Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, celebrates his 70th birthday at the Office of the Prime Minister at the Wallace Whitfield Building Cable Beach with his staff, Wednesday, August 21, 2013.

(BIS Photos/Peter Ramsay)

The Government of the People's Republic of China has awarded 13 Bahamians with scholarships to pursue higher education. Eight of those persons will travel to China this fall to pursue Bachelor and Master's degrees in a cross-section of disciplines including Accounting, Engineering, Economics and Ceramic Art. The remaining five students will pursue studies in the Mandarin language at the Confucius Institute at the College of The Bahamas.

During the award ceremony, which was held at the Harry C. Moore Library Auditorium on Monday, August 19, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Frederick A. Mitchell, said that he was pleased that these scholarships had been awarded to deserving Bahamians.

Declaring it a model that will serve to help cities around the world survive catastrophic weather events that threaten human lives, wildlife and habitats, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg introduced a unique, all-star team of research institutions and non-profits, thanking those who made its creation possible, including the National Park Service, Rockefeller Foundation, Secunda Family Foundation, National Grid and noted conservationist Louis Bacon.

Dozens of high-ranking officials and leaders gathered to hear Bloomberg's words of appreciation to public and private sector partners during the August 13th ceremony at Jamaica Bay to launch the new Science and Resilience Institute.

A Bahamian professor at The College of The Bahamas has earned a prestigious scholarship that will allow her to broaden her training and international networks in cutting-edge stem cell research.

Dr. Kenya Ward, Assistant Professor in the School of Chemistry, Environmental and Life Sciences at The College, will be among other researchers and scholars participating in the 2013 Frontiers in Stem Cells and Regeneration Advanced Training Course at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 29th to October 5th. She will complete an advanced course called Frontiers in Stem Cells and Regeneration.

Hail to the Hogfish! The Hogfish, often mistakenly called the Hog Snapper, is a member of the wrasse family. It posses a very long elongated snout which it uses to search for crustaceans buried in the sand. A prominent black spot behind the pectoral fins differentiates males from females. The males can also be identified by a longer snout and a darker more prominent stripe on their forehead.

You will note that there are always a lot of hogfish pictures in our reports. They are very easy fish to spear as they usually turn sideways when approached underwater making them an easy target. The meat is very delicate and light. It is great in anything from tacos to fishing fingers to soups and even ceviche.

Less than three weeks after a late July unveiling of its first condominium offering, representatives of the seaside community of Palm Cay said today response has been "very encouraging," with several reservations coming in from serious potential buyers and more expected in the next few weeks.

"We are very pleased with the response so far," says Zachary 'Zack' Bonczek, Director of Sales and Marketing at the 69-acre marina and beachfront development on the island's southeastern shore. "One day after we announced The Anchorage with two bedroom condos near the marina, steps from the beach with a starting price of $319,000, we got the first reservation. Less than two weeks later, nearly half of the 12 units to be built during Phase I were reserved."

Outdated gaming laws in The Bahamas, which have not kept pace with a technological revolution in the sector, prohibits the country from taking its rightful place in the global tourism market, said Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer at Baha Mar Mr. Uri Clinton.

Mr. Clinton will be a plenary speaker at The College of The Bahamas Culinary and Hospitality Management Institute Conference on "Shrinking The Global Divide: Synergy, Service and Sustainability", scheduled for September 18th-20th at Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.

HG Christie Limited (HGC) is honored to be the exclusive representative for some of New Providence Development Company's (NPDCo) prime real estate holdings. The agreement between these two reputable Bahamian companies encompasses some of the most well positioned growth opportunities presently on the real estate market on the island of New Providence.

VP and Managing Director of HG Christie Ltd, John Christie, shared, "With the huge investments which have been made on the western end of island, from Lyford Cay, Old Fort Bay, Albany and Baha Mar, the type of commercial and residential offerings represented in this agreement are a necessity to service the growth. We are confident that the Old Fort Bay Town Centre (OFBTC) is optimally positioned to commercially serve the many needs and multiple facets of the area."

Through her life and legacy the late Dr. Keva M. Bethel, CMG, left an unparalleled imprint on the development of The Bahamas and tertiary education in particular.

On August 21st, Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) Limited will join The College of The Bahamas and the Bethel family in honouring the pioneering spirit of one of the country's most preeminent educators and visionaries, in presenting the Keva M. Bethel Distinguished Lecture. Celebrated Bahamian writer and cultural advocate Mrs. Patricia Glinton-Meicholas will speak on the topic: "A Modest Proposal Towards A Truer Emancipation and Truer Independence."

In the spirit of giving back to society and being mindful of the welfare of the elderly in our community, staff members of the RBC Credit Card Centre recently visited the Geriatrics Centre. The team of fifteen (15) volunteers chose this initiative to support the elderly in our society who are sometimes neglected and forgotten. The initiative was supported through the RBC Day of Service Grant.

RBC sponsors employee volunteer programs to encourage employees to continuously be active participants in community building. In commemoration of Volunteer Week, which was celebrated around the globe, RBC launched the 2013 RBC Day of Service Grant programme. The RBC Day of Service Grant supports employees who respond to a community need.

Former Minister of State for Finance, Zhivargo Laing, addressed a large crowd at the Rotary Club of Freeport meeting on Thursday, August 15, at the Ruby Swiss restaurant on the hot topic of Value Added Tax or VAT. Text of his speech below:

Mr. President and other executives of the Rotary Club of Freeport, members and guests, members of the media, good afternoon. I was invited by your president to speak to you about the Value Added Tax (V.A.T.), which, if the Government meets its deadline will be a feature of our tax system commencing in July of next year. I will not be long I promise but I will try to be clear. My talk today will seek to answer five questions, namely:

What a week this has been at the Humane Society of Grand Bahama! Our Potcake Pals summer camp ended last Friday with a wonderful fun day on the beach and a pizza lunch. We think this has been the best camp yet; the children really enjoyed a variety of animal-related experiences, and learned a great deal in the process.

On Wednesday, they visited our friends at Ol' Freetown Farm, and interacted with a wide variety of animals including horses, ponies, goats, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and a wide variety of birds from the smallest songbirds to chickens, geese, and even turkeys!

Grand Bahama is abuzz with excitement over the recent opening of Marco's Pizza in The Lucaya Shopping Centre! After just one week of business, residents are raving about Marco's authentic specialty pizzas, delicious subs, salads and sides.

Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, the Marco's Pizza franchise is one of only a handful of Pizzerias proudly upholding the time-honored traditions of Italian pizza making.

The Rotary Club of Freeport embarked upon its road safety and environmental friendly campaign August 16th after awareness was heightened over a series of accidents that took place within our Islands of the Bahamas, including Grand Bahama.

To accomplish this initiative, the club sought partnership from a leading charter bus service - H. Forbes Charter Bus Service. The owner, Mr. Headley Forbes, from the very beginning was supportive of the idea and the club met with his staff as to how it could all become a reality. In the planning stages, it was decided to incorporate environmental friendly messages.

Routine (as in all of the time) and early (prior to the onset of active labor at 5 cms. of dilation) rupture of the amnionic sac in labor is a common obstetrical practice that is no longer endorsed. Artificial rupture of the BOW, one of the most common of obstetrical interventions, is done to "speed up labor and to strengthen uterine contractions".

While there is conflicting evidence that amniotomy may speed up labor by 1 to 2 hours, there is nothing to say that a shorter labor is of benefit for either the mother or her baby. What research has discerned since 1996, the publication date of the WHO Normal Birth treatise, is that early amniotomy is less effective than late amniotomy or amniotomy peformed because of a definite arrest of labor's progress. Jansen echoes the 2008 findings of the Cochran Collaboration, an international not-for-profit organization that produces and circulates critical reviews of clinical trials and healthcare interventions, that there is "no benefit to artificially rupturing membranes as a mechanism for speeding up" the progress of labor.

The One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF), in conjunction with its counterparts Family Medicine Center, Cancer Society of Eleuthera and others, hosted their 2nd Annual Pathway to Wellness: Reversing the Trends health and wellness symposium with the guiding theme The Pathway to the Cure, August 1st through 3rd.

Focused on cancer, one of the largest contributors to morbidity and mortality in Eleuthera, the three-day symposium commenced with a welcome reception on Thursday, hosted by the Rotary Club of Eleuthera at the Cancer Society building in Palmetto Point. It was during this time that the Cancer Society of Eleuthera's (CSE) facility was rededicated as a Wellness Center.

Though television's annual "Shark Week" may have ended, it's shark week every week at the docks of the historic Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina.

The 51-room Big Game Club, host to numerous sportfishing tournaments over the past half century, continues to promote its at-the-dock relationship to bulls, tigers and lemon sharks with the opening of the outdoor Shark Bar, a quaint Tiki-hut type watering hole adjacent to the resort's popular shark encounter, Bimini Bull Run.

The Government of The Bahamas and Bahamas Fast Ferries are in active discussions on the startup of service that will connect the Island of Grand Bahama, Abaco, Eleuthera and New Providence.

Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Perry Gladstone Christie was in Grand Bahama on August 16 to meet with the chairman of Bahamas Fast Ferries, Bahamian businessman, Mr. Craig Symonette, to discuss the project which will be situated on land near the former U.S. Missile Base docking facility at Gold Rock Creek. The land is owned by The Bahamas Government.

A project that started out as one man's dream to give back to the community by doing what he does best, fine art photographic portraiture, is set to expand dramatically, growing from a one-man show into an umbrella of more than a dozen photographers spread out throughout The Bahamas to capture the soul and spirit of the nation's population. News of the expansion and plans for the Bahamian Project, the brainchild of photographer Duke Wells and his wife, Lisa, who recorded and posted the year-long project, came at a press conference today at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas (NAGB).

"I am very pleased to say that the response to the first year of the Bahamian Project has been incredibly positive and in our second year, I will be joined by a prestigious group of local photographic artists who have agreed to come onboard and spread throughout the islands in their dedication to capture the character of the oh, so many Bahamians whose lives weave the fabric of Bahamian society," said Wells.

93 swimmers entered the water on a beautiful sunny Saturday, August 17th for the 43rd annual Bernie Butler BASRA marathon swim race at Coral Beach.

The event was won by 13 year old Alec Sands out of Nassau in a time of 32 minutes. Female overall title went to Sabrina Campbell from Freeport in 37:53. Swimmers of all ages were rewarded with age group prizes, medals, and certificates.

Afterwards everyone enjoyed a tremendous beach party ...

(Photo gallery courtesy Derek Carroll)

Former world number one Australian professional tennis player Lleyton Hewitt will once again prove there's nothing like a Sands Beer by wearing the Sands logo when he competes in the US Open as he did when he competed in Wimbledon 2013.

Hewitt first brought international awareness to the Bahamian Brewery & Beverage brands by donning t-shirts with the Strong Back logo at the 2012 Australian open press conference. This year, he also wore the Sands logo on the court, at the most prestigious tennis arena in the world - Wimbledon.

For now, I'll skip the obvious elephant in the room of the nation having no clue whatsoever about who and how private owners will enter a "restructured" BEC and submit this:

Anyone in The Bahamas who has already sipped the kool-aid about the out-of-the-blue privatization of BEC and how this is supposed to magically translate into lower energy costs simply because parts would be privately owned, needs to travel to Grand Bahama and ask residents how "low" their power bills are from the 100% privately owned Grand Bahama Power Company. Energy prices in this country are not dictated solely by whether the provider is private or public, but rather, is substantively based on the cost of and government taxes on the fuel being used.

The reason BEC's costs to electricity consumers are not higher than they are right now, is that it is government run and owned - meaning the taxpayers are baring much of the costs to operate BEC via millions each budget year in subsidies in addition to the power bills they pay.