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if you have already seen it.

Espen Ore

> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASSOCIATION FOR LITERARY AND LINGUISTIC COMPUTING
ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTERS AND THE HUMANITIES

JOINT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ALLC-ACH '96

JUNE 25-29, 1996 UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN, NORWAY

CALL FOR PAPERS

This conference -- the major forum for literary, linguistic and humanities
computing -- will highlight the development of new computing methodologies
for research and teaching in the humanities, the development of significant
new computer-based resources for humanities research, especially focusing
on developing applications.

TOPICS: The Association for Literary and Linguistic Computing and the
Association for Computing and the Humanities invite submissions on topics
and applications focused on the humanities disciplines, such as: languages
and literature, history, philosophy, music, art, linguistics, anthropology
and archaeology, creative writing, cultural studies, etc. We are interested
in receiving technical proposals that focus on the cutting edge issues of
the application of scientific tools and approaches to humanities
disciplines; discipline-based proposals that focus on some of the more
traditionally defined applications of computing in humanities disciplines,
including text encoding, hypertext, text corpora, computational
lexicography, statistical models, and syntactic, semantic, stylistic and
other forms of text analysis; broad library and research-based proposals
that focus on significant issues of text documentation and information
retrieval; and tools-focused proposals that offer innovative and
substantial applications and uses for humanities-based teaching and
research, throughout the academic and research worlds. Submissions on
humanities computing in developing countries and
software/courses/courseware in undergraduate education are welcomed.

The official language is English.

The deadline for submissions is 30 NOVEMBER 1995.

REQUIREMENTS: Proposals should describe substantial and original work.
Those that concentrate on the development of new computing methodologies
should make clear how the methodologies are applied to research and/or
teaching in the humanities, and should include some critical assessment of
the application of those methodologies in the humanities. Those that
concentrate on a particular application in the humanities (e.g., a study of
the style of an author) should cite traditional as well as computer-based
approaches to the problem and should include some critical assessment of
the computing methodologies used. All proposals should include conclusions
and references to important sources.

INDIVIDUAL PAPERS: Abstracts of 1500-2000 words should be submitted for
presentations of thirty minutes including questions.

SESSIONS: Proposals for sessions (90 minutes) are also invited. These
should take the form of either:

(a) Three papers. The session organizer should submit a 500-word statement
describing the session topic, include abstracts of 1000-1500 words for each
paper, and indicate that each author is willing to participate in the
session; or

(b) A panel of up to six speakers. The panel organizer should submit an
abstract of 1500 words describing the panel topic, how it will be
organized, the names of all the speakers, and an indication that each
speaker is willing to participate in the session.

POSTERS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

ALLC-ACH '96 will include poster presentations and software and project
demonstrations (either stand-alone or in conjunction with poster
presentations) to give researchers an opportunity to present late-breaking
results, significant work in progress, well-defined problems, or research
that is best communicated in conversational mode.

By definition, poster presentations are less formal and more interactive
than a standard talk. Poster presenters will have the opportunity to
exchange ideas one-on-one with attendees and to discuss their work in
detail with those most deeply interested in the same topic. Posters are
actually several large pieces of paper that present an overview of a topic
or a problem. Poster presenters are given space to display two or three
posters, and may provide handouts with examples or more detailed
information.

Poster presenters must be present at their posters at a specific time
during the conference to describe their work and answer questions, but
posters will remain displayed throughout the conference. Specific times
will also be assigned for software or project demonstrations. Further
information on poster presentations is available from the Program Committee
chair.

Posters proposals and software and project demonstrations will be accepted
until January 15, 1996 to provide an opportunity for submitting very
current work that need not be written up in a full paper. Poster or
software/project demonstration proposals should contain a 300 to 500 word
abstract in the same format described below for paper proposals. Proposals
for software or project demonstrations should indicate the type of hardware
that would be required if the proposal is accepted.

Doctoral students are encouraged to consider poster submission as a viable
means for discussing ongoing dissertation research.

As part of its commitment to promote the development and application of
appropriate computing in humanities scholarship, the Association for
Literary and Linguistic Computing  will award up to five bursaries of up to
500 GB pounds each to students and young scholars who have papers accepted
for presentation at the conference.  Applicants must be members of ALLC,
and must be aged 30 years or less at the start of the conference. Those
wishing to be considered for an award should indicate this in their
conference proposal.  The ALLC will make the awards  after the Programme
Committee have decided which proposals are to be  accepted.  Recipients
will be notified as soon as  possible thereafter.  A participant in a
multi-author paper is eligible  for an award, but it must be clear that
s/he is contributing  substantially to the paper.

FORMAT OF SUBMISSIONS

Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. Please pay particular
attention to the format given below. Submissions which do not conform to
this format will be returned to the authors for reformatting, or may not be
considered if they arrive very close to the deadline.

All submissions should begin with the following information:

TITLE: title of paper
KEYWORDS: three keywords (maximum) describing the main contents of the paper
AUTHOR(S): names of authors
AFFILIATION: of author(s)
CONTACT ADDRESS: full postal address of main author followed by other authors
E-MAIL: electronic mail address of main author (for contact), followed by
other authors (if any)
FAX NUMBER: of main author
PHONE NUMBER: of main author

1. Electronic submissions

Electronic submissions are accepted as ASCII-files (please specify if
encoding schemes have been used for characters outside ASCII range),
MS-Word for Windows or Macintosh, and WordPerfect for Windows. Those who
submit abstracts electronically, especially abstracts containing graphics
and tables are kindly asked to fax a copy of the abstract in addition to
the one sent electronically. Notes, if needed, should take the form of
endnotes rather than footnotes.

Electronic submissions should be sent to:



with the subject line "<Author's surname> Submission for ALLC-ACH96".

2. Paper submissions

Submissions should be typed or printed on one side of the paper only, with
ample margins. Six copies should be sent to

ALLC-ACH96 (Paper submission)
Espen Ore Norwegian
Computing Centre for the Humanities
Harald Haarfagresgt. 31
N-5007 Bergen
NORWAY

EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY

Presenters will have available an overhead projector (video based -
overheads on plain paper rather than transparencies), a slide projector, a
data projector which will display Macintosh, DOS/Windows, and video (but
not simultaneously), an Internet connected computer which will run
Macintosh OS programs or DOS/Windows programs, and a VHS (PAL)
videocassette recorder. NTSC format will be available; if you anticipate
needing NTSC, please note this information in your proposal.

Requests for other presentation equipment will be considered by the local
organizer; requests for special equipment should be directed to the local
organizer no later than December 31, 1995.

DEADLINES

Proposals for papers and sessions       November 30, 1995 Proposals for
poster presentations      January 15, 1996 Notification of acceptance
February 15, 1996

PUBLICATION

A selection of papers presented at the conference will be published in the
series Research in Humanities Computing edited by Susan Hockey and Nancy
Ide and published by Oxford University Press.

Accepted  abstracts will also be published on the WWW server at the
Norwegian Computing Centre for the Humanities
(URL=http://www.hd.uib.no/allc-ach96.html)

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Proposals will be evaluated by a panel of reviewers who will make
recommendations to the Program Committee comprised of:

Jan-Gunnar Tingsell, Gothenburg University (ALLC) (chair)
Chuck Bush, Brigham Young University (ACH),
Gordon Dixon, Manchester Metropolitan University (ALLC),
Nancy Ide, Vassar College (ACH),
Willard McCarty, University of Toronto (ACH),
Elli Mylonas, Brown University (ACH),
Lisa Lena Opas, University of Joensuu (ALLC),
Harold Short, Kings College (ALLC)

Local Organizer: Espen Ore, University of Bergen (ALLC)

LOCATION

The University of Bergen was founded in 1946 but its history goes  back  to
1825 with the founding of the Bergen Museum.  The University has  an
enrolment of some 17,000 students. It is located in the central part of
the  city of Bergen. Hosting this conference, the  Norwegian  Computing
Centre  for  the Humanities was founded in 1972 and is located  at  the
University of Bergen.

Bergen, Norway's second largest city with a population of 220,000, was
founded in 1071 according to the sagas. The city was an important Hanseatic
trading centre and has retained an international profile that dates back to
the early Middle Ages.

There are direct flights to Bergen from Copenhagen, London, Oslo, and
Paris. There is also a train connection with Oslo, and a ferry between
Newcastle and Bergen.

Hotel rooms in different price ranges will be available within walking
distance from the conference center, and economically priced student
accommodation will be available outside central Bergen.

It is expected at this time that the fee for early registration for the
conference will be in the US$125 to US$150 range, with an additional late
registration fee.

Detailed information about the conference will be made available in January
or February of 1996.

For further information please communicate with:

Espen Ore Local Organizer, ALLC-ACH '96
Norwegian Computing Centre for the Humanities
Harald Haarfagresgt. 31
N-5007 Bergen
NORWAY

Phone:  + 47 55 21 28 65
Fax:    + 47 55 32 26 56
E-mail: 

http://www.hd.uib.no/allc-ach96.html

Please give your name, full mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and
e-mail address, with any enquiry.

ALLC-ACH '96 info-list:

If you want to receive information about the conference via e-mail you can
subscribe to the mailing list by sending an empty e-mail message (from your
own e-mail address) to:

Hi,

    This is posted for my friend. He offers a part-time job oppertunity for the
student who is:

1. Fluent in English

2. Fluent in Slovenska-Cestina or Duetch

3. Lives near Budapest or Bratislava

4. Female preferred.

The salary per day will be appealing.

Please send resume thru FAX to 36-1-1140643, Eddie Lin.

>
> I guess I am neither intelligent nor caring! I don't believe that there is a
> better option

So for the next 100 years, if we are not swept away by
an accidental or deliberate biggish bang, there will be
still capitalism. Any reasons for this belief?


 but if there is, it ain't socialism a la Marx and Engels.
>

could you elaborate? You haven't answered any of the
points I made.

This is an automatic dismissive and patronizing answer.

> for our rising debt.  Though it will likely fail, the noise itself could
> modify future actions of the IMF towards more sympathetic and even original
> financial terms which would consider the suffereing of the poor, and the
> welfare of the economies of the countries needing help, and not just the
> welfare of the finances of the investors.
>

.. and there are people, who call me naive...

To:
cc:  (bcc: John Czifra/SHI)
From: Liptakbela @ aol.com @ Internet @ WORLDCOM
Date: 09/14/95 17:34:17 CDT
Subject: Clinton-Iliescu Meeting

Dear Colleauges,

In less than two weeks, Clinton will meet with Iliescu in the White House.
This is a great opportunity for the Hungarian Lobby to influence Mr.
Clinton's positions during these discussions. I would like to ask you to send
E-Mail messages to Bill Clinton. To assist you in that, I am attaching a few
points you might consider to include in your letter:

E-Mail Address: 

Dear Mr. President,

1.64 million Hungarian Americans are looking forward, with High expectations,
to your meetings with president Iliescu of Romania. We hope that in your
meetings you will find an opportunity to request the following from him:

1) Restoration of Hungarian autonomy in Transylvania:
We agree with your recommendation for Bosnia, which would guarantee autonomy
for all the warring groups. Similarly to that approach, we feel that it is
high time to restore this same autonomy to Europe's largest minority, the
Hungarians of Transylvania, who's numbers exceed the TOTAL POPULATION OF
BOSNIA. This autonomy was guaranteed by the Great Powers in 1920, again in
1946, it survived even under Communist rule and in 1993 it has been again
recommended by the European Parliament, in their resolution 1201.

2) Rescinding the "Language Law" of 1995:
This law destroys the 500 years old Hungarian school system and  subjects the
2.5 million Hungarian minority to cultural genocide. By treating language and
culture as a police matter, Romania is being converted from a multi-ethnic
federation into an intolerant nation-state.

3) Equal privatization for all:
The properties of Hungarian individuals and churches should be returned.
There should be no discrimination in favor of Romanians.

4) Stop the "Culture Police":
The Hungarian language TV, radio and press should be restored.

5) Recall Ambassador Moses:
Lastly, we feel, that Mr. Moses has compromised the high standards of
American diplomacy. His comparing Bishop Laszlo Tokes, the hero of the 1989
anti-Ceaucescu Revolution to a racist fanatic was inexcuseable.

Respectfully yours,
Name, address, title

Peter Hidas writes:

>:Your testimony as a participant in the events of 1956 is important for
> historians but it is not history. What could one person see at any given
time?
> You saw
>one thing, Ms. Balogh saw something. The participants have their view of
events
>witnessed but it is the trained historian that will tell the whole history.
>History is not what happened but what historians write.

Of course, this is self-evident. I am not a historian of the Hungarian
Revolution. In the first place, until recently the documents were not
available to do serious historical research on the subject, and, in the
second place, this is not my field. I am interested in the 1920s, and
diplomatic history.

I am terribly sorry that I didn't keep a diary, but I am not surprised that
not too many people did. Those days were absolutely chaotic and terribly
frightening. At one point, I was pretty well convinced that I wasn't going to
come out of the building alive. In addition, I personally was extremely busy
as head of the student council of the dormitory. Not only we had the actual
inhabitants to worry about, but we also had scores of people who got stuck in
the building in the evening of the 23rd and were unable to leave. We were
also hungry, filthy, cold, and altogether demoralized by what was going on
around us. I knew only one girl (I still remember her name--today a very well
known medievial historian) who had nerves made out of steel: she was
practicing her English by reading a Cronin novel all through the events!

However, I have very good memory and I remember a great deal even though here
and there the days get a little confused in my head; that is, I am not always
sure of what happened on what day.

Peter mentions the Gero speech. I didn't hear it because I was in front of
the Parliament building at the time. But I did hear Mindszenty's speech and I
was absolutely certain that he had said something about the return of the
church lands to the Catholic church. A year ago, someone on the Internet
quoted the speech and to my utter amazement there was nothing there about
church lands. The quotation came from Mindszenty's memoirs. Yet, people swear
that that is what they heard.

But to return to nature of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It was a popular
rising, which included practically the whole population. The "enemy" was the
Soviet army and a few thousand diehards of the secret service and the party
apparatus. Among the thousands who died and the thousands who were executed,
I am sure, one could have found every shade of opinion, including the very
fuzzy ones of fourteen-sixteen-year-old kids. According to some researchers'
study the number of people who were thrown into jail were more than 16,000.
There were three-hundred death sentences, and again, among them socialists as
well as non-socialists.

The reason that I am emphasizing the socialist element in the Hungarian
revolution is obvious enough if one reads nothing else but Mr. Pellionisz's
evaluation: the right wants to lay exclusive right to the Hungarian
Revolution. This is distortion of history to which I object. It is enough to
read the names of those who were executed or who were thrown into jail: Tibor
Dery, Zoltan Zelk, Gyula Hay, Ferenc Donath, Miklos Gimes, Pal Maleter, Geza
Losonczy, Jozsef Szilagyi, and, of course, Imre Nagy himself. Yes, the whole
nation was there independently of political views.

Eva Balogh

Peter Hidas is of course right that to better understand two sides
of the 1956 antibolsevist revolution one ought to hear the testimony
also of hardcore, heavy-duty bolsevists. Ms. Balogh is not bad for a
naive, starry-eyed "communist true believer" [hithu" kommunista] in the
class of '57 (regardless if she was coming up with the 6:20 [hathuszas]
train from a remote CITY [I apologize, 120k proud inhabitants of Pecs!]
as she writes at one place, or was in Budapest on the 23rd of October as
she purports elsewhere).

Ms. Balogh may well pass as an epitome of -alas- those too many who
were successfully fooled by the brainwashing that emanated from all media
["hazudtunk ejjel, hazudtunk nappal, hazudtunk minden hullamhosszon"]. Yet,
for a hardcore ["veresszaju & vereskezu"] communists who wrote the script
of '56, Ms. Balogh is far too much a lightweight. For "Big League Bolshies
of '56" we ought indeed to turn best to Mr. Gero, consummate hardliner
apparatchik & figurehead of Communist Party on 23rd of Oct, '56, during
the impasse of Rakosi-Nagy [the Stalinists vs Reform Communists].

Let's therefore inspect the infamous radio speech of Mr. Gero at 8:00 P.M.
on the 23rd of Oct. '56, as Hidas suggests, since he is certainly not the
only one with access to archives. One can even throw-in some parenthetical
eyewittness testimony to salt the tastelessness of the speech. Ms. Balogh
can join in too, since the broadcast was nationwide [nepradio], thus
even those in faraway corners from the "main event" at the Radio, could
listen to the monologue which ignited armed fights in Brody Sandor utca
about 10:00 P.M. that historical evening.

Mr. Gero's speech is extremely revealing, and will no doubt put an end to
the pitiful effort of neo-brainwashing that Ms. Balogh entertains on
Internet, "professionally" misrepresenting 1956 as "Socialist Revolution".
For Mr. Gero certainly KNEW EXACTLY what that evening was all about, and
he did not at all shy away from "calling the baby by its name". The speech
was an open invitation, in fact A NATIONWIDE BROADCAST CHALLENGE by
Communist Party Leader Mr.Gero, to greatly accelerate (within minutes!!!)
the outbreak of armed rejection of "socialism". Verbatim quote from
Gero' speech at 8:13 P.M.,[GMT+1], 23rd Oct. 56 [ISBN 963 7810 01 3, p.63]:

"Nyiltan meg kell mondanunk, most arrol van szo, szocialista demokraciat
akarunk-e, vagy burzsoa demokraciat? Arrol van szo, a szocializmust
akarjuk-e epiteni orszagunkban, avagy rest utni a szocializmus epuleten, s
majd ajtot,
kaput nyitni a kapitalizmusnak?" [We have to tell it in total frankness, the
issue is if we want socialist democracy or burgeois democracy? The issue is,
if we want to build socialism in our country, or strike a gaping hole in the
building of socialism, thus open up a door, a gateway to capitalism?]

Bye-bye confused legend of "Socialist Revolution"! Pro Bigwig Bolshies
had ZERO of the starry-eyed naivete of the badly fooled Junior League.

(As for those "half truths" that Gero's speech did not insult the
masses crowding the streets of Budapest including with the most incendiary
slogans about "fascists" ["fasistazas"], let us quote verbatim TWO of his
incendiary remarks: "a Szovjetunio nem csak orszagunkat szabaditotta fel a
Horthy-fasizmus es a nemet imperializmus igaja alol, hanem ... a teljes
egyenjogusag alapjan kotott velunk szerzodeseket" [Soviet Union not only
liberated our country from the yoke of Horthy-fascism and German imperialism,
but...entered into contract with us as full equals]. {A.P. recalls he almost
threw up hearing this insult; the military occupation of a country of
10 million by a 200 million superpower called "full equality"}.  "Egyseg
nelkul partunk nem lett volna kepes dacolni egy negyedszazadon keresztul a
Horthy-fasizmus gyilkos terrorjaval" [Without unity, our {communist} party
could not stand up for a quarter of a century against the murderous terror
of Horthy-fascism] {A.P. recalls not only his disgust about harping on
"fascism" repeatedly, but also about the blatant lie about "unity" when
Reform Communists and Stalinists were as much against the throat of each
other as are SZDSZ and MSZP today}.

If one would like to sustain yet another dose of insults by Mr. Gero
(not by way of belated harping on non-existent "fascism" of Horthy),
but directly addressed to those peacefully protesting on the streets,
here is another pearl of communist verbal abuse [szajtepes],[ibid]:

"Ugyanakkor, amikor fennen hirdetjuk, hogy hazafiak vagyunk, egyben
hatarozottan leszogezzuk azt is, hogy nem vagyunk nacionalistak, sot
kovetkezetes harcot folytatunk a sovinizmus, az antiszemitizmus es minden
egyeb reakcios, nepgyulolo, embertelen iranyzat es nezet ellen. Ezert
eliteljuk azokat, akik ifjusagunk koreben a sovinizmus metelyet igyekeznek
terjeszteni, s a demokratikus szabadsagot, amelyet allamunk a dolgozo
nepnek biztosit, nacionalista jellegu tuntetesre hasznaltak fel"
[At the same time as we solemnly proclaim our patriotism, we also
firmly assert that we are not nacionalists, moreover we steadfastly
fight against chovinism, antisemitism and all other reactionary, racist and
inhuman movements and ideologies. Thus, we condemn those who amongst our
youth attempt to spread the evil of chovinism, and those who used
the democratic freedom, that our state guarantees for the working
masses, for a demonstration nationalistic in its nature.] {A.P. recalls
his total emotional support, with the clearest possible consciousness, of
"Russians go home" [ruszkik haza!] heard in the streets, being extremely
wounded by hearing the movement clubbed with an assortment of most
severe insults available in Communist dictionary.}

Readers of Hungary (especially non-Hungarians) could easily be bored
stiff by minute-by-minute testimony of events almost 40 years ago --
since most of them know 1956 only in its encapsulated summation for World
History as "the first gaping hole in the monolith of Soviet Bolsevism"
(so perfectly diagnosed by Mr. Gero exactly when it actually HAPPENED!)

I documented the story AS PRECEDENT for the reader, since there is a
historical parallel of the role of Hungary FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
WORLD EVENTS in 1956 with 1989 and 1996. (What?? It is only 95!
Well, even Mr. Gero had a few minutes' foresight...)

In 1989 it was obvious that the Soviet Empire was not only cracked
beyond repair (many serious blows happened after 56; name Poland,
Afganistan etc. to avoid the accusation of chovinism again), but finally
the Evil Empire was about to fall apart. Then, tere was a historical
hesitation, a stalemate. Just as after Stalin's death between hardliners
and reformists. Hungary, again, after 1956, played a catalyzing role in
greatly accelerating World Events (by letting Germans through, dooming
East Germany overnight).

Today, (well, pre-date the issue, as customary in newsmagazines, to 1996).
"Postcommunism" is stalemated in front of our eyes. The "West" won over
the "East", but bled in the struggle to near-comatose and is unable to
positively re-craft World Economy. International economic integration,
for 50 years, was controlled by IMF/WorldBank, but its structure is as
cracked, abusive, outdated and parazytic as was the Evil Empire at the
brink of its ultimate demise. In the meantime of stalemate, due chiefly
to this IMF/WorldBank controlled mismanagement, a whole region, formerly
called East-Europe, now Centraleuropean Burundists' Republic, is
"free-falling" into chaos, poverty, social unrest, and quite frankly, war.
Brave Burgeoise Burundistas of the New World Order (SZDSZ) and ossific
leaders of People's Republic ala Burundi (MSZP) are as badly stalemated
as Stalinists/ Reformcommunists were in 56, or Gorbachev/Yeltsin were
in 1989.

But the IMF/WorldBank is not only a total "myth" as an untouchable Santa
Claus as the Burundistas of Liberal Press in Hungary would like you to
believe. In fact, it is under siege from the USA, from Europe, from the
Third World and FROM INSIDE. The only question in the widespread revolt
against is if it will be Reformed (as Balogh's Socialism) or wiped out
(as Hungarian Bolseviks' were obliterated in days by Freedom Fighters)?

Hungary has, again, a chance of sparking an extremely rapid "re-crystalli-
zation" (let's NOT call a revolution, let's just call it "Revolt against
Bankloan-Slavery). She can do the same what she did in 1956, when EVERYBODY
KNEW why Soviet Union sooner of later had to go. Can do the same as in
1989, when EVERYBODY KNOW why Soviet Empire was untenable. In 1996
EVERYBODY KNOWS that the IMF/WorldBank structure is no longer sustainable.

Same questions and an advice: Has Hungary profited enough from 1956?
(Americans & Civilized West sure did). Has Hungary capitalized
sufficiently on 1989? (Germany sure did).

Let's play OUR cards well, in collective wisdom, that Hungary will profit
enough in 1996!  (Conservative America will profit, because liberals will
loose a chief powerhouse, Germany and Japan will since the grip of IMF/
WorldBank political leverage gone they will finally assume international
power commesurate with their economic standing. Hungary can gain a little
or a lot, depending HOW we play OUR cards!)

I compiled a list a countries and their GDPs and placed it into the HIX
archives. You can call for it through HIX's "senddoc." (title: A vilag
orszagainak gdp-je szamokban.) For the time being, there are two versions:
(1) # 1 is the poorest country (Mozambique) and #192 is the richest
(Switzerland). (2) #1 is Switzerland and #192 is Mozambique. Unfortunately,
the countries' names are in Hungarian (I compiled the list because of a
discussion on the Hungarian-langauge Forum), but I don't think that
non-Hungarian speakers will have any difficulty identifying the countries. I
am also planning to compile an alphabetical listing sometime in the future.

Eva Balogh

I wonder how Dr Pellionisz has come to to the conclusion that the
IMF/WorldBank is a "liberal powerhouse".  The conventional wisdom
is that they have been advocating strict monetarist policies of
the Chicago school persuasion.  Most coherent criticism of the IMF
and the World Bank blames them for being overly rigid and dogmatic
in applying the monetarist gospel.  The policies they have been
urging on their clients are quintessentially conservative: balance
the budget, privatize, and cut down the state's role in the economy.

In fact this is precisely why they have been criticised by the
(liberal) Jeffrey Sachs and the (radical leftist) Noam Chomsky.
Dr Pellionisz got himself some strange bedfellows.

-----
Gabor Fencsik

Dear Andras,
I am glad that you quoted the GEro speech of October 23. I read your quotes ove
r
 at least twice but I still could not find any insult of the demonstrators
of that evening, that is no words can be find calling the people on the streets
"fascists." You are right about the inequality of Hungary and the Powers, etc.
but that was not the question.
Concerning the views of Ms. Balogh, I wish you could be more polite. You can
challenge her views without insulting her. Without insulting anybody. Can we
 keep this discussion of the Hungarian revolution of 1956 civil?
Peter I. Hidas

[Excerpts from Gy. Bathory's collection on HIX SENDDOC (IMF.Z)]

   Title:  How to Tackle a Mammoth
           A guide for successful campaigning against the International
           Monetary Fund and the World Bank
   Author: Johan Frijns
   Source: Enough is Enough! -- The A SEED Europe guide to action

   _1. Introduction_

   Why are there no more mammoths? Did they all become extinct because of
   a change in climate, or was it because the hunters that went after them
   were so very successful that in the end there were none left? Probably
   it was a combination of both. Circumstances changed, so that the
   mammoths couldn't feed themselves anymore; they became alien beasts in
   their own surroundings. At the same time, hunters developed more
   sophisticated hunting techniques. It didn't help the mammoths that they
   were giants, strong and with big tusks; the hunters were smart, their
   intelligence made up for their lack of physical strength, and their
   tactics were more important than their size. It still took a lot of
   personal courage and a little madness to hunt a mammoth, but eventually
   the hunters won.

   What does this have to do with campaigning against the IMF and the
   World Bank? Well, they are the mammoths of our time. They look like
   very strong mighty institutions, capable of crushing whatever gets in
   their way, but they don't really fit into a desired future world which
   is more democratic, with more equally distributed wealth and chances,
   and with more respect for the environment. Also, the "hunters" that go
   after these mammoths are often small, sometimes a little mad, and they
   have to compensate for their lack of power with cleverness.

   The aim of this chapter is to teach you a few "hunting techniques" so
   that you are capable of organizing successfully against the IMF and the
   World Bank. As in the case of mammoths, there is no point in
   confronting them head on and shouting "F... the IMF and World Bank!" --
   this won't scare them away. You have to understand how they function,
   and find their weak points. You also have to know what other
   mammoth-hunters are doing, so that your efforts become part of a global
   undertaking of many, many people. Most importantly, however, you have
   to know what you want to achieve.

   1994 is the fiftieth anniversary of the Bretton Woods Institutions
   (BWIs). The anniversary will culminate in their joint annual meeting in
   October in Madrid, and is a great opportunity for campaigns. It is also
   an opportunity to fix attention on the debt crisis in developing
   countries. Hopefully, after reading this chapter, you will be inspired
   to join in or start up a campaign. Fifty years of IMF/WB-styled
   development are enough!

   P.S. This chapter is written with Northern, European activists in mind.
   It focuses mainly on what can be done in Northern countries, as an
   addition to the ongoing work of Southern activists. Since both
   institutions, as well as their main donors, are situated in the North,
   the work of activists in these countries can really achieve change.
   This is not meant to downplay the work of Southern organizations -- on
   the contrary, they often must do the hardest work. The chapter also
   pays very little attention to the increasingly important role of IMF/WB
   in Eastern Europe. This reflects more the lack of knowledge on the part
   of the writer rather than the importance of the issue...

      _2. What do you want to achieve?_

   There is a huge debate going on among activists and NGOs about what
   eventually should happen with the IMF and the World Bank. This is
   usually summarized as the "abolish or reform" debate. As in any debate,
   there is no agreement among the different groups. Some people want to
   get rid of the IMF and World Bank entirely; they think that these
   institutions are simply beyond reform. Others think that their
   immediate closure must be demanded as a tactic, knowing that the best
   thing that could happen is more or less drastic reform. Still others
   maintain that there is a future imaginable in which a reformed IMF and
   World Bank could actually play a positive role, and would be very
   content with such reforms. Of course, deciding what you are going to do
   depends very much upon the answer you give to the "abolish or reform"
   question. What follows is just my opinion.

   _You naughty little BWIs!_

   Even the strongest proponent of the complete abolishment of the
   IMF/World Bank will probably admit that this is very unlikely to happen
   over the next few years. It's hard to imagine that from one day to the
   next, their doors will close and the management of world economy will
   be left to anyone who grabs the chance. Nor is there any guarantee that
   this new management would necessarily be in the interest of the
   environment or the poor people on this planet, as the vacuum created
   will surely be filled up in some other way by the "powers that be".

   This said, it is also clear that the continued existence of the IMF/WB
   in their current forms is simply unacceptable. They operate as totally
   undemocratic institutions, forcing their views about development upon a
   large part of the world; carefully guarding the continued transfer of
   resources from Southern countries to the North; and financing
   development projects which in many cases are neither serving the poor
   nor protecting the environment. This simply has to change.

   The way out of the "reform or abolish" question would be to try to
   change the IMF/World Bank in such a way that their overall role in the
   management of the world economy would become so insignificant that the
   question of whether or not to abolish them would no longer be relevant.
   At the same time,  other mechanisms and institutions -- truly
   democratic, dealing with the real problems of the world -- must be
   developed as replacements.

 ...For those
   with e-mail, there are a few public conferences specifically on the
   IMF/WB. The A SEED Europe office is also willing to assist with
   information.

   If you want to keep track of campaigns and activities taking place this
   year, the A SEED Europe office produces a special newsletter for the
   European youth IMF/WB campaign. In the newsletter yo=FAll find a list of
   national contact persons, new reading material, ideas for actions, etc.
   Another great source of information is the monthly events calendar of
   the already-mentioned Bank Information Center, which lists all of the
   activities planned worldwide. Don't forget to write to them, or to the
   A SEED office, if you are planning activities....


   _4. Start campaigning_

   The best campaigns that contribute to the objective of a much smaller,
   even insignificant IMF/WB are those that:

   (a) delegitimise their current position as the leading institutes in
   development thinking by exposing the harmful consequences for people
   and the environment of both World Bank-funded development projects
and
   IMF/WB imposed adjustment programs. Effectively stopping harmful
   development projects of course contributes to this objective;

   (b) help to reduce the debt burden of developing countries; apart from
   the many other benefits, this will effectively limit the influence of
   the IMF/WB in the indebted countries;

 ...

   _Adjustment programs_

   The structural adjustment programs (SAPs) of the IMF and World Bank,
   which are supposed to lead to economic recovery and development for
   debt-distressed countries, have come under heavy criticism. After more
   than a decade of such programs, there are very few signs that they
   actually lead to a sort of development that benefits the poor. On the
   contrary, piles of reports from such organizations as UNICEF, UNDP, and
   numerous others indicate a strong rise in poverty and child
   malnutrition; worsening situations in health care and education; and so
   forth. The effects of SAPs on the environment have also been documented
   for a number of countries. SAPs do achieve the purpose of debt
   repayment, but this is only at great cost to societies. The IMF/WB
   usually counter this criticism by saying that everything takes a lot
   more time than originally foreseen, but that the turning point will
   eventually arrive, so there is no need to revise adjustment programs.

   NGOs, however, stress that it is time for drastic change. First, no SAP
   in a specific developing country can ever make up for unfavourable
   global conditions (protectionism, lack of technology, low commodity
   prices) and sky-high debt obligations. If some sort of adjustment is
   necessary, then this must be focused more on direct poverty alleviation
   instead of the creation of unspecified economic growth. The wisdom of a
   development model aimed at integration of the local market into the
   world market is also criticised.

   _Information_

   ~    "Enough is Enough; Dear Mr. Camdessus, Open Letter of Resignation
        to the IMF" is a shocking book on how adjustment policies are
        designed. It is written by ex-IMF-now-activist Davison Budhoo.
   ~    the UNICEF report "Adjustment with a Human Face", written by
        Cornia et al, was very influential in building up critique
        against SAPs.
   ~    on the environment side, both the World Wildlife Fund for Nature
        ("SAPS and the Environment" by David Reed) and Friends of the
        Earth UK ("SAPs in the Forest") have recently published reports
        on SAPs (see More Resources). ...

   _4.b Actions on Third World debt_

   ...A substantial reduction of the debt of developing countries (currently
   around US $1650 billion) would have an immediate impact on their
   economies. More money could be spent on essential services, and
   pressure to export natural resources would decrease. Although it would
   not be a miracle cure (not having a huge debt doesn't automatically
   mean that more money is spent on social services), it is a necessary
   condition for any meaningful progress in improving the living
   conditions of the poor and saving the ecosystems of the countries
   involved.

   What is perhaps even more important is that less indebted countries
   have more freedom to decide upon their own matters and to try out
   alternative models. Therefore, debt campaigns serve our goal of
   disempowering the IMF/WB.
 ..
   Other important things to point out in a campaign are firstly, that
   creditors and not only the debtor countries should take up their part
   of the responsibility in creating the debt crisis; and they must accept
   "losses" on their loans. Secondly, the original debt in many cases has
   already been paid. What is remaining is interest paid on interest. Why
   should countries pay for this? Thirdly, many debts cannot be considered
   legitimate debts, as they were secured by totally undemocratic regimes,
   corrupt companies, etc. The creditors knew very well with what sort of
   people they were negotiating (for example, Mobutu, Marcos, Pinochet,
   Amin, Duvalier, Stroessner, Suharto, etc.) and should not expect the
   people of these countries to pay for such debts.

   "Debt forgiveness" is therefore not an appropriate name for what is
   actually a mere justice being done to the debtor countries. The more
   neutral term "write off" is better.

   _What you can do_

   ~    Write about the absurd distribution of votes in the IMF/WB. Demand
        that a more equal voting system be introduced. (See Background
        Information about voting).
   ~    Find out the exact relation between the Executive Director that is
        representing your country and the different Ministries, the
        Parliament, etc. The arrangement is not the same in every country.
        Demand that the Executive Director be fully accountable to the
        Parliament, and that the voting behavior of the Executive
        Director is disclosed.
   ~    Ask for the names of the members of the Independent Commission
        (they have not yet been appointed). Start writing letters,
        demanding that regulations are complied with (only affected
        people are supposed to do so). Protest against proposals to
        simplify Bank regulations on project design, as this will make
        compliance very difficult to achieve.

Christine Jacques Gergely ) wrote:
: I am trying to find some information on Boldogko and Rejec
: Castles in the Zemplin area just south of the Slovakian border.

: Reply to 


Try to get info from gold.uni-miskolc.hu (with Gopher), or try
www.city.net/Hungary/Miskolc
(They even have pictures there on Boldogkovaralja, etc.).
By the way: the area is called Zemple'n (part of Borsod-Abauj-Zempl'en
County).
--
> ==========================================================================
Laszlo Prising                        | E-mail: -   
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA              |         -   
                                      |         -   
> ==========================================================================

According to Laszlo Prising:
>
> Christine Jacques Gergely ) wrote:
> : I am trying to find some information on Boldogko and Rejec
> : Castles in the Zemplin area just south of the Slovakian border.
>
> : Reply to 
>
>
> Try to get info from gold.uni-miskolc.hu (with Gopher), or try
> www.city.net/Hungary/Miskolc
> (They even have pictures there on Boldogkovaralja, etc.).
> By the way: the area is called Zemple'n (part of Borsod-Abauj-Zempl'en
> County).
> --
> ==========================================================================
> Laszlo Prising                        | E-mail: -   
> Toronto, Ontario, CANADA              |         -   
>                                       |         -   
> ==========================================================================
Dear Laszlo,

Thank you for the information.  We visited the castle this
summer but need to learn more about it.  All the literature
available was in Hungarian.

Chris Gergely,

>