Remarks by Free National Movement Leader Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham

F-N-Ms:
It's nearly time! This voyage is nearly over. Soon we will bring the Bahamian Ship-of-State back to Port.

When we pull into Port here in Nassau some people will have difficulty recognizing the place as the same City from which we set sale on May 4th, 2007. When we disembark we will offer to provide a tour of New Providence for some of the returning crew who have been on this heavy tour-of-duty, working and producing and not necessarily counting many of the accomplishments along the way:

The third Annual Bahamas Ministry Of Tourism and Aviation (BMOTA) Bahamas Day aviation and cultural event will take place February 25th at Miami Executive Aviation, Opa Locka Executive Airport, Opa Locka Florida, between the hours of 10:00am-3:00pm.

The event is sponsored annually by The Islands Of The Bahamas (TIOTB) to assist pilots who want to fly their aircraft to the islands, but will also be open to members of the public who desire general information on The Bahamas as well as information on charter flights and accommodations.

Co-Chairperson of the National Committee of Volunteer Bahamas and Director of Youth in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture Mr. Darron Turnquest announces, on January 30, the capture by police of one of the individuals who allegedly conned small community civic groups out of funds, by pretending to represent the programme.

Mr. Turnquest warned the general public that Volunteer Bahamas representatives do not solicit monies from civic groups and encouraged them to report any such attempted solicitations to the police.

It's Heart Month and two young ladies want to invite the general public to take initiative and live heart healthy. More importantly, they want the public to follow their lead and help repair the hearts of children in The Bahamas. Heart disease is the number one killer of persons around the world and in The Bahamas.

Amber Lightbourne and Hadassah Greene are both 9th graders with high aspirations and dreams. Their parents and The Almighty God keep them focused and grounded: Their parents often remind them of the life they have and how fortunate they both are to be alive.

Math and Science became team events during the Lyford Cay International School's (LCIS) Math Extravaganza, and Science Olympics. Learning became a fun, team activity! There was a palpable sense of excitement on the campus during these annual events. And, most importantly, students were learning skills as well as teamwork.

The Science Olympiads was held after the semester one exams were completed. This year students had two tasks: to build the strongest bridge using a truss design and to create a parachute that would allow an egg to land safely without breaking.

As the sun set last Friday evening, two young striping apprentices prepared for a different sort of happy hour. With five months of training under their belts, they were eager to get to laying the lines and arrows on a 58 bay parking lot, for the first time entirely on their own. "I've been observing, watching, practicing, asking questions," 18 year-old Romell Davis, one of the stripers said ahead of the task. "Now I have the chance to do this striping myself. It's a big opportunity."

Davis has only been with the company, Bahamas Striping, since mid-2011. But he is one of its youngest employees and has distinguished himself and earned the confidence of his seniors to stripe the parking lot of the new executive offices of Bahamas Supermarkets Limited (BSL) on JFK Drive near Bethel Avenue, along with his colleague, 23 year old Tristan Johnson.

In true Ben & Jerry's style, the world famous Ice Cream Company continued its philanthropic efforts during its annual Global Franchise Meeting held at the Atlantis Resort. On Friday, January 27, more than 200 Ben & Jerry's volunteers from around the world along with US Embassy volunteers took time out to participate in two community service projects at the Embassy's adopted school, Woodcock Primary and the Father Marshall Cooper Park in Mason's Addition.

The teams of volunteers were split into groups with the names of popular Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream flavors and immediately went to work. At the park, volunteers spent the day planting trees, cleaning up debris, landscaping and painting. They also repaired the playground equipment and bleachers.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham praised the late Sir Cecil Wallace-Whitfield during the dedication ceremony of the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre, Friday, January 27, for being among the "generation of great men and women who led the struggle for Majority Rule and equality in The Bahamas."

Lady Naomi Wallace-Whitfield; Sir Cecil's family and friends; the Deputy to the Governor General the Hon. Frank S. Watson; Cabinet Ministers; other senior government officials and dignitaries attended the dedication. The Prime Minister explained that the relocation of the original Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre, which serves as the Office of the Prime Minister, to the new site was required to make way for the construction of the new Baha Mar Resort.

By Yasmin Popescu / The Freeport News

This past weekend a great humanitarian in Grand Bahama was rewarded for his work through the Rotary Clubs in Grand Bahama. Harold "Sonny" Waugh, of Waugh Construction, is the first Rotarian in Grand Bahama to receive the esteemed Sir Durward Knowles Humanitarian Award. This award was presented to Mr. Waugh on Saturday night during the Rotary Club of Freeport's 50th Anniversary.

While the club has been in Grand Bahama for 50 years, it was noted that Waugh had been a Rotarian for 40 years and during that time, his love for the organization and his community was so visible he was nicknamed "Mr. Rotary."

Just east of the industrial city of Freeport, Grand Bahama, lies two of The Bahamas' protected caves and underwater caverns known as Ben's Cave and Burial Mound. Thanks to generous donors to the Bahamas National Trust, these Lucayan National Park caves have received over $23,000 in structural upgrades and are now re-opened to the public.

Ben's Cave is named after legendary local diver Ben Rose, who co-discovered a new species there in 1982. The centipede-like organism was found swimming in the underwater cavern systems and was officially called Remipedia (meaning: "oar foot"). The Burial Mound cave was named because of the skeletal remains of indigenous Lucayans found on the floor in a second chamber of this cave and has been featured in National Geographic magazines and television documentaries.

After a lull which we foolishly hoped was the beginning of a trend ... in the last month over 40 puppies have entered the HSGB shelter on Coral Rd. We currently have four nursing moms and their babies plus a good number of weaned puppies. Sadly, we know they will never all find homes here on Grand Bahama.

Ciana came in on Tuesday with her five babies and a male dog, all from the same home, which still has a number of dogs in the yard. The owner wanted to "get rid of them" because he has too many dogs. How can there still be people in Freeport unaware of spay/neuter? Obviously we need to work harder to raise awareness and get more dogs in to be sterilized to stem the flood of unwanted puppies and kittens (whose mamas often are thoughtlessly discarded right along with them).

"A 29% increase in cruise passengers to Grand Bahama is projected for this year. Through the upcoming 'Opportunity, Awareness & Training Seminar', The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) and partners hope to educate the public on the increased business opportunities that can be realized as a result of the increase in cruise passengers to our island," states GBPA President, Ian Rolle.

In an effort to boost Grand Bahama's tourism product rankings, this one-day seminar is slated for February 9, in the Oleander Room at the Freeport Harbour. According to GBPA's Business Development Manager, Derek Newbold, GBPA is partnering with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCAA), the Freeport Harbour Company (FHC) and the Ministry of Tourism (MOT).

In December of last year, the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) donated gifts to the underprivileged children of Grand Bahama as they have been doing for several years, but this time they wanted to do more.

Staff of Norwegian Sky a member of FCCA decided that rather than exchange gifts between themselves, they would pool their monies together to purchase more gifts for the kids of Grand Bahama. The staff members were able to gather $400 between them, which they used to purchase school supplies. The school supplies were then presented to the Grand Bahama Children's Home, and Freetown Primary School.

Expulsis piratis, restituta commercia
- Former motto of the Bahamas

In 1670, Eight 'Lords Proprietors' obtained letters patent from the English Crown to add more territory to their already considerable possessions in the new world. The additional grants of land included the Bahama Islands that became the private property of a few absentee English noblemen. Sovereignty of the islands however remained firmly vested in the Crown.

Thus the original grant to William Sayle, and twenty five other Adventurers, thought the term of their grant would be in perpetuity: '... the Said persons theire hiers and Assignes should have hold possesse and enjoye the Islandes forever ...' (emphasis added). The 'forever' actually turned out to be a mere 20 years!

Twelve Family Island communities have entered this year's Ministry of Agriculture island-based agribusiness expos. New Providence kicks off the series at the Gladstone Road Agriculture Centre, March 1. Others entered are Eleuthera, North Andros, Mangrove Cay, South Andros, Long Island, San Salvador, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Exuma, Inagua, and Abaco. The theme is 'Progressing toward food security.' Participants are encouraged to showcase the uniqueness of their islands.

"These expos have been a dedicated means of showcasing the product of the hard work, skill and expertise of our farmers, fishers and processors," said Minister Lawrence S 'Larry' Cartwright.

BTC announced Wednesday that the disruption in telephone services that had been affecting the residents of Mangrove Cay for the greater part of a week is resolved and that all services are back to normal. The outage, affecting both voice and internet services, was occasioned by a faulty network element.

"We apologize for this extended outage and all of the very real inconveniences it caused to the residents of Mangrove Cay. We recognize and accept as well that we could have done a better job of communicating the situation to the residents of Mangrove Cay, so for that as well, let me extend my apologies and assure residents of the community that we will be more responsive on matters like this going forward, wherever they may happen.", stated Geoff Houston, CEO of BTC.

Ten of the Bahamas' 'Leading Ladies' will strut their stuff at the inaugural Red Dress Soirée in just a few weeks. A selection of local fashion designers have created one-of-a-kind red gowns that will be showcased at the runway show, cocktail reception and silent auction that directly supports the Bahamas AIDS Foundation's work with adolescents affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday February 4 for a donation of $100 and can be purchased at La Rose Boutique, West Bay Street and Goodfellow Farms, Mt. Pleasant. The event will be held on Saturday, March 3 at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino.

The United States Embassy in partnership with the Bahamas National Drug Council (BNDC) is pleased to announce the launch of the first "Youth Express" Essay, Ray and Poetry Competition. The purpose of the contest is to encourage students throughout The Bahamas to consider the harmful impact of illegal drugs and to reflect on how they can resist negative peer pressure and act as leaders against drugs in their community.

This exciting program is part of a continuing partnership between the US Embassy, the Bahamas National Drug Council and the National Anti-Drug Secretariat to reduce the demand for illegal drugs and foster the development of young leaders in The Bahamas. Students throughout The Bahamas ages 12-14 are encouraged to participate in the contest by submitting their creative work by March 1st.

During the month of February, the Grand Bahama Youth Choir (GBYC) will celebrate its 3rd year anniversary, featuring world renowned musical artists Jack Foley and Franz Hepburn. While the weekend two-night event, promises to be an evening of classical elegance and diverse vocal styles, it will also feature a son of the soil, Mr. Franz Hepburn.

Artistic Director for the GBYC Program, Mr. Kevin Tomlinson noted that he was excited to hear of Mr. Hepburn's connection to Freeport, "Having the Foley & Hepburn duo perform here in Freeport was great, but to learn that he is a former scholarship recipient of the The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited, (GBPA) and his many professional accomplishments, sends a clear message to the choir's young membership, that commitment and hard work pays off," he said.

The United States Embassy in Nassau, The Bahamas is pleased to announce the 6th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Essay Contest. The purpose of the contest is to encourage students throughout The Bahamas to explore the life of Dr. King and reflect on how civil rights and diversity affect their lives today. All high school students in The Bahamas in grades 10 through 12 are invited to participate in the contest.

Two winners will receive the grand prize - a new Apple iPad 2 - and their winning essays will be featured in newspapers nationally. Each participating school will also receive a copy of the History Channel's film "KING", which takes viewers through the extraordinary life and times of America's civil rights visionary.

It was another successful week-end for the Grand Bahama Performing Arts Society (GBPAS) as it launched its 2012 season with its fourth annual chamber music concert starring Trio Collage and guest flutist Judith Pearce. Trio Collage - Tannis Gibson, piano, Mark Tanner, cello and Janna Lower, flute - first performed for the GBPAS in January of 2010 and they returned this year with their talented colleague Judith to teach and entertain the Grand Bahama public.

The weekend began with two school concerts at Bishop Michael Eldon School Auditorium on Friday, January 20th. Over 800 students in total from schools across the island were in attendance to enjoy the talented group's music. The relaxed setting allowed the musicians to have fun with the students and the children to interact and engage with the musicians.

On Saturday February 4th, 2012 the Grand Bahama Cyclist Club will launch its first ever Junior Cycling Club. The club will meet at the Grand Bahama Sports Complex this and every Saturday at 9:00am and is open to students aged 10 to 18.

The goal of this program is to promote the sport of cycling on the island of Grand Bahama with the hope of carrying a 5 member team to compete in the Independence National Cycling Championships held during the month of July in New Providence. Beyond that, the goal of the club is to have one of its members compete as part of the Junior National Team at the Junior Caribbean Cycling Championships, which will be held later in the year.

Cycling enthusiasts rolled into Caves Village Shopping Centre for the BOB Family Fun Ride held Saturday, January 28. The non-competitive Family Fun Ride, held in conjunction with the 9th Annual Tour of the Bahamas, invited cycling enthusiasts to participate in a 10-mile ride beginning at Caves Point, heading east to Saunders Beach and back. Amateur cycling enthusiasts rode along with pros, including the Coco's Racing Team out of Florida.

"BOB, Bank of the Bahamas, is proud to sponsor events that promote healthy lifestyles for Bahamian families," stated Michael Basden, BOB Marketing Manager. "The Family Fun Ride provided a rare and exciting opportunity for local cycling enthusiasts to ride side-by-side with professional cyclists."

The Grey

The tagline for this movie: Live Or Die On This Day. An unruly group of oil-rig roughnecks are forced to work together when their plane crashes in the wilderness. As they battle merciless weather and mortal injuries, they come to the realization that they are also being hunted by a vicious pack of wolves. They only have a few days to escape their pursuers and the icy conditions before their time runs out.

John Ottway works for an Alaskan oil-rig hunting the wolves that threaten the oil drilling team, but due to complications involving his wife he is considering suicide until he is thrust into the role of leader to a motley crew of survivors after a plane crash.