The Ministry of Education: ALL SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ARE TO RESUME TODAY.

A moist unstable air mass continues to linger over The Bahamas creating unsettled weather across the islands, the Bahamas Department of Meteorology has advised. The weather will be cloudy to overcast and very windy conditions today and tonight, with widespread rain and thunderstorms, some of which can be heavy at times.

The winds will be east to southeast at 20-25 knots this morning but increasing to 20 to 30 knots by this afternoon. The seas will be running 6 -9 feet this morning but building to 7-11 feet tonight.

That moist unstable air mass that affected the country for the week will gradually move out of the area by Friday night, bringing clearing skies, the Met Department says.

Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie said the performance of Recurrent Revenues in 2012/13 was not as robust as had been expected at the time of the last Budget because of weaker than projected growth of nominal GDP.

"That weakness has persisted and we now expect Recurrent Revenues this year to come in at $1,380 million, down by 11 per cent or $170 million from the $1,550 million Budget projection, " the Prime Minister said as he presented the 2013/14 Budget Communication in the House of Assembly, Wednesday, May 29, 2013.

Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Dr. Gustavo Adolfo Bell Lemus presented his Letters of Credence to Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes during a brief ceremony at Government House last week.

He said the Colombian Government is committed to deepening the relationship of cooperation between Colombia and The Bahamas. Dr. Lemus said despite the problems facing world economies, Colombia is going through a period of strong economic performance. "In the past few years, the average economic growth has been around five per cent."

On Monday, May 27, the United States Embassy commemorated Memorial Day with a wreath laying ceremony in memory of fallen military veterans. Special recognition was given to the sailors from U.S. Patrol Squadron 23 who died off the coast of Nassau on May 7, 1954 and Private First Class Norman Darling who died in the Iraq War in 2004. The special observance took place at the site of the Memorial to Patrol Squad 23 at Clifton Pier.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman, His Excellency Sir Arthur A. Foulkes, Governor General of The Bahamas, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, Fred Mitchell, former U.S. Ambassador to The Bahamas John Rood and other officials as well as family members of the fallen sailors attended the ceremony.

Lyford Cay International School (LCIS) hosted the graduation ceremony for the school's 8th graduating class on May 28, 2013 at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort.

The Commencement Address was given by LCIS Alumni Nikita Shiel-Rolle. She talked to the graduates about opportunity, passion, failure and fun. She encouraged them to seize opportunities when they arose, to find their passion, not to be dissuaded by failure and to find fun in all things.

On Wednesday, May 22, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of South East Nassau's weekly luncheon meeting held at the East Villa Restaurant on East Bay Street. The Chargé used the opportunity to discuss the strong U.S./Bahamas bilateral relationship as well as the role of the U.S. Embassy and its ongoing outreach initiatives throughout The Bahamas.

Chargé Dinkelman also highlighted his personal experiences as a father of two children affected by autism and noted the Embassy's ongoing commitment to promote autism awareness through partnerships with Bahamian organizations.

For 28 students from the C.V. Bethel Magnet Marine Science Program, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, a chance to learn about shark behaviour from experts and snorkel the world-famous waters of Clifton Bay, thanks in part to sponsorship from the Moore Bahamas Foundation and environmentalists with BREEF, the Cape Eleuthera Institute and Stony Brook University, State University of New York (SUNY).

The shark education day May 21 was a highlight of the education portion of a five-week shark tagging expedition that will help marine researchers understand the migration patterns of the marine animals. The expedition, sponsored by the Moore Bahamas Foundation, began May 7 and runs until June 15.

On May 18th 2013, in commemoration of the Eta Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated's 50th anniversary and in celebration of Earth Day and Arbor Day a key lime tree was planted at the campus of the Willamae Pratt Centre for Girls.

This tree planting ceremony was further marked as an extension of the group's backyard farming project under the The Global Poverty Initiative with members and residents of the centre participating.

The Bahamas National Trust's monthly Da Market has become a must- attend event for those who favor eating healthy and buying local. From freshly pressed wheat grass juice to handmade Bahamian jams and jewelry, this ongoing monthly event is not only a venue to purchase local produce and crafts, it has become a gathering for health and nature enthusiasts to share recipes, plants, and smiles.

The Da Market is held at the Rand Nature Centre which is the perfect place for such an event. Market goers can enjoy being surrounded by lush foliage, butterflies, hummingbirds and the sounds of all the wonderful residents who live within the Nature Centre's 100 acre parcel of protected pine forest.

Passionate human rights activist and Save The Bays Director Joseph Darville engaged the members of Rotary's Grand Bahama Sunrise Club recently as he spoke about "Rape, Pillage & Wanton Destruction of Our Patrimony Heritage of Land & Sea."

Having just returned from Bimini, Darville shared his findings and educated the Rotarians about Save The Bays, the rapidly-growing group seeking legislative, judicial and behavioural change to protect the Bahamas environment.

One of these days, we're going to write an amazingly happy true story. We're going to talk about having less than 100 dogs and puppies and less than 30 cats and kittens at our shelter at any given time. Currently we have almost 400 dogs and puppies in our shelter.

Thanks to our friends abroad, we have the opportunity to save some of these precious souls, and alleviate our overcrowding at least to an extent, by doing another puppylift. We are planning it for sometime in the next four weeks, and we would be most grateful for any donations to help with this.

As part of pre-Independence 40th anniversary celebrations on Grand Bahama, present and former parliamentarians gathered for a special recognition luncheon held at the Grand Lucayan Resort this past weekend.

In her opening remarks, Ginger Moxey, Deputy Chair of the 40th Independence Anniversary Committee warmly welcomed parliamentarians and family members of those who are deceased to an afternoon dedicated to paying homage to those of such an elite group. "Oftentimes, in our cynical society, a full appreciation for the sacrifice that you make is often overlooked," Moxey noted.

In 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) assembled birth experts from around the world to identify common practices in normal birth that were justified, that improved birth outcomes, and that ought to be encouraged for safe care in normal birth. At the same time, the WHO identified common birth practices that are known to be harmful, unnecessary, underused as well as those interventions that required further study to determine their merit in the care of child bearing families.

In a way, as presented, the listing of intervention by category serves as a "sort of" report card for birthing facilities in that either the intervention is or is not currently practiced.

This article "speaks to" the second of the four categories of common birth practices and the rationale of those interventions the WHO identified seventeen years ago. The practices that are known to be harmful and should not be practiced are in bold type and listed below.

Dance adjudicator Lawrence Carroll shows Arthur's Town Primary School female students a new dance routine, during the recent E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival Cat Island Adjudications.

Adjudicators also traveled to Cockburn Town, San Salvador, where they viewed local craft work.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Urban Development the Hon. Philip Davis was in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Monday, May 27, 2013, for the signing of contracts with local Abaco contractors for various Government capital works totalling $1,647,194.72.

The contracts signed during the signing ceremony include: perimeter security fencing at the Marsh Harbour International Airport; land preparation and hydro-seeding for the Airport's airside; construction for a security booth for the Control Tower and fire/crash facilities; construction of a pre-school, student restroom facilities, and covered walkways at the Fox Town Primary School campus; and repairs to the Marsh Harbour Container Port Building the International Warehouse.

Kirkland 'KB' Bodie, the number one selling recording Bahamian artist, has joined the fast-growing marine environmental movement, Save The Bays, writing, performing and producing a song by the same name to bring awareness to the fragile state of the country's coral reefs and bays.

Save the Bays, written and sung by the artist who has produced more music than any living Bahamian, is set to premiere exclusively on the popular 100 Jamz morning show, Wake Up and Go with Special K and Leslie this Friday between 8:30 and 9 am. Immediately following that show, it will be released to all radio and online media outlets.

Join the Grand Bahama Youth Choir in celebration of their 4th anniversary on Sunday, June 2, at the Grand Lucayan. "Our Bahamian Story" will be performed in an unforgettable show at 7pm in the Grand Lucayan Ballroom. Tickets are only $15 and available by calling the Kevin G. Tomlinson Academy at 352-6001/2 or 225-9122.

The Grand Bahama Youth Choir started on the 27th of February, 2009. Before this project grew into what we know today, it was mainly started for one purpose - to assemble a choir to sing during the opening ceremony of the local government conference hosted on Grand Bahama in May of that year.

The video-documentary on the Women's Suffrage Movement in the Bahamas by filmmakers Marion Bethel and Maria Govan, is about to be screened in Freeport.

The screening will take place at the Regency Theatre on Saturday June 1, 2013, starting at 8:00p.m. sharp. A Q & A session with producer and director Marion Bethel will follow. Doors open at 7p.m. Advance tickets available at the Seventeen Shop downtown, Graham Thompson & Co., and McIntosh & Co.

Watch the trailer for the film at: www.womensuffragebahamas.com.

For the second time in just seven episodes, Bahamian designer Theodore Elyett has emerged the challenge winner on Mission Catwalk, beating out seven other designers from around the Caribbean to secure the win. On episode seven, designers were challenged to transform 5 yards of white cotton fabric within 8 hours by painting a motif that represents their personality.

While the other designers by and large opted to construct dresses or skirts, Elyett surmounted the competition by constructing a challenging tailored ensemble consisting of a cap-sleeve blouse and cigarette pants. The blouse featured a bold orange graduated collar and a hand painted, florescent pink floral design paired with cigarette pants. The entire look was hand painted to have an ombré effect - which Elyett commented reflects his multifaceted personalty.

Since opening its doors in 2009 Pollo Tropical has spearheaded the campaign for healthy living, providing Grand Bahamians with a fresh and healthy fast food alternative.

As part of its commitment to encouraging healthy lifestyles Pollo Tropical is pleased to announce its 4th Annual Ride for Charity cycling event, which will take place on Saturday, June 8, 2013, and will bring together novice and expert cyclists on Grand Bahama Island for a fun filled and challenging race, with all proceeds going to fund Lupus Bahamas.

The 242 Colour Run is premiering in Nassau on Saturday, July 13th, 2013, designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Bahamas Independence. The event will benefit the Rotary Club of East Nassau and the Rotaract Club of East Nassau. Registration is now open online, with more details at www.run242.com. Participants can also register at any of The Sports Center locations.

The 5km (3.1 miles) event is designed to be fun for all - with no winners or official times, participants can feel free to run or walk the event at their own pace. The community building event is to be fun and family friendly, and to bring Bahamians together to celebrate our 40 years of independence.

The Extreme Kayak Fishing Tournament, called "May Madnes" that recently drew 100 plus kayak participants to its event at Pompano Beach, Florida, is expected to move to The Islands Of The Bahamas in April of 2014.

The sport which involves fishing for big game from a kayak is expected to take place in Freeport, Grand Bahama at the Flamingo Bay Resort. The organizers have already done some pre-fishing in The Bahamas and boasted that they were able to catch a good number of species including wahoo.

As murders continue to fascinate and overwhelm our nation and people, I am moved to cite the words of Exodus 34:7: Having mercy on thousands, overlooking evil and wrongdoing and sin; he will not let wrongdoers go free, but will send punishment on children for the sins of their fathers, and on their children's children to the third and fourth generation.

Murderers apparently feel that they are exempt from penalty, but the word of God says otherwise. We lack spirituality and respect for God and man in The Bahamas; so, our future and our children's tomorrow become darker and dimmer with each new murder and other sinful deeds committed on our soil. Yes, punishment on children for the sin of their fathers, and on their children's children to the third and fourth generation.