[Soon2B]

Several decades ago I was fortunate to work in downtown Manhattan for a month and a half at the Time-Life building on a project with an international team. Knowing I was from Los Angeles, the locals in the office spoke endlessly of the clearly superior (to anywhere else, especially LA) CULTURE of NYC.

I had already come with an appreciation for museums, the symphony, the theatre, FM radio etc. and especially ethnic delights that NYC offered. We found the people friendlier than the stereotype mainly, perhaps, because we were friendly ourselves (several times we were told that if we had been locals they would have ignored us) as we wandered all about.

Each morning the local staff would react in horror at where we had walked. Finally after a week of hearing about the wonders of NYC from this crew, I asked just what it was they did after leaving the office. To paraphrase their responses: "why, we go straight back to our apartment, close the steel door, lock the 27 security locks, and watch television."

Our experience at some of these cultural venues (Broadway, musical events, clubs with well-known jazz musicians, et al) was that there may have been cultural opportunities but there were a lot of locals without 'culture'. They talked incessantly during performances as though they were at home watching television.

The Villages has a 'culture' and there are many 'cultured' among the population. Pick any of the items listed earlier as evidence of 'culture' and you will find it a simple matter of money to bring it to TV. We can have a world class symphony or ballet or anything else -- just get a few of the old money robber barons or some of the new money wall street thieves to donate a few hundred million here and there. Voila! Instant 'culture'!!

Billy-Joe Jim-Bob