An Independence Family Fun Day was held on Saturday, 14 July, 2012 at McTyre Park in the City of West Park, Florida and was supported by many Bahamians who came from as far north as Stuart, Florida to as far south as Homestead. Also attending the Family Fun Day were Congresswoman Frederica Wilson, State Representatives Hazelle Rogers and Perry Thurston, Mayor Eric Jones and members of the Caribbean Consular Corps.

Attendees were feted with music by the Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band, a local band called Togetherness and a Junkanoo Review.

he Royal Bahamas Defence Force welcomed the first wave of Marine Reserves to its fold, almost 40 years after the establishment of the Marine Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force - which served as the forerunner to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

Minister of National Security, Dr. the Hon. Bernard J. Nottage said the graduation of the 19 Marine Reserves and two Marine Reserve Officers after seven weeks of Basic Training at Her Majesty's Bahamian Ship, Coral Harbour Base, marked "a special day in the development of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

Keva Ellis is relieved that she's getting to start the next stage of her battle against an aggressive cancer sooner rather than later. She was diagnosed with kidney cancer earlier this year, and in her case, time was truly of the essence.

The pioneering surgical efforts and sheer determination of her physician Dr Darius Unwala and management and staff at Doctors Hospital to help her get the best treatment possible led to her becoming the first patient in The Bahamas to undergo laporoscopic kidney removal (Laparoscopic Nephrectomy).

Jamal Wright, 22, is a recent addition to Bahamas Striping's staff of 13 young Bahamians, and praises the striping company for "saving his life" and giving him skills and a good job. Wright, who like many young Bahamians, had been struggling to support his family by washing cars and selling phone cards, now sees a future of hope thanks to his hiring and training by the leading striping company in the Bahamas.

"Things are tough out there," says Wright. "Before, Bahamas Striping I never knew if I'd have enough to feed my family from day to day. Now I can layout car parks, maintain the company's machines and stripe. It's certainly a brighter future. I feel safer for my baby daughter."

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie congratulated the Baha Mar team for the milestone of reaching the 100-foot mark on its iconic casino tower construction during a brief ceremony held at the site, Wednesday, July 11, 2012.

The Prime Minister said, "Whenever a project that is the single largest project ever contemplated and executed in the region is taking place and being on time and on schedule, it is worthy of commendation."

After 30 years on the Royal Bahamas Police Force - many of them in frontline policing - Inspector Ricardo "Alacup" Richardson thought he had witnessed it all. That was until he walked into a "home" on Thompson Lane, off East Street, close to the area he "grew up in."

"When the neighbours first brought this house to our attention during a walk-a-bout in the area following our return to the Urban Renewal Centres in June, I thought it was just a dilapidated, abandoned building,"

Judge Joseph "Joe" Brown, television court show host made a courtesy call on Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Senator the Hon. Allyson Maynard Gibson and Minister of State in the Ministry of Legal Affairs the Hon. Damian Gomez at the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) on July 13.

Judge Joe engaged in a private discussion on the subject of Swift Justice with senior officials of the OAG and attorneys representing the department. He described the Bahamas as "hope" for the hemisphere. The Attorney General hinted at the possibility of consultancy with Judge Joe and said she is grateful to have the privilege to lead the staff of the OAG and the justice system.

The HSGB's 2nd Pub Quiz held at Red Beards last Saturday night was a great success despite a short rain interruption! 57 people on a dozen teams battled wits, but in the end, The Dobbies retained their champion status. Potcakes of the Caribbean won a tiebreaker to take second place over Pedigreed Potcakes. Thanks to everyone who came out and stayed despite the rain delay. Mark your calendars and sharpen your wits for the next quiz to be held September 29th!

Come out to Taino Beach this Saturday for "Paddle for Potcakes." Hosted by our good friends at the Garden of the Groves and the Garden Cafe, this pre-Basra swim race and fun day promises to be loads of fun, with something for everyone.

Helping start the Independence celebrations in Grand Bahama this year, the Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS) became the main attraction at the 39th Independence float motorcade held Monday evening.

CEO of GBS, Carl Rotkirch, said on behalf of the management and staff "We would like to say how pleased we are that the Grand Bahama Independence Committee enabled the facilitation of the 39th Annual Independence Float Motorcade." He noted that "last year our executives were impressed with the parade and all the beautiful floats and we committed to entering in 2012. We are excited to set the pace for next year and we will be back in 2013 to challenge all other companies in the grand parade to celebrate the 40 years of independence."

In June Grand Bahama birders conducted their annual fieldtrip to Peterson Cay, home to a nesting colony of over 200 Bridled Terns. Bridled Terns are pelagic birds which means they spend their lives at sea and come only to land during their breeding season in the summer. They lay a single egg in limestone crevices on uninhabited offshore cays and islands.

In order to prevent people from walking through the vegetation and disturbing these nests, possibly crushing eggs and chicks, the birders installed rebars and caution tape around the upper cay nesting colony, leaving the beach open for visitors. A sign was placed on the beach as well asking people to stay away from the nesting area and making sure that beachgoers keep their dogs on leashes.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited is pleased to provide the residents of Grand Bahama with the 'Grand Bahama Power Company Meter Reading and Process Review' final report.

A copy of the report will be made available online at www.gbpa.com for public information.

In 1969, before The Bahamas gained its independence, Club 1600 was chartered as the first Toastmasters Club in New Providence. Three years later, in 1972, Club 1425 was chartered in Grand Bahama.

Both clubs endure to this day as the oldest Toastmasters Clubs in The Bahamas, and on August 1, 2012, Toastmasters Club 1425: Eagles will be celebrating 40 years of developing leaders with confidence and effective communication skills.

Olma Culmer Jenkins in her book Bahamian Memories records an interview she had with Joanna Wilchcombe-Bethel of West End (born 15 March 1908). Mrs Bethel remembered that West End only had four or five homes when she was a child and, she added with a chuckle, that 'everybody was a member of my family' and, when so minded, they would go the Eight Mile Rock to find someone to marry.

She also offered some interesting genealogical information. Her grandfather on her father's side she recalled was from Wales arriving possibly, just after the Boer War (in the late nineteenth century). Later the lumbering operation brought some new blood to the island from the rest of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. And later still, the establishment of Freeport opened the floodgates to immigrants from all over the world.

After years of producing some of the top athletes in the country, Moore's Island is being 'rewarded' with a sporting facility - the first of its kind on the island. Officials of the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture visited the island on Thursday, July 12 to view the proposed site for the facility, which is located just two minutes south of the airport.

Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture, Hon. Daniel Johnson, who led the group to the island, said residents 'truly' deserve a facility of this kind in order to continue cultivating some of the finest athletes in the country.

On Thursday, July 5, 2012, thirty-six (36) residents of North and Central Andros joined the ranks of more than 500 Bahamians who have been certified by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture as Youth Leaders, in the first session of the National Youth Leaders Certification Programme for the island.

More than 100 persons from the communities of Lowe Sound and Nichol's Town, as well as surrounding settlements, filled the picturesque Mount Freedom Fellowship Baptist Church, overlooking the ocean, in Lowe Sound.

Some of my favorite wines are from Spain, but in particular I love Cava and Rioja.

Rioja is located in northern Spain and is divided into three sub areas: Alta, Alavesa, Baja each producing slightly different wines although all Rioja wines have a common identity. There are quite a few grape varieties used in making red Rioja, the major varieties are Tempranillo and Garnacha (Grenache). Tempranillo accounts for 75% of Rioja's vineyards.

Rioja offers three tiers of ageing: Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva. Crianza wines are wines in their third year and require the least amount of oak ageing in Rioja- a minimum of one year in oak. Reserva wines are aged for a minimum of three years with one year in oak and chosen from excellent vintage years. Gran Reserva wines are selected from exceptional vintage years, aged in the bottle for three years after ageing in oak casks for atleast two years.

The Miss Bahamas Organization® and Atlantis Paradise Island have teamed up to produce a world class event under the title sponsorship of the mega resort. Under the theme "The Phoenix", the 2012 Double Crown Miss Bahamas beauty pageant will now be staged as an official Atlantis event. Executives promise that on July 29th, patrons attending the pageant will be treated to an unforgettable, first class production.

From the staging, to the latest technology in lighting and sound, to seating capacity, to the overall experience, the 2012 Double Crown Miss Bahamas pageant will have a new look and feel as the pageant is now under the management of the Atlantis Paradise Island resort. Atlantis, known for producing spectacular shows featuring some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, will now produce and manage the finale of the national beauty pageant, introducing a totally new look and design to the competition.

In cities around the world, summertime heralds in a slew of programs free and open to the public to enjoy arts and culture. From sculptural installations to craft fairs to plays and even dance lessons, the place for everyone to gather for these pastimes remains the same: local parks.

Now, a newly-formed theater group partnering up with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is bringing that same kind of programming to Nassau's public parks through the month of July by staging two powerful one-act plays by renowned playwright Tennessee Williams.

The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas invites the general public to its first annual Membership Drive Fair on Saturday, July 28th from 11AM to 5PM.

There will be a Bouncing Castle, a Super Slide, Comic art, Hoopla, Art Raffle and food including hot dogs, chicken wings, 'conchy' conch fritters, cotton candy, popcorn and so much more - all in an effort to increase membership to the National Art Gallery. See you at the fair! Remember, belong to the NAGB because the NAGB belongs to you.

The Bahamas National Children's Choir holds its first performance in Tsinghua University, at the 11th China International Chorus Festival and International Federation of Choral Music World Choral Summit, in Beijing, the People's Republic of China, on July 18, 2012.

More than 160 choirs from 39 countries and regions, are taking part in the event, which will end July 20th.

(BIS Photo / Eric Rose)

Shakespeare In Paradise is pleased to announce the first two productions for its fourth annual Theatre Festival, opening October 5th and running through October 13th, 2012.

Our signature Shakespeare production, simply titled Merchant, is Shakespeare's classic Merchant of Venice, adapted for a 21st century Bahamian setting. Shylock is a Haitian numbers-runner in this tale of prejudice, greed and justice. The work has been specially imagined for the Bahamian landscape by Gordon Mills, who also directs.

Joao Gabriel Amado of Portugal is currently traveling the Caribbean to put on more than 10 bike events in Miami, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Dominica, Antigua, British Virgin Isles, and the Dominican Republic from July to September, 2012 to raise awareness on world hunger.

"Through these events I want to raise the awareness of farming to reduce hunger and proper nutrition in the Caribbean," said Amado, who happens to also be the founder of World Wide Agriculture to STOP Hunger (WWASH). "We are also looking to encourage people to garden and eat more vegetables because in the Caribbean islands there is also a high incidence of diabetes and heart issues."

By BRENT STUBBS / The Tribune

After taking a tour around the Family Islands, Bahamian Brewery Company will be bringing its Sands Beer Man in da Boat Sculling and E Class Regatta back to Montagu Bay over the weekend of July 21-22.

James 'Jimmy' Sands, who has been on a crusade to revitalise the sport over the past year, said the regatta was designed with the idea of enhancing boat builder Sheldon Gibson's quest to train young Bahamians in the art of the wood-working craft.

With the summer well underway, there is no better time to let the sails up and let the wind take you away. No one knows this better than young Eric Nabb, as July 12th-21st will serve as ultimate proof that, hard work and determination pays off, which secured Nabb's place as the only male representative of The Bahamas, to compete in the 2012 International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Championships, hosted in Dublin, Ireland.

The young sailor was encouraged to work hard as he represents his country, during a courtesy call to Mr. Ian Rolle, President of The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) just days before his departure.

Grand Bahama Power Co. (Emera) Monopoly

Monopolies are characterized by a lack of economic competition to produce the good or service and a lack of viable substitute goods. The verb "monopolize" refers to the process by which a company, like GBPC and GBPA gains the ability to raise prices or exclude competitors. In economics, a monopoly is a single seller. In law, a monopoly is a business entity that has significant market power, that is, the power, to charge high prices without consequences.

When not coerced legally to do otherwise, monopolies typically maximize their profit by producing fewer goods and selling them at higher prices than would be the case for perfect competition. Sometimes governments decide legally that a given company is a monopoly that doesn't serve the best interests of the market and/or consumers.

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Once again the PLP Government proves that they have no plan for the governance of this Country

Once again the PLP Government proves that they have no plan for the governance of this Country and for the future of the island of Grand Bahama.

It has been reported that the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas is seeking to convert property (former Island Palm Resort) recently acquired by the Public Hospital Authority, into a hostel for homeless individuals now supposedly occupying public beaches and living on the streets of Freeport.

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Appreciating those volunteer gestures that make Grand Bahama better

Reference your article relative to Sir Jack being a beneficiary to the Lucayan Cavern and Beach bridge in 1984.

With this gesture he sowed the seeds for more contributors, unnoticed volunteers (who always do the heavy lifting and make society better) tourism interest, Bahamian ticket collectors (I hope this does not get out of hand), and in general something showing the more beautiful aspects of this island.

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