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This month's Goanet operations sponsored by Mrs. Daisy Faleiro If you would like to sponsor Goanet's operations contact: Herman Carneiro - [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ We live in dichotomous times. Even as slums spread across Goans hillocks, so do so-called holiday homes bought by Europeans mostly British. A visit to any Goan Builder (Property Developer), will make you realise that Goa is too rich for Goan blood. Even Goan blood diluted by intravenous feeds of the dollar. A Goan Builder will have no qualms about telling you that he caters exclusively to foreign clientele. He builds homes without kitchens (just a kitchenette if you are lucky), so even if the price is right, the construction makes it an unfeasible buy for a Goan planning a long term stay. The going rate for a one-bedroom flat (apartment) after you factor in 5 year maintenance charges and interest charges, is upwards of 20 lakhs (approximately US$40,000), which ofcourse in UKpound is a bargain but out of the reach of even a middle class Goan. Now, I don't believe for one moment that all the Brits queuing up to buy these houses are going to live there, even on a temporary basis. No, the wily Brit will rent it out to other Brits, turning it into a sort of time-share holiday home/resort and raking in his own profit. I'd like to believe that blind capitalism will somehow ensure a method to this madness and even out the odds, but I can't help feeling that the only person who'll lose out long term is the Goan. Divested of his ancestral property for a quick buck, he has no other capital resource to fall back on. One generation down the line, unless he's smart enough to reinvest wisely in another capital venture, his progeny are bound to be impoverished creatures. selma ____________________________________________________________________________________ Bored stiff? Loosen up... Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games. http://games.yahoo.com/games/front