ZIMBABWE WHISPERS

Zimbabwe To Name Thousands For Land Allocations

By Michael Hartnack Associated Press.

Sunday December 30, 2001

HARARE - ZIMBABWE.

The government will publish next week the names of nearly 100,000 black Zimbabweans who have been allocated land to be seized from white farm owners, a state-owned newspaper reported Saturday.

About 20 million acres (8.5 million hectares) of farmland -- 95 percent of the land currently owned by whites -- have been earmarked for seizure ahaed of presidential elections due to take place in March.

The land distribution program, widely viewed as a desperate attempt by the increasingly unpopular President Robert Mugabe to muster support ahead of the election, has plunged this southern African country into an economic crisis.

Quoting an unnamed government spokesman, the Herald newspaper said 54,592 peiple had successfully applied to be allocated commercial plots. A further 44,517 peasants deemed to have insufficient capital for commercial agriculture would be given land in new communal farming areas.

All veterans of the war against all-white rule in former Rhodesia before independence in 1980 were guaranteed land if they had not received a previous allocation, the government spokesman was quoted as saying.

" It does not matter whether he is a retired army general, a party functionary or a police commisioner, " he said.

He denied applicants were selected on the basis of their affiliation to the ruling ZANU-PF party and claimed the farm seizures would be vindicated by record production levels.

Agriculture Minister Josepg Made last week predicted a bumper 3 million ton corn harvest next April, but U.N. experts say the country needs to import up to 1.5 million tons of corn to avert famine.

Zimbabwe's High Court had declared the farm seizures illegal but in July Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced the Supreme Court bench was being expanded from five to eight judges and four newly appointed judges then ruled Dec. 4 that land grab was lawful.

THE COAST STARLIGHT: AMTRAK'S FUTURE?

A review of the Amtrak's Coast Starlight train that links Seattle with Los Angeles. Dec 31 -- Trains.Com

When will Californians give up the idea of Amtrak as a future? Only the few people who ride Amtrak will do so mostly for nostalgic and historic reasons. It should rather be considered as a unique "living" historic monument which simulates our past hundred years of an interesting but aging and out-of-date slow moving passenger rail system.

The Deadly Importance of Making Distinctions

Herbert Muschamp writes about architecture highlights for 2001: trends, significant projects, and the impact of Sept. 11. Dec 31 -- The New York Times

The importance for all architects is to get the job!

The 10 Cheapest Places to Live in the USA

California's "BELLY BUTTON"

If you're heading to L.A. to begin your acting career, you might consider living 92 miles north in Bakersfield, California where you can save those hard-earned bills. There, you'll find a house for about $130,000 cheaper and have an eight percent greater chance of finding a job. You'll also breathe easy as you settle into your new home with air that is 13 times better than the smog in Los Angeles.

Who Has The Nation's Worst Roads?

California has the nation's worst roads, followed by Louisiana, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

The Future Of Planning Support Technologies

Planning Support Tools have the potential to revolutionize the way we do planning. Yet many planners have been slow to adopt them. Why aren't these cutting-edge planning tools in the mainstream planner's toolbox?

Affordable choices for area between walking and driving

GINGER'S COMPETITORS The Segway Human Transporter is designed for covering distances that are too far to walk but too close to drive to. But other devices that do the same thing are already available. Jan 01 -- Modesto Bee

Susan Weaver Joins Solimar

Based in Ventura, Solimar is one of the nation's pre-eminent "think tanks" on issues associated with land use and metropolitan growth.

Weaver joins the firm with lengthy experience in local government policy analysis and planning practice. She formerly served as President and Executive Director of the Kern Transportation Foundation in Bakersfield, California, and as an assistant to Kern County Supervisor Pauline Larwood.

More recently she has worked as a consulting planner and economist throughout California. She holds a Masters in Planning and an M.A. in Economics, both from the University of Southern California and is a former member of the Bakersfield City Planning Commission.

"Susan is an outstanding policy analyst with a wide range of skills," Fulton said in announcing Weaver's appointment. "She has an unusual blend of practice experience, research skill, and political savvy, which matches Solimar's orientation well. We are looking forward to working with her to strengthen and expand our research program -- nationally, within California, and locally in Ventura County."

The New Geography of Wealth

Joel Kotkin offers his perspective on the "New Geography of Wealth" -- where smart people are now concentrated.