Belgian Laces Mechelen http://www.trabel.com/mechelen.htm Volume 15 # 55 June 1993 Belgian Laces Vol15 #55 La Grande. May 1993 Dear Members. Your response to our newsletter is simply overwhelming. Thank you, thank you ... Your encouraging words make it all worthwhile. As you can see, there has been a healthy increase in member contributions to Belgian Laces. After increasing our publication from 16 to 18 pages the last few issues. we now increased it to 20 pages, filled with all kinds of information! We hope this trend of member-contributions will continue and inspire more of you to sit down and write something that can be of interest to all. We welcome also the invitation from the West Virginia Society to participate in their “Belgian Picnic” on July 25 in Clarksburg, WVA. (see article by René Zabeau). I’m sure some of our members will take you up on this, René! - Wish we could come too! The theme of this newsletter was going to be especially travel oriented, with feature articles about Belgian cities .. but we ran out of space for some of the planned articles We made sure to include information about Belgium’s Cities of Special Interest, knowing that the August issue would come too late to be of assistance to our travelers. When you are in Belgium, or anywhere in Europe for that matter, always look for the Tourist Information booths in the airports, railroad stations, or downtown. They are easily recognized by the big dotted “I”. For your information also, Sabena Belgian World Airlines. Air France, Airinter (the biggest domestic French airline) and CSA (the Czech airline) offer the new EuroFlyer Pass. offering coupons good for intra-European flights on any of the four lines at the set price of $ 120 per flight. A real good deal! Besides that one. I have here in front of me an advertisement from American Airlines, announcing an air and land package for an unbelievable price: Brussels All-Inclusive Air and Land Special $809.-per person, double occupancy. This all-inclusive air and land package includes round-trip airfare, two nights accommodations at the Sheraton Brussels City Center, buffet breakfast daily, champagne welcome drink. Belgian welcome gift, hotel service charges and taxes, option to add extra nights with one free for each night paid, seven days use of a Hertz-economy car with unlimited mileage including tax. Call today for this incredible package. Don’t forget to ask about our Fly/Drive hotel programs to make your stay in Belgium complete! Call American Today at 1-800-321-2121 So far for the advertisement. I don’t know from what airport this special departed. I suppose it was Chicago, because it was submitted by a member from that area. (Thank you, Patty! ). The offer will certainly be off by the time you read this , but if you plan a trip this year, it may well be worth your while to contact American Airlines to see if part of this would still be valid. Good Luck! From now on we will start publication of our membership lists. In this issue, please find the new members, that have signed up since January 1993. Space permitting, I will start working on the complete list spread over several issues, but will keep up with a “Welcome New Members” column for sure. I hope that this will be satisfactory. Another “constant” to Belgian Laces, will be a systematic listing of Passenger Lists starting in 1842 . This valuable contribution is the result of a combined effort from our members Micheline Gaudette and Howard Thomas. Thank you both! We wish you all a good summer, filled with joy and sunshine, interesting,trips around the country or abroad and “good hunting” in your genealogical search! Table of Contents 19. Letter from the Editor Table of Contents 20. Antwerpen ‘93 Belgian Gleanings 21. A Search for one of Yesterday’s Heroes. By Micheline Gaudette 23. Mishawaka Belgian Community. Submitted by August Inghels 24. Belgian American Society / West Virginia. By René Zabeau Welcome New Members! 25. The Wisconsin Corner. By Maty Ann Defnet 27. Remembering My Life in Baker-City. By Florine De Groote-Tiedemann 28. How Healthy is your Family Tree? By Denise Fransaer Corke Events of Interest 29. Fromandlo... 31. Queries 33. Index of Cities of Special Interest Office of Belgian Tourism. 34. Map of Belgium Idem. 35. Passenger lists 1842 - 1854 37. Recipes Identification of Towers: 11. Brugge, Belltower; 12. Gent, St. Baafs; 13. Mechelen, St. Rombauts; 14. Gent, St. Nicolas; 15. Gent, Belltower; 16. Brugge, Cathedral; 17. Tielt, Belltower. Belgian Laces Vol15 #55 ANTWERPEN ‘93 Cultural Capital of Europe “Antwerp, a great city of the Renaissance, is using its year in Europe’s cultural spotlight, to make a statement about art’s role in confronting xenophobia, racism, and war”. Under this title, The Christian Science Monitor (March 17) dedicates its center pages to Antwerpen and its role as Cultural Capital of Europe for 1993. The European Community (EC) has had a cultural capital every year since 1985. when Greek Culture Minister Melina Mercouri came up with the idea and Athens inaugurated the project. It was followed by Florence, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Glasgow. Dublin and Madrid. and now it is Antwerpen’s turn to take the spotlight. The entire city center has been refurbished for the occasion and will act as the main back-drop for an unprecedented frenzy of cultural activity. The Magazine of the Flemish Community Flanders announces that Antwerpen has prepared an extensive arts program. Between April and December, theater, dance and opera performances, exhibitions, concerts. films, lectures and workshops will follow one another in quick succession. In addition to the arts program, scores of festivities and open-air activities are planned. To name but a few: at the Royal Museum a large scale Jacob Jordaens exhibition will run until June 27th. Two exhibitions will focus on Peter Paul Rubens. - As world center of the diamond trade. Antwerpen ‘93 also offers several diamond exhibitions, culminating in “Uit de Schatkamer” (from The Treasure Chest) , a collection of world famous jewels and gems. Afloat on the river Scheldt from April on, the ARKwilI certainly be a striking presence. This 77-meter-long push tow barge has been converted into a floating theater for an audience of 200, with salons where artists can stay and a café-restaurant in a turret that resembles a lighthouse. Antwerpen 93 has invited fourteen major international cities to allow their young talent to represent them on the ARK. Each foreign group will live and work on the boat for one week. So far groups will be coming from Los Angelos, Marseilles, St. Petersburg, Prague and Barcelona. - The Antwerpen 93 bulletin contains pages of information about all the events, dates. locations and prices, plus details on how to order tickets from abroad. Order your copy from the Belgian Tourist Information Office in New York (745 Fifth Aye, New York, NY 10151). BELGIAN GLEANINGS Educational Opportunities: making Belgium a tax haven, especially for the rich!: the Educational advancement opportunities in English for annual property taxes are relatively low and there are no undergraduate, graduate, post graduate or professional study capital gains taxes.(From: An Introduction to Life in exist in full force in Belgium. According to Selected Links: Belgium #11, March ‘93) Business and Academia in Belgium, [...] there are 23 courses Poverty in Belgium? According to the findings of a major offered in English at the undergraduate level and 76 at the study conducted by the University of Antwerps Center for graduate level . Given Belgium’s status as the home of the Social Policies, Belgium has the lowest level of poverty EC and NATO, there are several degree programs on both among seven European countries selected for this study. With levels in Business, Management and International Relations. a poverty rate of 6.1%, Belgium leads The Netherlands and Selected Links lists all university courses offered in English Luxembourg. This percentile is based on the European at Belgian institutions of higher education. For information Community’s definition of poverty, which uses each on how to get a copy, contact Focus Career Services at country’s average household income, declaring “poverty” any 646.65.30. (Sorry members. my source [An introduction to household that makes below 50% of this amount. The study Life in Belgium #11, March ‘93J does not give an address. also determined that there is no country in the world with a Please contact the Embassy of Belgium- 3330 Garfield St. poverty level below 5%. The other four countries, that were NW: Washington DC. 2cX,08. part of the study. are France, Ireland, Spain and Greece. All Taxes : And we complain about taxes in the USA? The tax scored far behind Belgium. The study also demonstrated that system in Belgium is so complicated that tax regulations Belgium’s social security system, while expensive, is quite seem a deliberate plot to make it a lucrative haven for effective. (From Het Volk) accountants and fiscal experts. With four levels of Aalter: Aalter (Belgium) has become the center for the administration - national, regional, provincial and local or “Wandelsport” in Flanders. Yearly thousands of walk- communal - each of which levies taxes , taxation issues form enthusiasts converge on this East Flanders city for a good a real maze! For your info, and to make you better appreciate walk through the forests and its beautiful countryside. A our tax rates: (exchange value: about 35 BFs to $1) statue, by the hand of the sculptor Cyr Frimout. (brother of 0 to 253, 000 Bfs income income tax : 25% the Belgian astronaut Dirk Frimout) has been established in 253 to 335, 000 30% the center of the community.