What we all were waiting for.

Arkansans Urged To Avoid Traveling To Aruba
( Air Date: 11/29/2005 )

Governor Mike Huckabee announced Tuesday he is joining with Alabama Governor Bob Riley in requesting Arkansans consider avoiding travel to the Caribbean island of Aruba on behalf of the family of missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway.

"I have received a letter from Governor Riley explaining the situation and requesting that I join him in urging this boycott, and I agreed," said Huckabee. "Out of respect for the Holloway family, including several members who live here in Arkansas, and out of concern for the safety of our citizens, I believe the prudent course of action is to avoid travel to Aruba for the time being."

Beth Holloway Twitty, Natalee`s mother, is originally from Arkansas and several family members still live here.Recently, Riley publicly urged all Americans to refrain from travel to Aruba in an attempt to force the Aruban government to be more forthcoming with information on the investigation.

On November 18, he sent a letter to each of the nation`s governors requesting that they join him in urging a travelboycott to Aruba.Riley said in his letter, "The point has now been reached where Aruban authorities are no longer communicating with Natalee`s family (authorities are communicating to the family throught their lawyers in Aruba) and are not providing information about the status of the investigation into her disappearance. This is unacceptable to me as their governor, and it should be unacceptable to all Americans."

Natalee Holloway, an 18-year-old from Alabama, disappeared on May 30 while vacationing on Aruba with her recently graduated high school class.

Opinion: It took two weeks for the governor to make that decision, but it's all about politics for these Southerners, they need the support to stay in office, and patriotism really does that. Just hope the Aruban hotels are not gonna get panicky for missing 50 Arkansans a year.

Dutch experts say Dr. Phil tape in case of teen missing in Aruba "manipulated".

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - Forensic investigators in Holland have found someone altered a taped interview in which a Surinamese man allegedly claimed to have had sex with a U.S. teen who disappeared while visiting Aruba, the island's police chief said Wednesday.

The tape was an interview with Deepak Kalpoe by an investigator hired by the U.S. television program, the Dr. Phil show. In it, Deepak allegedly claimed to have had sex with Natalee Holloway, an Alabama student, before she disappeared in May.

"The tapes played on U.S. television appear to have been altered to suggest Deepak admitted to a sexual act, our forensic investigators tell us, the original tape did not say that," Gerald Dompig, chief of police for the Dutch Caribbean island, said in a statement.

On the tape, Deepak allegedly said Holloway "dressed like a slut," and he, his brother, Satish, and Dutch national Joran van der Sloot had sex with Holloway, who would have turned 19 in October. "I have reviewed the findings of the Forensic Institute in Holland...those results state that the tapes were not authentic in regard to statement made by Deepak Kalpoe," Dompig said.

A spokesman for the Dr. Phil show had no immediate comment.

"We have asked the FBI to review the same tapes to corroborate the conclusion reached by our Dutch forensic investigators," the statement said.

Holloway was last seen early May 30 leaving a bar with van der Sloot and Surinamese Kalpoe brothers. They were arrested June 9 but released after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them. Searches of the island failed to find the missing teenager.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has called for a travel boycott of the island because of how the case was handled. Holloway's family accuse the island's government of not fully co-operating with the investigation into her disappearance. Aruban officials have criticized the boycott, disputing charges the case was mishandled.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/news/shownews.jsp?content=w112389A

Bob Riley slow with the Boycott or just Cautious?

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Three-quarters of the people in the state back the boycott of Aruba in response to that country's handling of the Natalee Holloway disappearance, but nearly two weeks after Gov. Bob Riley said he wanted to get other governors behind it, they still have not heard from him.

A call was made by NBC-13 reporter Karen Lehane to every governor's office the day after the announcement to see if any of the other governors supported Riley's call for boycott. None had heard of it.

A poll released this weekend shows most Alabamians surveyed support the governor's self-imposed boycott. But have any other governors put support behind the boycott?

On Monday, another call was made by Lehane to every governor in the nation, including Riley, to check on the progress of the proposed boycott.

In Idaho, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's office reported, the most they've heard about it is from the general public.

"We've gotten a few e-mails form constituents, but we haven't received anything form Gov. Riley at this point," said Kempthorne's office.

"Our hearts go out to that family…had heard Gov. Riley would be contacting other governors … and haven't heard from him," said North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven's office.

In some states it apparently wouldn't make a difference anyway.

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's office said, "As far as I know we haven't taken any action on that and don't plan to."

"No comment," said Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell's office.

The phone call made to Riley's office Monday, has not gotten any response. Riley's press secretary has not called back, so it is unknown whether those letters to other state leaders have been drafted.

http://www.nbc13.com/news/5377702/detail.html

Let's Boycott Mc Donald's. Everywhere.

Mc Donald's stores in OHIO, have signs up saying: Boycott Aruba till Justice is done!.

So, a business is actively instigating people not to travel to that island. My question is, are Arubans allowed to enter that place or will they be escorted out till justice is served?

How far will Mammana go? Will it be Wendy's and KFC next? Will Jerrod from Subway not be coming back to Aruba?

Let's hope it's just the free speech of some of the workers who would not afford a trip to Aruba anyway.

But it's free speech, they can hide behind that.

So free, that Americans are also free to go where ever they please to go, not to the Amen of Beth Twitty and her PR campaign.

Aruba: Top Ten travel destination for Thanksgiving.

Top 10 Thanksgiving destinations

By Editorial Staff
Updated: 6:25 p.m. ET Nov. 16, 2005

We’ve come up with a cornucopia of travel ideas on where to spend Thanksgiving. Sure, we cover the obvious – after all, no list would be complete without a nod to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade or the site of the 1620 pilgrim landing – but, we also favor less-traditional destinations, from lush islands and beach spots to desert landscapes and ski slopes. Plus, with fares so low to Europe at this time of year, we'd be remiss not to pick at least one European capital; our preferred city is known for its terrific beer and French fries, although you'll be hard-pressed to find football on television (American football, that is). We've even recommended a jaunt on the high seas, since we figure there's no better tribute to the adventuresome spirit of the pilgrim pioneers than by making your own transatlantic trek; bring your family along for the fun and enjoy the best of the holiday!

Aruba
Granted, there’s not much of a connection between Thanksgiving and this Dutch-owned Caribbean isle, but it’s certain that giving thanks for all of life’s little pleasures is made infinitely more effortless when kicking back on the turquoise shores of tropical paradise. All-inclusive, luxurious resorts line the shores, diverse culinary fare is served up in numerous restaurants, and superb shopping opportunities abound.

Opinion: Isn't it MSNBC that was letting their hosts bash Aruba on their nightly shows? Till when the The Netherlands hopped in, they are now very cautious about what they say about us.

The List is out and again FOX edited the text.

CAMDEN, New Jersey (AP) -- For the second year in a row this destitute city of Camden, New Jersey, has been named the nation's most dangerous, according to a company's annual ranking based on crime statistics.

Last year, the distinction seemed to hurt city boosters' feelings more than it harmed revitalization efforts. This time, city leaders are offended by the ranking, calling it unfair.

"We're doing so many nice things now. It's unfortunate that somebody always wants to bad-mouth Camden," Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said.

The city took the top spot last year from Detroit, which remained No. 2 in the most dangerous city rankings, to be released Monday by Morgan Quitno Press.

The Lawrence, Kansas-based company publishes "City Crime Rankings," an annual reference book.

Listed as the most dangerous cities are:
Camden, New Jersey;
Detroit, Michigan;
St. Louis, Missouri;
Flint, Michigan;
Richmond, Virginia;
Baltimore, Maryland;
Atlanta, Georgia;
New Orleans, Louisiana;
Gary, Indiana;
Birmingham, Alabama.

At the other end of the scale, the safest are named as:
Newton, Massachusetts;
Clarkstown, New York;
Amherst, New York;
Mission Viejo, California;
Brick Township, New Jersey;
Troy, Michigan;
Thousand Oaks, California;
Round Rock, Texas;
Lake Forest, California;
Cary, North Carolina.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/21/camden.crime.ap/index.html

The other part of the News.

SOUTHAMPTON - The third-graders at Norris School are getting a taste of Carnival time in Aruba last week.

"I think it's pretty interesting. I would like to go there sometime, maybe. It just sounds cool how they dress up and stuff," said Madeline M. Silverman, 9.

Madeline and her third-grade classmates had just heard a presentation from town resident Sonia R. Hillios, a frequent visitor to the Caribbean island, who photographed the Grand Parade of Carnival on the 50th anniversary of the event in winter 2004.

Hillios, an artist and illustrator, obtained a $400 grant from the Southampton Cultural Council allowing her to bring her colorful photographs to show children, to buy supplies for them to make masks like those used in the parade and to present a show about the island and its Carnival festivities.

Hillios said she hopes to incorporate some of the children's masks with her photographs for an exhibit at Town Hall or the Senior Center.

"It's a seven-hour parade. I was able to get in the midst of everyone (to photograph it). I just want to bring a little of the cultural experience back to the schools and tell the kids about it," said Hillios, whose grandson attends Norris School.

Art teacher Leslie diCurcio said she was happy the children are learning about another culture and learning how to create art relating to it.

"It's always nice for students to talk to new artists to get a different perspective. And, she's talking about the diverse culture of Aruba," diCurcio said.

None of the pupils in the class had been to Aruba, but by the time Hillios had finished her presentation, most of them wanted to go there. Several of them complimented her on her photographs.

"Is it fun being an artist? I want to be one," said Stacia K. Williams, 9.
"It's fun, but it's a lot of work too," Hillios said.
Stacia, who said the costumes people wear for the parade are "cool," picked a turquoise blue background for her mask, as well as a velvety purple feather and sparkling pipe cleaners to decorate it.

"I want to try to make it look really pretty because that's what they do," Stacia said.
Vanessa L. Groeber, 8, said she thinks Aruba would be a nice place to live.
"It seems kind of neat how they dress up in different types of clothes presenting different cultures," Vanessa said.

Michael P. Sears, 9, said he liked the colors and the dancing in the parade.
"I think it's cool they are outside and not sitting on the couch and watching TV," Michael said.

Seven out of Ten Alabamans will not come to Aruba. I hope so.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

November 20, 2005

MOBILE, Ala. – Three-quarters of Alabama residents back the governor's call for a travel boycott of Aruba to protest the island's handling of the disappearance of teenager Natalee Holloway.

The poll, conducted by the Mobile Register and University of South Alabama and released Sunday, also found that seven out of 10 respondents would not travel to the Caribbean island even if they won a free trip.

Gov. Bob Riley proposed the boycott to protest the investigation into the disappearance of Holloway, who went missing in May at the end of a Mountain Brook High School graduation trip.
The teen's family claims authorities in Aruba have conducted a shoddy investigation. Holloway, who was 18 when she vanished, was last seen leaving a bar with three young Aruba residents. Each of the three was later taken into custody but has since been released.

Authorities in Aruba have reacted angrily to the call for a boycott. The State Department has refused to support a boycott, as have many travel groups.

"The governor certainly understands there is nothing he can legally do to stop Americans from traveling to Aruba," said Riley spokesman Jeff Emerson. "This is just using the bully pulpit to urge them to consider other travel options."

The poll, which was taken Monday through Thursday by the USA Polling Group, surveyed 400 adult residents of Alabama. The results carry a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

My Opinion: This poll is not objective and neither scientific. The questions were given to people who has never been to Aruba, has never planned to and some did not even heard of Aruba before.

Secondly, half of the Alabama population does not even come close to the level of income that the Aruba Tourism is focusing on. They earn less than $35.000 a year.

Just like the average viewer of Dr. Phil's show, they only earn $19.ooo or less a year. They could not even dream of affording a trip to Aruba anyway, let's hope that they indeed boycott Aruba.

And thirdly: The margin of error of 5%, too high to be considered it even close to reality.

Mus also mention that FOX published this information on their internet front page but came short to disclose that only 400 Alabamans were questioned, maybe even all from Birmingham?

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2005/11/natalee_hollowa_59.html

Harry Potter 4: The Goblet of Fire.

This one is darker, more powerful and has a lot of sexual tensions. They grew up and Harry is being chased by some mysterious forces, powers of the past. It's exotic and plainly adventurous.

We also see how Harmoine, Ron and even Harry get noticed by others and we see them forming their own crushes. So now, Harry must not only fight the demons and monsters but also his heart.

Lord Voldemort will do everything to recover his power and the only way to do that is by using the only one he could not killed with his spell; Harry Potter.

In this movie we see a lot of action, spells, love, laughter, dance, parties and mainly the willpower to defeat evil. Harry Potter's worst nightmare comes to life in this part. One thing though, this story is too long to be squeezed in a two-hour movie, forcing the editors to cut a lot of information, making this a very fast paced moving story.

My opinion: Go see this one!

Aruba Focus on New Markets.

In a move that underscores AHATA´s continued, proactive approach toward the meetings market, Jorge Pesquera, President and CEO of AHATA (Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association), announced last week the signing of a representation and cooperation agreement with the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions (NBTC).

The new agreement provides Aruba with nationwide sales coverage and a range of other marketing support services that will catapult the destination´s presence in the North American market. With this move, our members will be getting a major boost in terms of marketing presence and we are living up to our promise of being a leading marketing advocate for Aruba´s tourism industry, Mr. Pesquera was quoted as saying.

Scott Wiggins, Executive Director of MEET ARUBA, the group marketing division of AHATA entrusted with spearheading AHATA´s group sales and marketing efforts, said that NBTC´s well-established reputation in destination marketing and convention sales is a perfect complement to AHATA´s excellent sales team. They have over 30 years of experience in this business and will be able to provide MEET ARUBA with immediate professional representation in the north east, mid-west and west coast of the United States.

We are confident that the NBTC will be a great counterpart in delivering group leads and definite bookings to our members. MEET ARUBA will provide them with the tools and the motivation to become an integral part of our team, he pointed out. NBTC is a goal-oriented organization committed to providing a mighty leg up to each partner who invests in its services.

Valero Aruba in big Plans for oil-refining.

Valero Energy Corp. plans to invest some $5 billion to expand refinery capacity by some 400,000 barrels per day over the next five years.
Although improvements will likely be made at all of the company's 18 refineries, Valero officials say the bulk of the work will occur at refineries in Texas, Aruba, Canada, Louisiana and California.

Both the Aruba refinery and the refinery in Quebec, Canada, are slated to undergo a 50,000 bpd increase in capacity. Construction work on the Aruba refinery expansion is expected to begin early next year, and work on the Quebec refinery is slated to be under way by late 2007.

Marcogliese says today the Aruba refinery does not produce gasoline, but adds that Valero officials are studying the possibility of ramping the refinery up for gasoline production -- and possibly beginning production of ultra low-sulfur diesel at that location as well.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10033524/

Dutch Ambassador to the American People.

Statement by H.E. Boudewijn J. van Eenennaam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the NetherlandsNovember 9, 2005

Statement by H.E. Boudewijn J. van Eenennaam, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on the Governor of Alabama’s call for a travel boycott to Aruba related to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway

9 November 2005

I strongly deplore that the Governor of Alabama has called for a tourism boycott of Aruba in an effort to put pressure on the government of Aruba in the Natalee Holloway case.

I was reassured by the United States State Department that the action of the Governor of Alabama does not represent the foreign policy of the United States. There is no U.S. government boycott or travel restriction on U.S. citizens visiting Aruba.

While I understand the ongoing anguish, a boycott of Aruba is not the answer to a legal case which is still under investigation. It is not the appropriate signal to the citizens of Aruba who have been very supportive in the efforts to find Natalee Holloway. This call ignores the fact that the Aruban authorities, actively assisted by the Kingdom, have done their utmost, and will continue to do so, to solve the case.

I want to reassure the American people that everything is being done to resolve this tragic case.

We are standing together in our efforts and our hope.

http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/article.asp?articleref=AR00001802EN

The Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association will address Mrs. Beth Twitty soon.

Things have gone too far and it cannot be permitted that innocent persons will become victims of an irresponsible act by the Governor of Alabama, according to Mr. Jeff Lesker, President of A.H.A.T.A.

He clearly said that diplomacy must continue and that the Government must attend to this case at the highest possible level to present the other side of the coin.

Jeff Lesker said that very soon the other side of the coin will be presented in the local as well as in the international press, which probably has already started, because he was waiting on confirmation to provide telephone interviews with international communication media.

At the moment when Alabama Governor called for a boycott of Aruba a lot of people, including those that were already fed-up with the actions of the Twitty family against Aruba as well as those that were still in favor of a continued friendly approach to Twitty, said that “this is as far as we go”, our people cannot be jeopardized by such a case where there is no proof whatsoever that the girl was murdered as is being said, and where everything else is pure speculation brought to life by the US media.

The Aruba Police Association is breaking Silence.

In voicing their opinion on the Beth Twitty case as Police Union, union president Eric Zaandam finds that Aruba has treated Beth Twitty too good to now be the victim of a call for boycott. So far we have been quiet. Because we are aware of the general interest we did not react from the beginning when we concluded that this lady is not serious, certainly when she constantly changes her own version on the case of the disappearance of her daughter.

Beth Twitty had a preferential treatment in Aruba because she was getting all information on the progress of the case. This, according to Zaandam, caused Beth Twitty and her group to think that they can do anything in Aruba. She even went that far to ask FBI to take over the investigation and not to let our own police do the job.

Beth Twitty is an insolent person, interfering with the Public Prosecutor and demanding to impose her wish. This is a lesson for all of us, according to Zaandam. On the other hand our own people, such as the Minister of Justice Rudy Croes, have created the opportunity for Beth Twitty and her group to interfere and make demands in a letter. It was the very Rudy Croes who asked to remove Head Attorney Karen Janssen and Jan van der Straten from the case. We can all remember the day when he (Croes) returned from Brazil and introduced Commissioner Gerold Dompig as the new person in charge of the investigation.And now because the Government informed that they cannot interfere with the Public Prosecutor where the official are appointed by the Kingdom Government, Beth Twitty and her family now think that our Government does not have any power and that Holland has all say in Aruba. And now the family wants to go to Holland.

According to Zaandam, this situation will not stop until Natalee Holloway is found, dead or alive.

Did he think it out or was Forced?

''We want to talk once more with various students because their first statements, taken by the FBI, were very short,'' Dompig said.

My thinking on this is that this statement by Police Chief Dompig, following Alabama Governor Bob Riley's call for a boycott of Aruba, clearly places the governor and his staff in jeopardy of obstruction of justice.

Depending on the stance taken by the Bush Administration, this call for boycott could explode in a charge of extortion against the Alabama governor.

Next we have a "few facts" relating to the Alabama governor's boycott decision, supplied by reader, Paul, that "Governor Bob" should have considered:

1. Don't think a boycott of tourism in Aruba is stopping Alabama Retirement System, Alabama Schools, or Alabama Industry from making a buck in Aruba.
   
2. Is Governor Bob's economic ignorance showing just a tad when he boycotts a nation (Aruba is a part of Netherlands) that his economically depressed state does $180 million positive trade with. Harbert International (Alabama Construction Firm) has a 100 Million plus project going on in Aruba - began In July. Is Bob going to call a halt to the tax income from this?
   
3. Governor Bobs ignorance of US treaties is outstanding. He violated the spirit of at least two.
   
4. And finally Gov Bob has violated US trade law - Secretary of Treasury or President impose boycotts not Governors. But it is election year for Bob in 2006 and a good show is worth votes. This move may top his failed billion dollar tax increase in a state that is one of the poorest in the nation.
   

Here are some of the details...

• ALABAMA UNIVERSITIES MAKE MONEY IN ARUBA FROM ON LINE PROGRAMS.
  Will Governor Riley cut out this income which in manyinstances requires travel to and from Aruba ?Will Governor Bob threaten to stop state funding of these programs ?
  
• IS GOVERNOR BOB GOING TO END STATE RETIREMENT INVESTMENT IN ARUBA.
  
• IS GOVERNOR BOB GOING TO CUT OUT THE REDUCED AIR FARE TOARUBA FOR STATE RETIREE RECIPIENTS OR CONTRIBUTOR [$168 ROUND TRIP ON US AIR - BUT YOU HAVE TO BE A STATE EMPLOYEE].
  
• DOES GOVERNOR BOB INTEND FOR HARBERT TO STOP BUILDING IN ARUBA?Birmingham-based construction firm BL Harbert International LLCrecently finished the concrete phase for the first of four towers of a vacation resort owned by Marriott Vacation Club International on the Caribbean island of Aruba. Harbert Employees Must Travel and use Tourist Facilities In Aruba.
  
• IS GOVERNOR BOB GOING TO STOP US BUSINESS BUILDING IN ARUBA - Aquatech Awarded Thermal Desalination Contract in Aruba, October 28, 2005
  
• DID GOVERNOR BOB CHECK ON HOW MANY RICH ALABAMIANS TAKE ADVANTAGE OFNETHERLANDS TAX BREAKS?
  U.S.- NETHERLANDS INCOME TAX TREATY-DUTCH HYBRIDS: The Netherlands Announces They Will Not Deny Treaty Benefits to Qualified U.S. Investors That Own Dutch Hybrids.
  
• DOES GOVERNOR BOBS MOVE VIOLATE THE SPIRIT IF NOT THE LETTER OF REGIONALTRADE AGREEMENTS WITH THE NETHERLANDS DATING BACK TO 1958?
  

Aren't Republicans for Free Trade ?

• IS GOVERNOR BOBS MOVE A VIOLATION OF DUTCH-AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP TREATY?
  DOES GOVERNOR BOB HAVE THE ECONOMIC PULL TO JEOPARDIZE BILLIONS IN INVESTMENTS IN US.
  The Dutch in turn are the third largest investors in the U.S., with the stock of Dutch direct investment growing to $ 85 billion in 1997.
  Is Governor Bob Going To Stop THE 180 Million in Trade From His State To The Netherlands.
  
• IS GOVERNOR BOB OVERSTEPPING JUST A BIT WHEN HE DECIDED TO IMPOSE A BOYCOTT?
  Could be - the President or Secretary of Treasury does that - not the Governor of Alabama.

Gov Bob has violated US law.

• IF GOVERNOR BOB'S BOYCOTT CAUSES AN ALABAMA TRAVEL AGENTTO VIOLATE US TRADE LAWS - THEN HE IS GUILTY OFCOLLUSION.

THE U.S. ANTIBOYCOTT LAWS PROHIBIT U.S. COMPANIES AND THEIR FOREIGN SUBSIDIARIES FROM ENTERING INTO AGREEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF ANY FOREIGN BOYCOTT WHICH HAS NOT BEEN SANCTIONED BY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

Did I fail to mention that the governor's boycott decision just might have been poorly thought out? It may be that Governor Bob might have stepped into an international incident.

I doubt President Bush is willing to do the same!---> And he wisely did NOT.

Posted for HarryTho.
Posted by Richard at November 9, 2005 05:21 PM

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2005/11/natalee_hollowa_19.html

State Department Answers Aruba. America does NOT support boycott.

U.S. State Department
Press Guidance
Tuesday, November 08, 2005

ARUBA: Natalee Holloway Update / Alabama Governor's Comments

The Department continues to engage Aruban authorities and provide all possible assistance to family members and local authorities in the case of missing American citizen Natalee Holloway.

We look to the Government of Aruba to continue to take all possible measures to resolve the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. The U.S. Consulate in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles will continue to monitor this case closely. The State Department will continue to support the Holloway/Twitty family and is prepared to have a consular officer available in Aruba on short notice.

Our Embassy in The Hague has been in touch with the Government of the Netherlands, which is also providing assistance in this investigation. Aruba is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the Dutch Supreme Court is also the last court of appeal for Aruba.

I refer you to the Dutch Government for details on its cooperation.

If asked about Governor Riley's comments on travel to Aruba:
While we respect the right of this elected state government executive to make such a call for a travel boycott, his statement does not represent the foreign policy of the United States. There is currently no U.S. government boycott or travel restriction on U.S. citizens visiting Aruba.

Americans looking for information about travel to Aruba should consult our website at travel.state.gov and the consular information sheet for Aruba.

Aruba is asking for Official Statement of the State Department.

The government of Aruba wants US President George W Bush to intervene to stop a tourist boycott of the autonomous Dutch island in the Caribbean.

The parliament on Aruba went into emergency session after the boycott call. Afterwards Prime Minister Nelson Oduber said Aruba wanted the US President to intervene.

"Aruba is not Cuba, North Korea or Iraq. We are friends with America. Most tourists come from the United States and we work together to combat drugs criminality and money laundering," Oduber said angrily.

He wants Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot to seek clarification on the issue from the American Embassy in The Hague. Aruba's representative in Washington will raise the matter directly with the US government. "We want to know if Bush supports this boycott or not," Oduber said.

Prime Minister of Aruba reacts on Boycott Call.

Aruban government officials have complained to the U.S. State Department about the governor of Alabama's call for a boycott of the Dutch Caribbean island for its alleged mishandling of the investigation into the disappearance of an American teenager.

The government of the Dutch territory hopes State Department officials will help halt a boycott that could damage Aruba's crucial tourist industry, Prime Minister Nelson Oduber told reporters.

"This is a preposterous and irresponsible act," Oduber said Tuesday night after attending a closed session with members of Parliament to discuss the boycott. "We are not guerillas. We are not terrorists. We don't pose a threat to the United States, nor to Alabama."

The prime minister, while expressing sympathy with the family of missing Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, said Aruban investigators have done their best to solve the mystery and the entire island doesn't deserve to be punished because there have been no arrests in the high-profile case.

"We condemn and lament what has happened to Aruba," he said.

The governor of Alabama call for Boycott of Aruba.

Governor Bob Riley called for a nationwide travel boycott of Aruba on Tuesday on behalf of a missing Alabama teenager's family, who accuse the island's government of not fully cooperating with the investigation into her disappearance. Riley asked his fellow governors to join him in urging the boycott of Aruba, where 18-year-old Natalee Holloway was last seen on May 30.

"There are no other alternatives to get Aruban authorities to take this as seriously as they should," Riley said.

Holloway's mother, Beth Holloway-Twitty, joined Riley at the Alabama Capitol for the boycott announcement. She contends Aruban authorities have failed to adequately investigate the possible murder of her daughter, who was with a Dutch teenager and two Surinamese brothers on the night she disappeared.

The young men were held for a time but have been released.

Aruba Police Chief Gerald Dompig said later Tuesday the investigation into Holloway's disappearance is not complete, and that authorities want to interview other American teenagers who were on the high school graduation trip with Holloway.

"We want to talk once more with various students because their first statements, taken by the FBI, were very short," Dompig said. "There are a few crucial questions that they still have to answer."

He would not say what those questions are.

When asked on by Wolff Blitzer on the CNN show 'The Situation Room' why he did want to boycott an island where there was only 1 missing case, while in Alabama are over 120 and over 35 crimes a day, he responded "..the police is working on the cases.."

Finally asked the governor why he does think that there is cover-up and corruption in Aruba law enforcement, he simply answered: "because I believe what Beth tells me."

New Record Breaking Season.

The new high season for cruise ships is just beginning. For the next season a record breaking passengers is expected, event though fewer ships will be docking, this reflects the fact that cruise ships companies are using bigger ships for their travels. Last Season was also a record breaking year for Aruba.

Research have shown that a small percentage of cruise ships visitors, will choose Aruba for their next vacation spot. Some cruiseships even ship out after 10.00 or 11.00 pm to give their passengers the chance to have a taste of what the Aruba night life is all about.

Last year Aruba was voted nr. 1 best Night life for a small Island in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico was voted nr. 1 for a larger island.

Cowboys and Angels.

Did you ever feel that you were missing out?
Did you ever feel that you did not belong?

I used to feel that way. Big time.
I thought that by changing the way I looked and
Dressed, I would fill up all the gaps in my life.

I wanted to be part of something, anything.
I didn’t care what, I didn’t care how.
I thought I could buy a style, a style to change me.
Create a new me. Make me someone else.

It was then; only then when I realized how wrong I was.
I suddenly saw the person I wanted to be, looking right back at me.
Now for the first time in my life I can see what is beautiful,
What is really important.

And it’s all around.
So close, I just have to reach out and it’s there.
I’ve found my voice.
Show me how to use it.