Saturday Column: Brac Stone at the White House?

Much has been made about Croatian white stone from Brac being used to build The White House in Washington, especially after an infamous president said "there would be no white wash at the White House". However, we have recently read a correction to a July 2005 New York Times news item on Croatia which seems to explode the myth. The correction stated that the stone had come from Maryland and Virginia. We have emailed the New York Times to ask for clarification and further information.

In the mean time, we are endeavouring to find out about other Croatian materials used in famous buildings and have so far discovered that there is a rare form of glass, formed on certain pebble beaches in Croatia by the tides and currents. It appears that this material has unique qualities to maintain its teflon like finish, despite the erosion caused by changing conditions. Such is the ability of this material to deflect illumination in scattered directions that it was used by Peter Mandelson to great effect in the construction of the Millenium Dome. Despite its obvious intrinsic potential, no one has so far been able to put this exceptional discovery to any commercially viable use.