Pubdate: Thu, 30 May 2002
Source: Register-Guard, The (OR)
Copyright: 2002 The Register-Guard
Contact:  http://www.registerguard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/362
Author: Ira Shubert
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/conde.htm

NO HEMP THIS YEAR

Well, it's that time of year again: Saturday Market, garden parties with 
wine and beer, endless outside events. And before you know it it's time for 
the Country Fair, the Barter Fair, and the Hemp Festival ... wait a minute, 
no Hemp Fest this year. Bill Conde is gone.

He vamoosed to Belize, Central America. He lives in a village near Orange 
Walk Town with his wife, Ruby, and three children, ages 9, 6, and 2. He has 
the newest and biggest house in town that also doubles as a variety store, 
which he calls "Guaranteed Used." They sell fine used clothing he buys from 
Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul. He also sells filtered water and filtered 
ice and that brings in a good living.

Conde just bought the property next door to him, which he says will be a 
youth hostel or a poor man's B&B. He loves the lifestyle down there and 
asks, where else can his kids grow up with all their cousins and 
grandparents within a two-mile area?

Conde is a high-profile character in the community, and as usual, is 
getting involved with charitable projects for the local kids. He admits 
Belize is a third world country, but says he loves the lack of pressure and 
laid-back attitude of the locals. He and the secretary of agriculture have 
discussed the possibility of industrial hemp farming as an exportable 
commodity. Sugar cane is the lowest of all possible crops and most of 
Belizean agriculture is sugar cane.

I have spent quite a bit of time down there and I see the Belizean Islands 
are growing at a remarkable pace. Cancun developers are buying land and 
building resorts farther out and north of San Pedro. I met with them this 
New Year's Eve and it's apparent what's going on. "The New Frontier" is 
cheap Caribbean property. This is the second largest barrier reef on Earth 
and the tourists are coming in droves, more from Europe than the U.S.

There are always trade-outs in life and nothing is free. The summers down 
there are humid and the chances of high winds in the fall are great. So 
please remember this song: "Summertime and the living is easy, your ma is 
good looking and your daddy's" ... well, alive and hiding in plain sight in 
Belize.

Conde asked me to say, "Who will step up to the plate and have the guts to 
do the Hemp Festival this year?" Have a grand, endless summer.
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MAP posted-by: Jackl