! Andy, I'm terribly sorry that you can't afford $300 for a dinner. While you're in Washington, you'd better raise this issue with the guys you voted for last month. The bad news is that unless you can persuade them to stop spending more than they earn, the US$ will continue to freefall against the Euro. If the current trend continues, that dinner will set you back more than $500 by the time you arrive in Dijon. Extrapolating current exchange-rate trends to '07 suggests that by the time the Miami WOC comes round, the US$ will have about the same value as the New Peso. Andy, you're a big guy, ear to the ground, close to the heart of things, so tell us ... is there any truth in the rumour that the WOC '07 Organising Committee have a contingency plan to price the Miami event in Euros ? I'd advise against it, personally. The cheaper the dollar gets, the larger the number of genuine orchid people who will be able to afford to visit Miami. Cordially, Peter O'Byrne Singapore _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
