We live in a country where all of the possibilities must be thought of. I could be a dreamer, but so were the people before my time, who were the independence generation," said Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas The Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie during the opening ceremony of The Bahamas at 40: Reflecting on the Past, Envisioning the Future Independence conference.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday, June 12th and hosted by The College of The Bahamas through the School of Social Sciences and in partnership with the Government of The Bahamas and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Mr. Christie, told the audience at the Performing Arts Centre in the Keva M. Bethel Building, that we should ensure that our stories as a collected people are told, as we build bridges between generations of Bahamians.

Societies strengthened by a secure sense of identity, kinship, community and shared values and supported by viable economies should epitomize the process of nation building, former Prime Minister of Barbados the Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur professed at The Bahamas at 40 Independence Conference held at The College of The Bahamas (COB) on Friday, June 14th.

Mr. Arthur was sharing his views on "The Philosophy of Nation Building" at a Distinguished Lecture held as part of the Independence Conference, organised by the School of Social Sciences and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and held in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of independence of The Bahamas.

The Matching Gift Initiative, a new programme implemented through The College's Alumni Relations and Development Office, now enables top Bahamian companies to match its employee's donation dollars from alumni of The College of The Bahamas. RBC Royal Bank, (RBC) known for its long-standing commitment to education was the first to join the matching initiative with forty-one proud COB alumni employed throughout its various branches.

"RBC is pleased to be the first corporate entity to partner with The College of The Bahamas in this new programme. We have scores of employees who are alumni of The College, many of whom occupy some of our most senior management positions. We saw this as another opportunity to deepen the strong partnership that we have with COB while supporting the philanthropic efforts of our team. This was yet another way for us to show appreciation for their outstanding contributions to RBC," says Ms. Jan Knowles, RBC Manager, Public Relations and Communications. RBC has provided COB's largest corporate grant to date, $1 million towards the construction of the Graduate Business Centre.

On Tuesday, June 18, officials from the United States Embassy visited the Simpson Penn Boys II Men Mentoring Program's Summer Camp, currently underway at The Bahamas Youth Camp facility on Gladstone Road, in Nassau.

The two-week program, with a focus on reinforcing a positive male role in families, provides an avenue for mentors to engage one hundred at-risk youth in a semi-military program setting.

On Friday, June 14, volunteers from the U.S. Embassy partnered with Woodcock Primary School, Young Marine Explorers (YME) and Bahamas Waste to clean up the popular beach at Goodman's Bay in observance of World Oceans Month.

The Embassy's volunteers included representatives from the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the Navy and members of the U.S. Marine Corps Security Detachment as part of the Embassy's overreaching philosophy of environmental protection and responsibility.

Permission Given By Supreme Court To Start Judicial Review Case Following an ex parte hearing on 13 June 2013 before Supreme Court Justice Rhonda Bain, Save The Bays is delighted to announce unregulated development at Nygard Cay and Jaws Beach has been ordered to halt immediately and permission has been given for Save The Bays to challenge government inaction in relation to these unauthorized activities.

Background Since its successful launch in March this year, Save The Bays has been raising awareness about unregulated development at Nygard Cay. Save The Bays alleges in the action, which for years Nygard has carried out unauthorised construction, dredging and land reclamation. The beach at Nygard Cay has grown from 3.25 acres in 1984 to more than 6 acres in 2010. In his construction, reclamation and dredging, Peter Nygard has trespassed on Crown land and caused damage to the coast and marine environment. Previous Government attempts to force Nygard to obey the rule of law have been ignored.

The Honourable Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister of Education, Science and Technology was the guest speaker at the 2013 graduation ceremony of St. Andrew's School on Monday, 10th June, 2013.

Borrowing a quote from Best-selling Author, Joyce Meyer, Minister Fitzgerald told the 56 International Baccalaureate (IB) learners that they were prime examples of "The Power of Preparation".

The Grand Bahama Chamber Of Commerce, supported by its corporate partner Grand Bahama Port Authority Company will present its first Business Workshop for the year on Tuesday, June 25th. It is the Chamber's mandate to prepare small and medium enterprises (SME) to take advantage of and be prepared for opportunity that may be on the horizon through awareness, information and preparation.

The Chamber appreciates that SME's represents a significant portion of the country's GDP and it is with this knowledge that the Small Business Development Committee of the Chamber has placed special efforts in designing financial seminars for the development of small businesses that may have some challenges in keeping proper financial records.

The mantle was passed onto to the graduands of The College of The Bahamas Northern Bahamas Campus to impact the growth and development of The Bahamas by being men and women of vision, high standards, and inspiration.

Commencement speaker Mr. Michael Pintard, human resources development consultant, speaker and writer, told The College's graduands in Grand Bahama that they represent "hope" in a Bahamas that grapples with high levels of crime and mounting competition in the fields of tourism and the financial services.

The Grand Bahama Authority, Limited (GBPA) continues to recognise outstanding achievement amongst graduating seniors by means of its annual Top Achievers awards programme.

"Over the course of the past five years, hundreds of deserving students on Grand Bahama Island have been given a chance to pursue tertiary education either here or abroad through Top Achiever scholarships awarded by GBPA," stated Geneva Rutherford, Director Community Relations. At present, there are currently 108 students enrolled in the company's scholarship programme.

Administrator for the Sir Charles Hayward Children's Library (SCHCL), Mildred Johnson outlined an array of activities planned for the upcoming Annual Summer Reading Camp, during a brief interview this past Monday. The programme, which is scheduled to begin in early July, will run for three-plus weeks and is planned to be an exciting and multifaceted learning experience for camp attendees.

"Already, we've done quite a bit of work in preparation for the launch of this signature programme," stated Johnson. "There are a number of activities planned for the participants, all of which will be focused on inspiring our young people to read, read, read," Johnson expressed. We've found that the students really enjoy the Summer Camp; in fact we are just about booked to capacity with registrants, and they are excited for the programme to begin."

Imagine you are an animal. An animal that finds its own shelter and food, avoids people, avoids or fights off predators, and generally just tries to live its life to simply survive.

Are you imagining a wild animal? Perhaps a squirrel, or fox, or raccoon? Or a deer, or bear, or dolphin, or wolf, or mountain lion? Humane thinking people agree that wild animals should be protected and allowed to live their lives. What if we ask you to imagine a feral, or free-roaming cat?

Bahamas Striping recently gave George Town roads a road safety overhaul with new traffic control markings.

For years, Exumians have been calling for the markings to lessen traffic confusion and to help guide the island's many visitors who are unfamiliar with local road system. Over several days and two trips, the Bahamian striping company laid down stop junctions, a zebra crossing, and center and edge lines enhanced with high visibility retro-reflective road studs or "cats eyes".

Photo 2: The flag for the 40th Independence Anniversary was raised in Mayaguana June 17 on its journey throughout the islands. Pictured from left: Huel Williamson; Petty Officer Moss, RBDF; Constable 3144 Knowles, RBPF and Ferleisa Johnson, an 11th Grade student.

(BIS Photo/Raymond A. Bethel)

Photo 3: Bertram A. Newton Primary School grade-four students recite "Down In Red Bays," by Kim Curtis, during the E. Clement Bethel National Arts Festival Andros Adjudications, in Nicholl's Town, North Andros, on June 10, 2013.

(BISPhoto / Eric Rose)

Cable Bahamas Ltd, the revolutionary communications provider of choice in The Bahamas, has teamed up with rising Bahamian music sensation Angelique Sabrina to bring a bold and fresh style to the company's product marketing.

Though just 15 years old, Angelique graduated high school, just one week ago, with academic excellence. Within a few short years, she already launched an international music career that has garnered recognition by accomplished music artists. Her single "Stop Sign featuring Shontelle" has seen significant airplay in both major radio markets and music video outlets in the United States. She recently performed live on stage with rap megastar Flo Rida, performed a tribute to Sir Sidney Poitier at the naming of one of the bridges to Paradise Island, and performed at the Apollo Theatre's first annual Harlem Healthy Soul Festival.

The Lois Seiler Academy of Dance shone brightly last weekend with dancers showing off their sensational skills as audience members filled the theatre with applause for the celebration another successful production. The Lois Seiler Academy of Dance celebrated 44 years of excellence and dance. Lois Seiler flawlessly managed to keep all of her dances fresh and original, with an enjoyable, fast paced, show that sold out both performances. The production featured over 100 dancers performing ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop and modern ballet. Rico Thompson and Scarlett Wilson returned to host the show again by popular demand and the duo even featured a quirky dance of their own. The dancers sparkled in beautiful costumes and dazzled the audience with superb footwork making Body Language a night to remember.

Winners and Finalists at the Templeton World Charity Foundation and Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Laws of Life Essay Competition Awards Ceremony heard remarks from The Hon. Jerome Fitzgerald, Minister of Education, Science and Technology. The ceremony was held on Thursday, 6th June, 2013 at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort Hotel.

Minister Fitzgerald told the participants that while we are diverse in our thoughts, we have one commonality. "Every one of us has a moral code that will guide the choices that we make," he said. He encouraged the students to embrace the laws of life that they wrote about in their essays and reap the positive effects of applying them to every day life.

WEST END, Grand Bahama - The 3rd Annual West End Snapper Fishing Tournament and Festival, will take place on Saturday June 22nd, 2013. This year's tournament and festival will be held under the theme "Celebrating the Fishing Legacy of a Community Over Forty-years".

Live music performances featuring Veronica "Hand Swinging" Bishop and the popular Grand Bahama Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band. Mouth watering Bahamian dishes such as the West End's signature specialties - conch salad and conch fritters; a variety of drinks, refreshments and pastries.

Parliamentary leadership in The Bahamas has gone to the dogs

So, the Member of Parliament for Long Island - Mrs. Loretta Butler-Turner, has literally slapped the hurt out of Mr. Andre Rollins, the Member of Parliament for Fort Charlotte - outside of the House of Assembly today. The dramatic incident has the town on fire with the question: who's right and who's wrong? One thing is certain, and it's the reality that parliamentary leadership in The Bahamas has gone to the dogs.

I cannot recall a like situation among parliamentarians in my lifetime in The Bahamas, although many have come near to blows in the past. The violent situation between the two MPs today, is a poignant reflection of the intolerable political frustrations and deep rooted hatred which exist among Bahamians toward Bahamians - in a so called modern Bahamas.

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