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The movie "Gangs of New York" shows just how fearful the natives get when new groups arrive from foreign shores. In this case, it's the newly arrived Irish who are feared by the English and Dutch, and fear turns into slaughter.

White against white. English Protestant against Irish Catholic. It seems almost simple when you consider the complexity of America today. The new immigrants are of many colors and languages, arriving from exotic lands like Somalia, Guyana and the Sudan.

In Massachusetts, 40 percent of the foreign-born population arrived in the last decade. Last November's vote favoring English immersion over bilingual education is undoubtedly a response to the sudden arrival of so many newcomers.

If the natives are overwhelmed by the changes, this does not mean they are racist. Many cities and towns don't have the means or ways of understanding how to manage this great demographic change, according to Miren Uriarte of UMassBoston. The word racist cuts off the conversation and people's fears go underground, when we need to talk openly and freely.

Two of the most fascinating immigrant stories are taking place in Schenectady, N.Y., with the Guyanese, and in Lewiston, Maine, with the Somalians. While I was in Schenectady last month (my home town), I followed the story of the Guyanese in the local newspaper, where the worries of both sides were thoroughly aired. Schenectady was once known as "the city that lights and hauls the world," but the lights went out when General Electric downsized. The loss of work and young people has been catastrophic for the area. Recently the city began aggressively recruiting new businesses, a winning strategy that called for a new workforce.

The mayor went down to Queens, N.Y., and recruited young Guyanese workers who are black and English-speaking (originally from Guyana, bordering on Venezuela). They came, they saw, they stayed. Today they are buying and fixing up long-neglected properties. With a strong work ethic and strong families, they are bringing the city back to life.

Are there problems? Absolutely. Does everybody like the idea of 2,000 Guyanese suddenly moving in? Of course not. Many natives are fearful of being displaced and resent the Guyanese for getting breaks they feel they didn't get. But there are continuing discussions about the concerns of both groups, and this is healthy.

The immigrant story in Lewiston, Maine, is more difficult. At the invitation of the mayor, a few African Muslim families from Somalia settled in all-white Lewiston. The number eventually grew to 1,100. As weary refugees from a fierce civil war, they must now learn a new language and acquire new work skills. Recently, a white supremacy group from outside the area (true racists) came to Lewiston to urge people to drive the Somalians out. Thankfully, the protest turned against the hate mongers.

These immigrant stories will play themselves out in time, just as those in "The Gangs of New York" did. Meanwhile, the world's refugees are increasing. We must take in our fair share of political refugees as should other well-off nations. But legitimate questions must be asked as well: What are the limits to open space, clean water and other natural resources in the United States? How can we help other countries end these brutal civil wars and improve their own standard of living?

These subjects are all part of the conversation we need to cultivate, not squelch.

Marsha McCabe is a columnist for The Sunday Standard-Times.

www.dailynews.com209541136934,00.html Article Last Updated: Saturday, January 25, 2003 - 10:42:32 PM MST By Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -- At least a hundred thousand Venezuelans -- many equipped with tents, inflatable mattresses and foldout chairs -- parked themselves on a Caracas highway Saturday in what they said would be their longest protest yet against President Hugo Chavez.

Shouting "until he goes!" the protesters blanketed a stretch of nearly three miles, prepared to spend the night. On the advice of organizers, many also brought water, sun hats, portable TVs and radios to help while away the hours.

Police at the scene estimated the crowd at between 200,000 and 300,000 people. Caracas fire chief Rodolfo Briceno said at least 100,000 were present.

"Prepare yourself for the longest protest in history!" screamed TV commercials and newspaper ads in the opposition-run media.

The opposition is trying to recover from a Supreme Court ruling on Wednesday that postponed indefinitely a Feb. 2 referendum that would have asked citizens whether Chavez should resign. Although the referendum wouldn't have been binding, opponents had hoped a negative outcome would persuade Chavez to quit.

Opponents had gathered 2 million signatures to petition for the vote. They backed up their demand by launching a devastating national strike Dec. 2 and staging daily street protests. Six people have been killed during protests since the strike began.

The opposition Democratic Coordinator movement is gathering signatures to demand a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for early elections. The amendment would involve cutting Chavez's six-year term to four.

Former U.S. President Carter proposed a similar plan while attending negotiations between the government and opposition in Caracas last week. His Atlanta-based Carter Center, the Organization of American States and the United Nations are co-sponsoring the talks.

Carter proposed a second plan that would have both sides prepare for a binding referendum on Chavez's rule in August, the midway point of his term.

www.iol.co.za January 26 2003 at 10:56AM

Paris - Ask French entrepreneur Tawfik Mathlouthi why his Mecca-Cola has become such a phenomenal success, and he is likely to say it's all about politics.

"Not only Arabs and Muslims are buying it, but also non-Muslims who are sick and tired of the crimes committed by America," he said.

If Mecca-Cola is indeed a measure of the level of discontent with Washington's foreign policies, then President George W Bush should probably pay some attention to its bottom line.

In the ten weeks since he brought his new soft drink on the market, Mathlouthi has received orders for 16 million 1,5-litre bottles.

'Every order I get from the US gives me great pleasure'"We originally planned for 160 000 bottles," he said. "They were gone in three days."

The soft drink is now being distributed in 23 countries, nine in Europe, with England providing the most lucrative market by taking 1,8 million bottles a month.

However, the 46-year-old father of four is most proud of the 80 000 bottles he has so far sold to the United States, the drink's political target and home of its mega-rival, Coca-Cola.

"Every order I get from the US gives me great pleasure," he said with a smile you could sense over the phone.

Mathlouthi said another 30 countries - including Indonesia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Cuba and South Africa - were waiting for him.

"They don't want to close the deal with anyone," he said. "They want to talk to the man whose idea it was, me. And I can't be in 20 places at once. It's just a question of time. In June, we will be distributed on five continents."

Not bad for a business that was begun with a shoestring budget of €22 000 (R207 240) and, as he put it, "a little creativity". - Sapa-DPA

www.voanews.com VOA News 26 Jan 2003, 08:21 UTC

Hundreds of thousands of opponents of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have jammed a major highway in Caracas to back a 55-day opposition strike that has crippled the nation's economy.

In what is being called "the longest protest in history," demonstators camped overnight along a 24-kilometer stretch of highway Saturday to press their demand that the president step down.

The massive street demonstration follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that suspended a non-binding referendum scheduled for February second on the president's rule.

Opposition leaders are now concentrating on collecting signatures for a petition for a constitutional amendment that could cut short the president's six-year term.

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter proposed a similar plan while attending negotiations between the government and opposition last week. The former president's Atlanta-based Carter Center, along with the United Nations and the Organization of American States, are co-sponsoring the talks.

President Chavez, in an interview published Saturday in a Canadian newspaper (La Presse of Montreal), called the Carter proposals "interesting" but not necessarily new ideas that should be discussed with the democratic opposition. Opposition leaders blame the country's worsening economic woes on Chavez policies and remain determined to see him leave office. The strike has paralyzed Venezuela's oil production, the mainstay of its economy, and pushed up global oil prices.

www.nytimes.com By JONATHAN FUERBRINGER

NVESTORS dread contagion in emerging markets. But barely four weeks into 2003, Brazil is showing that living close to a big debtor can be good for its neighbors' health.

"The direction Brazil takes will govern to a large extent the way perceptions of Latin America go," said Mohamed El-Erian, who as head of emerging market portfolio management at Pimco has bought millions of dollars in Brazilian bonds.

Although the election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signaled a sharp turn to the left in Brazil, the new president has done everything an investor could want. His key appointees have been "technocrats and orthodox economists," said Mr. El-Erian. "The policy implementation is totally in line," he added, noting decisions to increase social spending by delaying the purchase of jet fighters and canceling highway projects.

The central bank reinforced that conclusion last week, raising its benchmark interest rate half a percentage point to 25.5 percent. Despite the threat to economic growth from higher rates, the government backed up its promise to curb inflation.

That orthodox performance has paid off for some of Brazil's neighbors, as well as for Brazil itself, as the fear of a debt default by Brazil has waned. Three big bond sales, $2 billion from Mexico, $1 billion from Chile and $500 million from Colombia, have gone well in this improved environment, said Jose M. Barrio- nuevo, director of emerging markets strategy at Barclays Capital.

The total return on J. P. Morgan's index of Brazilian bonds is 0.7 percent so far this year and 43.9 percent since just before the October election. Other Latin bonds are faring well, with Peruvian bonds showing a total return of 0.9 percent this year.

Mr. El-Erian said fragile economies like Peru could benefit further from developments in Brazil. Pimco's $436 million Emerging Markets Bond fund bet 5 percent of its assets in Peru at the end of November, a huge bet for such a small country.

But even Brazil's good performance, Mr. Barrionuevo said, will probably not help Ecuador, which defaulted on its debt in 1999.

Ecuador's new president, Lucio Gutiérrez, is a left-leaning retired Army colonel who led a coup that toppled President Jamil Mahuad in 2000. But like Mr. da Silva, Mr. Gutiérrez has been pragmatic, dropping proposals to scrap Ecuador's dollarized currency and to not make payments on foreign debt.

aLTHOUGH Ecuador's bonds have rallied this year on hopes for new aid from the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Barrionuevo does not think Mr. Gutiérrez can win approval of the strong fiscal measures needed to get assistance from the I.M.F.

Mr. El-Erian is avoiding bonds from Venezuela, which is in the midst of a nationwide strike against President Hugo Chávez, and those from Argentina, because of the risk of further declines.

There is, however, a lot of value in Brazilian debt, despite its recent rally, Mr. El-Erian said. He would not disclose how much Pimco has invested overall in Brazilian bonds. .

But Pimco's emerging market bond mutual fund, had 22.8 percent of its assets in Brazil in November. That is up from 20 percent in November and more than the 16.1 percent share in one of the fund's benchmarks, the J. P. Morgan index. Including investments in its non-mutual fund accounts, Pimco holds $9 billion in emerging market debt.

Of course, he warned, Mr. da Silva has not proven he will stay this orthodox course. And investors could flee the risk of Brazil during a war with Iraq. "Then Brazil would suffer just like other countries," he said. Such a fear-of-war selloff sent Brazilan bonds sharply lower Friday.