The Hon. D. Shane Gibson
Minister of Labour & National Insurance
Regarding Industrial Unrest
At the Bahamas Electricity Corporation

On Wednesday April 3, 2013 the Management of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation filed a Trade Dispute I pursuant to Section 68 of the Industrial Relations Act 1970. The dispute was filed as a result of an illegal work stoppage by the members of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union. As the Minister of Labour & National Insurance, I was advised that the BEWU were protesting the lawful dismissal of an employee of the Corporation.

Students of Laurens Central School in Laurens, New York found time to assist Bahamian children while cruising through The Bahamas on their senior class trip.

The graduating class of the secondary unit of the school visited Nassau and Grand Bahama aboard Carnival's Splendor. In Nassau, the group enjoyed shopping and a trip to the beach but in Grand Bahama, they managed to spread some spring cheer at the Grand Bahama Children's Home.

Minister of Financial Services the Hon. L. Ryan Pinder announced on April 2, 2013, that his Ministry, in conjunction with the Bahamas Association of Compliance Officers (BACO), will host a Regional Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Workshop, facilitated by United States Treasury and Internal Revenue Services (IRS) officials, on Tuesday 9th April, 2013, at the British Colonial Hilton.

"An invitation to attend the workshop has been extended to all CARIFORUM regional governments, as well as other regional governments not within CARIFORUM, including the relevant regulatory and central government agencies," Minister Pinder said, at a press conference at his Ministry.

3rd April 2013

The late Dr. Cleveland Eneas used to say that if you want to hide something from a Bahamian put it in writing. It has been an interesting couple of weeks since a completely innocuous midyear statement was made to the House about how the government proposes to conduct its immigration policy.

The debate has been framed to a large extent by the usual suspects who have a knee jerk reaction to any policy proposed by the PLP, but what they cannot say truthfully is that they did not know, that they did not understand and that it is not the right policy.

A standing room only crowd packed the Palm Cay clubhouse Thursday to hear a new executive and operations team unveil plans for the upscale $200 million, 69-acre community at the eastern end of New Providence.

What they heard was a carefully laid out, four-year calendar that at the end would give owners of single family homes, townhomes and condos not just the largest inland marina in The Bahamas and other amenities, but a desirable seaside nautical community. If property owners had any doubt that the new team was serious about leapfrogging past any former hiccups that had beset the promising development, they only had to look as far as the beach outside the clubhouse windows.

Members of the newly formed Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay (CPCB) were recently hosted on "Issues of the Day". They shared the Coalition's agenda and clarified some of the thorny issues. They describedthreats to Clifton Bay as "extraordinarily catastrophic." They emphasized that the passage of an Environmental Protection and Freedom of Information Act were essential to protecting the marine heritage in Clifton Bay and throughout The Bahamas.

Appearing on "Issues of the Day" with host Wendell Jones were two Bahamian attorneys, Fred Smith and Romauld Ferreira, both noted for their strong contributions to environmental consultation and advocacy, Smith for over 35 years and Ferreira for 20 plus.

By Keshelle Kerr / Creative Wealth Bahamas

It's been far too long since I wrote. After I launched my first book in 2010, I took a hiatus from writing officially as it seems. However, with April 2013 being the 5th year anniversary of Creative Wealth Bahamas, I am happy and proud to say that I am back -and with even more passion than before.

Although I wasn't writing as often, I still spend many weeks working with youth in schools and churches. During those sessions, one important thing was evident - naturally, most teens do not see the importance of money at this stage in their lives. It is still some far-fetched thing that many do not consciously think about and may not think about it until it's too late. However, motivating your teen to want to learn about money isn't as difficult as you think!

Ready, set, FISH - is what you will be hearing in Grand Bahama this weekend as the 3rd Annual Grand Bahama Shipyard's Youth Benefit fishing tournament gets ready to reel in big dollars for local schools' needs.

"The corporate community response has been phenomenal," said Tournament Committee Director Ed Pavey. "Our industrial partners and suppliers have really stepped up to the plate and extended their generosity towards our annual fundraiser." This year's efforts will aid both the West End schools in Grand Bahama as well as to complete shipyard efforts already started at Eight Mile Rock track and sports field. "At our first tournament we raised just over $13,000, last year's we tripled that figure with $45,000 for the East End Primary schools - and today I can report we are over $70,000 for this year's donations!"

U.S. Coast Guard personnel from the Coast Guard Cutter Diamondback approach Royal Caribbean International's Monarch of the Seas to conduct an initial safety evaluation for exercise Black Swan conducted in Freeport, Grand Bahama on April 2, 2013.

Black Swan is a joint offshore emergency exercise coordinated by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Bahamian government, the cruise line industry, and emergency response teams to test and evaluate safety procedures at sea.

As the euphoria of last month's major puppylifts wanes, we find our feet being guided solidly back to earth by our normal daily routine. Which, as always, includes a mix of mundane, shocking, sad, and sometimes even happy and/or comical events.

We know times are tough on Grand Bahama. We probably know it as well as anyone, as we see the sad animals losing their homes on a daily basis, and we see it in our bottom line which is affected by the number of incoming animals, and the resultant costs of care. We sure wish people would stop acquiring pets they have no realistic ability or intention to take proper care of. We know that our supporters feel the same way. Please help us.

United behind the theme "Yours. Mine. Ours ... Let's Protect Our Coast ...It Needs Us Most!" Director of Tourism for Grand Bahama, Karen F. Seymour, emphasized the Ministry's ongoing focus on coastal awareness, "Because as an archipelago, the Islands of The Bahamas are all coasts, and rely heavily upon the coastline for tourism, and upon the waters for sustenance."

The promotional schedule for Grand Bahama includes a series of school visitations to encourage students to be good environmental stewards, and as much as possible Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And the traditional "walk the coastline and beach clean-up" will take place on May 4th, 2013.

DID YOU KNOW that babies born before forty weeks have lower reading and math scores later in school?

Babies born between the 37th and 42nd week of gestation are called term infants. Those born before the 37th week are called premature. Over 70 % of preterm babies are born between the 34th and end of the 36th week of gestation These late preterm births contribute significantly to the rising rates of admissions to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) and healthcare expense.

The fastest growing subgroup of premies, late preterm infants have more health challenges that do full term infants. Because late preterm infants look almost as big as term infants, they are often treated as such despite the fact that they have their own unique health needs. Because they are not full term, these babies are not developmentally mature.

The Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin
Minister of Transport and Aviation
4th April 2013

In the early hours of this morning I was informed of an aviation accident in Mayaguana resulting in the tragic death of 3 people. I am advised that all 3 persons are residents of the island of Mayaguana.

A preliminary report from the Department of Civil Aviation says that on 4th April, 2013 at approximately 12:30 a.m. a Cessna C402 owned by Leair Charter Service Limited with a crew of 2 on board was making a landing at night for an emergency evacuation flight with two vehicles strategically placed to outline the useable portion of the runway. It is reported that the aircraft made contact with one of the vehicles resulting in the deaths of the 3 passengers in that vehicle.

The bulls are running at the historic Bimini Big Game Club Resort & Marina in Alice Town, with management reporting on brisk business and bookings, plans to increase staff and a successful start to the Bimini Bull Run at-the-dock shark encounter.

"We're already over 30% over last year's overall year-to-year revenue and I'm spending this week doing interviews to get ramped-up for what we think will be a very strong season," said General Manager Michael Weber, who plans to increase staff by 35%.

A harmonious ensemble of voices that harken to the tie that binds The Bahamas, America and the African diaspora will form the centerpiece of the upcoming Southeastern African-American Collegiate (SEAAC) Music Festival that will be held at The College of The Bahamas in April.

Ten years ago, The College made history as the first collegiate institution outside of the United States invited to host the acclaimed festival. This April, COB will repeat the distinction when it hosts choirs from Alabama State University, South Carolina State University, Southern University and A&M College and Winston-Salem State University. It will also feature its own Choir in the 20th Anniversary SEAAC Festival.

Three years ago, The College of The Bahamas Short Film Festival was merely a means of giving film students a platform to express their creativity; today, it has developed into a credible avenue for the expression of Bahamian drama and cultural transmission on the big screen.

COB is once again preparing for the festival - the 3rd Annual - which will be held on Wednesday, April 17th at the Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre. And as evidence of the unifying nature of the arts, students from across various academic disciplines are producing short films which will be screened by the wider College community and the public. Over many weeks, the students have been working in film production teams to write, edit, direct and act in the films, exposing them to the full gamut of skills necessary in the demanding field of film making.

Song and spirit from the Radio One Love Get Away marketing campaign could bring as many as 2,200 religious tourists from 70 countries worldwide to watch at least 27 gospel artists perform live at a gospel festival in The Bahamas.

This partnership between the Ministry of Tourism and Atlanta based Radio One Love is also expected to establish more repeat visitor relationships to our archipelagic nation. Since January 2013, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has been advertising this welcome to the gospel community. The Bahamas hopes to benefit from sharing our peaceful environment with others seeking to indulge in cultural diversity.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie officially opened the 42nd CARIFTA Games during the opening ceremony at the Thomas Robinson National Stadium, Friday, March 29, 2013. This is the 7th time that The Bahamas has hosted the regional games, which will run from March 29 - April 1.

The Prime Minister said, "It is with the greatest of pride that we today host over 600 of the finest athletes, coaches and officials from 26 countries in the inaugural regional sporting event for our new National Stadium which has been named in honour of the late Thomas Robinson, the Bahamas' first internationally recognised track and field athlete, who died late last year.

The favourites heading into the 2013 Carifta Games certainly did not disappoint the home crowd by winning their races in top form on Saturday, March 30, 2013.

Shaune Miller, The Bahamas World Junior and Youth Champion in the Under-20 Girls Division won the 400m Finals in a new record time of 51.64 seconds. Jamaica's Chris Ann Gordon ran 53.22 seconds for the silver medal and Kadecia Baird of Guyana clocked 54.28 seconds for the bronze medal.

With the Carifta Games being regarded as his "greatest achievement in sport", Austin Sealy was recognized by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon Perry Christie during the 2013 sporting event showcasing the best athletes in the Caribbean.

And it came as a complete surprise to Mr. Sealy, who thanked the Prime Minister for the tribute - a conch shell mounted on a base - recognizing him for his outstanding contribution to sports in the region, during the opening ceremonies of the 42nd Carifta Games at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.

This week was the start of the 2013 Major League Basketball (MLB) season.

The MLB started in 1869 and has been going strong since. It started as two leagues, the American League and the National League but these two leagues joined together in 2000 to make the MLB. Some of those franchises that have always been around are The Boston Red Soxs and the New York Yankees.

The MLB has thirty teams - twenty nine from USA and one from Canada.

Here's a great Grand Bahama soccer camp deal - $25 off! You just have to sign up before the end of April.

The popular Sir Jack Hayward Premier League Soccer Camp will take place June 17 to June 21 at the Freeport Rugby and Football Club fields, East Settlers Way.

Lots of fun guaranteed! Special discounted price of $150 during April.

Like all of the Bahamas, the islands of Bimini are intrinsically defined by the water that surrounds them. Not only has the water shaped and molded the islands themselves, but it has also defined the experience of those that visit these islands, as well as those that call the Bahamas their home. For everyone that loves little Bimini, their affection for its stunning blue water is at the base of their affinity for these precious 'Islands in the Stream.'

Bimini's impressive tourism industry has always revolved around the water. Big game fishing, SCUBA diving, boating, sailing, bone fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, and a variety of wildlife encounters all contribute to the island's flourishing eco-tourism industry.