FNM2012.org

It is with enormous grief that we confirm the sudden and untimely passing of Charles Maynard, National Chairman of the Free National Movement, former MP for Golden Isles, and former Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture.

Mr. Maynard was serving as the co-ordinator of the by-election campaign in the North Abaco Constituency and was driving along with Party Secretary General Michael Foulkes in the area of Blackwood, heading into Dundas and Murphy Town, at about 12.30 this morning (Tuesday) when he fell ill and collapsed.

On Monday, August 13, 2012, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large Luis CdeBaca visited Nassau, The Bahamas, to hold high level bilateral meetings with senior government officials on Trafficking In Persons (TIP) issues.

Ambassador CdeBaca was appointed by President Obama to coordinate TIP-related activities for the U.S. government and serves as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Ambassador CdeBaca directs the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking In Persons, which assesses global trends, provides training and assistance, and advocates internationally for an end to modern slavery.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell encouraged the nine Bahamians who received scholarship to study in China to be good ambassadors for this country.

The recipients and their areas of study are Rasheed Robinson - Bachelor's degree in Clinical Medicine and Sanay Collie, Bachelor's degree in Finance. At the Master's degree level are Daron Beneby, International Trade; Robert McKenzie, Enterprise Management; Prince Moss, Educational Leadership & Policy; Denise Farquharson, Educational Leadership & Policy; Lynn Gibson, Public Administration in Chinese Governance; Kathryn Campbell, International Communication and Betty Vedrine, International Communication.

The Government will proceed with a referendum on the issue of a national lottery and/or 'web cafes' following the impending by-election in North Abaco. Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie made the announcement in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, August 15.

Photo: Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration the Hon. Fred Mitchell is pictured (centred) with the men's 4 x 400 metre Olympic gold medal winners outside the House of Assembly, August 15. Also pictured far right is Wellington Miller, president of the Bahamas Olympic Association.

Rawson Square was all abuzz with a different kind of activity in the last weekend of July. We have become accustomed to Rawson Square being used by Church organizations, educational organizations and various types of musical presentations. More recently the square has been used as tributes, including the tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and the Royal Family when Prince Harry visited The Bahamas and most recently the tribute to several prominent Bahamian women.

But on the last Saturday in July, Bahamians and tourists alike were treated to a look back in time as the Antique Auto Club of The Bahamas displayed a couple of dozen vehicles of various makes and vintage in celebration of the club's 25th anniversary.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie has urged historians to find ways to incorporate the historic Fox Hill community into the country's 40th Independence Anniversary celebrations next year. He was speaking at church services during the annual Fox Hill Day festivities, in the community, which he said has a special place to commemorate the freedom of a people.

Fox Hill is one of the oldest villages in The Bahamas, in the eastern end of New Providence. It is named after Samuel Fox, a freed African slave who was granted some 23 acres of land in 1801. The annual Fox Hill Day is held to commemorate the 1838 emancipation of ancestors from slavery by the British.

Giving blood is a potentially life saving procedure that almost everyone can take part in. However, there is a small segment of the population for whom giving blood may actually be harmful, even if only temporarily. This may happen for a myriad of reasons but the two main reasons are that the removal of the donated blood could be harmful to the donor, or the blood donated could be harmful to the recipient.

Often, people trying to give blood are turned away after the 'pin prick' part of the experience and told "you are anemic." Blood donors are required to have a hemoglobin level of at least 12.5 g/dL or hematocrit of 38% in order to donate blood. This is to ensure that donors have an adequate number of red blood cells (RBCs) for donation as well as adequate iron stores for the creation of more blood cells following donation.

You have decided on that special day, your wedding guest list is finally complete, your invitations have been sent and now the anxious wait for a response begins. Responses from wedding guests can be a huge headache, however there are solutions to the RSVP dilemma.

RSVP is a french acronym meaning Respondez s'il vous plait which in English means Respond please. During the Medieval times a response to an invitation to any event was handwritten, a wax seal was placed on the paper marking the authenticity of the response. Although we seldom use the feathered pens except as decoration for the signing of the registrar, and we seldom use the wax seal on neither the invitation nor the response, we have adopted the custom of the RSVP for weddings.

On April 1st of this year, I was on the front porch of the Humane Society of Grand Bahama shelter when out of the corner of my eye I saw a dog limp through our open front gate. The dog honed in on the food and water dishes we had put just inside the gate to try and entice another dog (another story for another day). I made my way to the front gate quietly so as not to spook her. By that time she had wolfed down all the food and was working on the water.

I knelt down a few feet away from her to call her softly and then could see how injured she was. She wagged her tail and took a couple of wobbly steps towards me but I could see she couldn't manage another. I scooped her up, and carried her straight into our exam room and within a matter of minutes she was examined, hooked up to a drip and her obvious external wounds were being tended to. She seemed so relieved; like so many dogs in similar situations, it was like she knew we were trying to help her.

On Thursday, August 9, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman and the U.S. Embassy's Narcotics Affairs Officer David Jea visited Grand Bahama to present the Marine Services Unit of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) with three new Mercury Verado engines for marine interceptor speedboats to assist critical anti-drug smuggling efforts in the northern Bahamas.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Dinkelman and Police Superintendent Melvin Lundy participated in the ceremony to mark the official handover. Chargé Dinkelman reiterated the U.S. Embassy's ongoing support to the RBPF, adding that the ceremony is a clear indication of the dedication and cooperation of both governments in improving crime fighting efforts.

For more than three decades, The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) has played a key role in the island's education sector. Whether by building schools, supporting educational initiatives or via its annual scholarship grants, GBPA continues to support the island's youth through the avenue of education.

During the months of July and August, GBPA's Community Relations Department is busy preparing letters and the necessary paperwork, ensuring that new and existing applicants receive scholarship grants, from the GBPA Scholarship Programme, in a timely manner. To date, more than two thousand students have benefited from the programme, with grants totaling well in excess of about 10 million dollars.

Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for West Grand Bahama & Bimini, the Hon. Obie Wilchcombe, met recently with the principals of Viva Wyndham Resorts, on Grand Bahama Island.

Following the meeting, the resort's Commercial & Open League basketball team the "Pirates" made a surprise courtesy call on the Minister, himself a former basketball standout. Viva Wyndham corporate executives are pictured sharing a light moment with Minister Wilchcombe and the basketball players.

BASRA (Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association) announces the 42nd annual Bernie Butler Swim Event at Coral Beach this Saturday, August 18th.

Always an exciting event, this year's event will run all day with plenty of activities for the whole family. The deadline for swimmer registration is Friday evening between 6-7:30pm on the site at Coral Beach. Swimmers will then check-in and receive their numbers from 8-9:30am on Saturday morning.

The race will start at exactly 10am sharp! Good luck to all those competing.

I don't suppose it will change anybody's mind but I would like to try and explode some persistent myths about the early years of Freeport.

Q. Were Bahamians denied access to living accommodation in Freeport?

A. Yes and No. Freeport was a city founded, in the main by white immigrants. Like it or not, without them, there would have been no Freeport. The provision of housing did not keep up with the demand - and it was expensive. Bahamians initially did not have the money to compete with the expatriates for the small supply of available housing in the early years.

Q. Why wasn't housing for Bahamians built?

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development the Hon. Philip Davis said, on August 12, 2012, that the Church of St Mary the Virgin, in Old Bight, Cat Island, has been "a place of great history".

"It is a very special day for the people of Old Bight, the historic community on this island where today, assembled before this crowd of witnesses, we rededicate this holy place," Deputy Prime Minister Davis said at the Rededication Ceremony for the recently restored church.

The One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) and their partners successfully hosted their first ever Health and Wellness Symposium on Eleuthera in conjunction with major sponsors, like the Cancer Society of Eleuthera and Family Medicine Center to promote health and wellness on the island.

The 3 day "Pathway to Wellness-Reversing the Trends" symposium received overwhelming response from the Ministry of Health, medical doctors, nurses, and leaders from the private and public sectors. Attendees included local, national and international persons as well as partners from The Bahamas National Trust and Island School.

Southern Central Division participants dance and form pyramids, during the recent Royal Bahamas Police Force and Ministry of National Security 2012 Summer Youth Programme 'Talent Explosion' at the National Centre for Performing Arts.

(BIS Photo / Eric Rose)

The Bahamas' Golden Knights will be given a "down home" reception during this weekend's Goombay Summer Festival in recognition of their gold medal accomplishment at the Olympic Games. The men's 4 by 400 metre relay team will be the guests of honour at Friday's Street party at Woodes Rogers Walk. A special programme is planned for 7:30pm, the Ministry of Tourism has confirmed. Local radio personalities, actors and other Bahamian entertainers have been engaged for the event, which will kick off this weekend's Goombay Summer Festival.

Friday's festivities begin at noon and end at 11pm with the relay team's appearance being a featured part of the day's activities, Ministry of Tourism officials said. The popular Goombay Summer Festival will continue at Junkanoo Beach on Saturday.

It's summer and it's hot! Lots of people like to drink red wine, but when it hits 35C, a deep, dark red wine might not quench your thirst. For a nice summer red, the one to reach for on the shelf or from the cellar is a Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir is known in the wine industry as the "heart break" grape. Famously hard to grow because this grape variety is prone to disease and particular soil, it is also tricky to deal with in the winery; therefore, it is often hard to find a great example of a Pinot Noir. Some are overtly fruity, some seem barren, some seem unbalanced. And because of the low yield from this difficult grape, prices for Pinot Noirs are often higher than other grape varieties (but, more with Pinot Noir than any other grape, you get what you pay for so sometimes a splurge in needed!). Pinot Noir does not always hit a "home run" with the consumers because of the countless unknowns.

The week beginning November 24 has been slated for the return of classic and antique car racing through the streets of Nassau.

In making the announcement, Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe said Bahamas Speed Week is "one of the most spectacular events of the Bahamian calendar season. I offer my congratulations to the organisers and pledge our Ministry's support to ensure that this remains a great social event set against the beautiful backdrop of Nassau Harbour, and one of the most spectacular events of the Bahamas calendar," said Mr Wilchcombe.

After a 50-year hiatus, for several days in November last year the streets of Nassau were abuzz with the glamour of classic and antique race cars and their famous drivers.

CBS Bahamas is pleased to announce that we will be the leading sponsor for young sailor Pedro Rahming in his campaign to qualify for and represent the Bahamas at the 2013 ISAF Sailing Youth World Championships to be held in Cyprus next Summer!

Pedro is a 15 year old local sailor that attends C.R. Walker Senior High School. We wish him the best of luck as he prepares to travel to the Grand Bahama Sailing Club next month to compete in the Bahamas Laser Junior National Championships - if he wins that event, he will obtain a qualifying spot into the 2013 Youth World Championships!

EARTHCARE was invited to present to young minds attending Coach Nathan O'Connor's Tennis Camp. Campers enjoyed an interactive presentation on Bahamas Environmental issues with a concentration on Coastal Awareness.

An active trivia contest ensued immediately after the presentation. All campers received prizes for their correct answers. Leopold Wright tied with his brother for the Grand Prize but won on the tie breaker.

On Monday August 6th 2012, the Grand Bahama Cyclists Club held it 6th Annual Road Cycling Championships, which was also Race 4 in the GBCC Points Series. The event was threatened by rainy weather, however, in the end the rain did not stop the action. Cyclists from New Providence and Grand Bahama took to the streets to compete in their respective categories for a day of fun competition.

The contingent from Nassau consisted of five junior cyclists, including the 2012 Independence National Road Cycling Champion, 16 year old Anthony "Biggie" Colebrook, who came to Grand Bahama looking to continue his championship winning streak and capture his first Grand Bahama Road Cycling Championship.

I write to inform/alert you and the general public as to the month long siege which an armed criminal has made the sleepy community of Long Island suffer. For no less than four weeks a dreaded member of the Dean Clan from Roses South Long Island has eluded police escaped from police custody will relieving an officer of his firearm. The thug has now broken into numerous properties and has stolen no less than five (5) licenced weapons from individuals in South Long Island alone. Clearly Inspector Lindy Knowles would rather no one mention this fact and is making little to no effort in attempting to rectify this situation hoping it will die a natural death.

The ruffian has gone so far as to invade a certain premises of one of his family members known as the "General of South Long Island" due to his family's connections to a number of wealthy foreign businessmen and Bahamian contacts. The General has promised to take matters into his own hands and promises a large reward to anyone who can bring the culrpit in "Dead or Alive."