Folks,

Our cruise date is fast approaching. Please contact Gina for bookings. Remember, the best cabin choices are the first taken. Our hundred reserved cabins are not specific. Cabin choices are on a first come first choice selections.

Reply from Joy Bashara (Teacher): Green Bay, Wisconsin

Gary,

Are you living in the Philippines? I was born in Wisconsin. I worked most of my career in Superior, Wisconsin. Lived in Scotland, Czech Republic and Russia during my time teaching doing exchanges and special programs.

Joy Bashara

Joy, Yes we live in the Philippines. We retired here in 2003. My Wife, Bernadette is from here.

Joy Bashara

Reply from Bill Krause (74): Dickinson, ND

Gary and all (especially Joy Bashara),
The year of 1974, our senior class was quite infamous for having gone through a number of english teachers,for some reason unknown to me! But when Miss Bashara came and conquered our short attention span of english that year,she made the rest of the year rather enjoyable!! I am pleased to know she is alive and kicking in Greenbay, USA!! The mystery has been solved of what ever happened to Joy Bashara!!! I know I was one of many I am sure,that was wondering!! Thanks Joy Bashara for a wonderful time in English class!! Bill Krause

Joy Bashara

Question from Vickie Hiatt LaFontaine (73): Grafton, ND

Vicksburg, Mississippi

Comments from Bill Grimme (65): Birmingham, AL

When I lived in Vicksburg, Mississippi, I worked at a power plant in Port Gibson, “the town to beautiful to burn” according to General U. S. Grant during the Civil War. Two or three times a week, I would come up behind or be passed by a fellow in a pickup truck as I traveled down Highway 61 (the same road Bob Dylan sang about). The guy’s license plate said “YANKEE”. I can’t remember the state he was from, but, I always thought, “This guy is really brave or really stupid.”

When I moved to Vicksburg, a real estate agent educated me on the local social order. It went like this. Highest on the list were local whites, second was local blacks, and third are the Yankees. And who is a Yankee? That’s anyone whose “people” came South after The War of Northern Aggression, as the Civil War is often called in the South. Black Folks often refer to the Civil War as the “Freedom War”. Northerners at the time of the war often called the war the “War of Rebellion”. Interesting perspectives. That being said, I can say that I really enjoyed my time in Vicksburg. It’s a great place to get a touch of the flavor of that war that ended on paper 150 years ago, but, still lives on in some places in the South.

When I moved to Vicksburg in 1988 from northern Illinois, it was like going back about 50 years in time. Except for the model years of the cars, it seemed like the place had lagged in time. I’m not speaking of modern conveniences, but, rather I’m thinking about the feel of the place. I went back a few years ago and that has changed quite a bit. What seems to have happened is that riverboat gambling came to town and brought a whole new brand of tourist. Before the casinos, the main visitors were there to learn about Civil War history – the Vicksburg battlefield park is a very interesting place to visit. The bright lights of the riverboats produces a real contrast to the experience.

I don’t disagree with bringing the boats in. Folks enjoy gambling, they pay a voluntary tax to do it, and the local folks do benefit from that revenue. Unemployment was kind of high in Vicksburg when I lived there, but the introduction of the casinos improved that a lot. And, I haven’t heard that the crime rate skyrocketed, as some who are opposed to the enterprise always predict (I think that high unemployment drives crime a lot more than gambling). And, in advance of the protests I will likely get from this opinion, I will give my opinion on the argument that the casino business is bad because it draws poor people in to gamble money they don’t have. My opinion is that you can’t protect people from themselves. If they want to gamble, they will gamble, either illegally or by driving to places where they can gamble. You might as well get some local tax revenue and save folks money on gasoline. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!