dear friends, most urgently, carol werblin of hihi says the homeless day laborers have need of clothing, especially winter coats and jeans, and boots. her group is dealing with dozens of them, and some are walking around in t-shirts and soggy sneakers. students have some winter clothing available and will get to her next week. carol will put together a budget for boots, and friends offered to pay for them. if you can assist, e-mail carol at cwerblin@xxxxxxxxxxxx students will start going to the temple beth el shelter around 7 p.m. on wednesdays to interact with the workers. fliers for the "special gift" program have been placed in several stores, with more to come. some checks have already been sent in. the holiday season is the time for such donations. mike cipoletti is going to nicaragua this weekend to check out buying the maryknoll nuns' house in leon for his residence and possible use by visitors. he is looking for investors, ikecip@xxxxxxxx george pardo got specific information on the nuevo water project and says water testing needs to be set up. a fund may be needed to help those who can't pay the water bill. he has been checking out a method of biointensive farming that involves returning nitrogen to the soil. a pilot project may be set up in nuevo amanecer. pete white reminds us that residents of nuevo will be able to take title to their property next year, having met the requirement to live in their houses for six years. although it was not mentioned at the meeting, bob skypala is working with a solar power company in nicaragua to set up a unit at the community center in nuevo amanecer that would provide power outlets and light. he has a preliminary estimate. millie willen suggested that she and perhaps others who have not visited projects in nicaragua might like to make a trip as a small group, perhaps in march. the idea is to get familiar with what we're doing in order to make good decisions. here's to everyone for a great holiday season.