[PW] ILL question. Is this my job? NOT urgent.

[Carolyn]

At 01:38 AM 4/25/2007, you wrote:
><snip>
>Enough for the moment. . .but it's much more true that most would imagine or
>even like to imagine. . .as it's still true that most Americans still live a
>one hour drive or less from where they grew up. . .but try moving across the
>country or across the world. . .and you find that things are not the same.

Hi, Michael--

That last line of yours sure rang a bell with me! I've lived in New 
England all my life, within a 150-mile radius of my point of origin, 
in three different states. This region is considered very provincial 
by outsiders' standards. Yet I've been amazed -- no, stunned! -- by 
how different each area's culture and economy have been within such a 
short distance. It has enabled me to understand how Europe can exist 
with so many different countries and languages side by side. As an 
American born to wide-open spaces and no east-west borders, it took 
me until adulthood to grasp human nature enough to understand enclaves.

--Carolyn Haley