On Wednesday, September 11, the United States Embassy held the official opening of a three-day conference on "Autism - Promoting Inclusion, Advocacy and Early Detection" at The College of The Bahamas' Harry C. Moore Library. On hand for the event, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, The Rt. Hon. Perry Christie, Deputy Prime Minister Philip Davis, Minister of Social Services, Melanie Griffin, Minister of Health, Dr. Perry Gomez, College of The Bahamas President Dr. Betsy Vogel-Boze along with other senior U.S. and Bahamian government officials and the U.S. Embassy's invited speaker, Dr. Valerie Karr, Ph.D., an expert on autism detection and early intervention strategies.

The three-day conference includes workshops for public and private school teachers who have limited, if any special education training. Dr. Karr will also meet with local psychologists and therapists; officials from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Social Services; and education professors and students from the College of The Bahamas.

As the Ministry of Tourism restructures and re-strategies in order to maintain the country's dominance as a tourism mecca, stakeholders in the industry insist that a concentration on service quality is the linchpin of a robust industry. Chef Freddy van Breugel, owner of Van Breugel's Bistro and Bar, has the experience to prove it. He greets his customers with a smile, a hand shake and sometimes a kiss as they enter his Charlotte Street restaurant; simple gestures that in the long run help to distinguish his popular downtown eatery.

The Holland-born restaurateur, who has travelled the world and tempted the palates of the rich and famous as a private chef, said while The Bahamas has all the amenities that make it an attractive location, there should be a concentrated effort on improving hospitality.

Atlantis has maintained their partnership with Bahamian Brewery & Beverage, by choosing the Sands draft to be the exclusive draft beer in the recently opened Olives Restaurant. Thirteen members of the food and beverage staff of Atlantis visited the Brewery to sample the beers and tour the facility that produces the exclusive Atlantis Ale.

The partnership between Atlantis and the Brewery began two years ago when Atlantis was seeking out a brewery to produce a beer exclusively for Virgil's Real BBQ restaurant at The Cove Atlantis. The Bahamian Brewery & Beverage brewmaster worked with the Atlantis Food and Beverage department, and the much sought after 'Atlantis Ale' was the result.

By year-end, the Bahamas Telecommunications Company's current high speed wireless 4G network will have undergone further upgrades to deliver Long Term Evolution, or 4G-LTE, a lightning-fast wireless communication network for high-speed data on mobile phones and data terminals.

Senior VP Brands and Communications, Marlon Johnson said that the further advances are in keeping with the company's goal of remaining the leader in the telecommunications industry by delivering the most advanced and fastest networks to their subscribers.

For nearly a century, the Bahamas Girl Guides Association has been inspiring young Bahamian females, preparing them to lead meaningful lives as empowered women growing from strength to strength even as they help colleagues, peers, families and a nation grow. Now the Girl Guides organization is experiencing growth of its own as it raises funds for a new headquarters to be built at a cost of $1.2 million with an additional $300,000 required for furniture and equipment.

Officials of the organization, buoyed by the presence and support of Patron Lady Foulkes, wife of the Governor General, publicly launched the building fund drive today in a ceremony complete with an unveiling of a sign that marks both past accomplishments and records present contributions.

The sound of trucks in the early morning tells the story. Oversized orange coolers dot the landscape. Everywhere, men are putting on hard hats, turning to, getting ready for another day's work, but this construction site is different from many others in Nassau,

"It's the three B's of construction work," says one contractor who is among nearly a dozen at the $200 million development of Palm Cay. "It's beachfront, it's breezy and best of all, it's so many Bahamian teams. It's great working here." If the contractor is boasting about the job and location, it's just one of the reasons the 69-acre beachfront community on New Providence's southeast coast is booming.

One of the important aspects that will make the Baha Mar experience unique is the selection of world class hotels that comprise the resort. Executives from the hotels at Baha Mar - The Baha Mar Casino & Hotel, The Grand Hyatt, The Mondrian and The Rosewood - recently met with the Minister of Tourism and representatives from the Ministry of Tourism.

In a collaborative initiative to grow tourism in The Bahamas the group discussed the appeal of each hotel brand and possibilities to dovetail the extensive global experience of the executive team with Ministry of Tourism activities.

September 23rd, 1963, four American wives of young Bahamian professional men, succeeded in their petition to their national office to have established in New Providence, a local chapter of the first black greek lettered Sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

To mark this significant milestone, the local chapter under the current leadership of Joyanne Archer, is this month celebrating under the theme: "5 decades of stellar service to the Bahamian community," with a number of activities throughout the month.

RBC Royal Bank recently announced the recipients for The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation (CLCF) scholarship. In 2008, as part of its 100th anniversary celebrations, RBC pledged $100,000, payable over 2008 and 2009, to CLCF's Academic Scholarship Programme. The financial institution renewed its commitment in 2010 making a further gift of $100,000 each subsequent year. To date RBC has awarded more than $200,000 to Bahamian students pursuing higher education in Canada and over $100,000 toward other scholarship initiatives at the Foundations.

The Canadian Lyford Cay Foundation's Scholarship Programme is designed to recognize the academic achievements and support the educational growth of talented, young leaders throughout The Bahamas. This year's scholarship recipients are Allena V. Albury and Byron G. McCartney. Scholars are chosen based on academic achievement, exceptional personal qualities and contributions to the community.

Thirty-nine employees at the Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS) recently received internationally recognised certificates after completing training programs in various areas. With these recent certifications they are now a level higher in their ongoing training and are Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certified, which means they can work on any ship in the world.

Out of the thirty-nine men, thirteen of them were local Bahamians. Reuben Byrd, Executive Vice President of Operations at GBS, said, "It's good that our men, especially young Bahamian men, are able to be certified and accept additional responsibility on top their existing skills. Over the last three years, the Yard has concentrated on improving the skill level of all staff. We are very pleased with our staff's willingness to excel."

The Grand Bahama Port Authority Limited (GBPA) and Port Group Limited (PGL) wish to announce the resignation of Ian Fair as Chairman and Director of both Companies. Ian Fair was appointed Director of GBPA and PGL in August 2011, and the Boards of Directors appointed him Chairman in April 2012. After serving both Companies for eighteen months, Mr. Fair has resigned effective today (September 10, 2013).

Ian Fair stated "The reasons for the decision at this particular stage are both personal and professional. I can no longer continue to devote the time that is needed to discharge my responsibilities. I have a considerable number of other business commitments, many of which go back over twenty to forty years and I must continue to give them attention. My family is not able to relocate to Grand Bahama and frankly I miss being away from them so much."

The Grand Bahama Children's Home is going way back to the ROARING TWENTIES to celebrate its 33rd anniversary and raise much needed funds for the Home's operations. The 'Roaring Twenties' Cocktail Reception, held under the patronage of Mrs. Bernadette Christie, will be held on Friday, October 18, 2013, at 7:30pm at "The Cotton Club" in the Ballroom at The Grand Lucayan.

"We are thrilled to announce a wonderful evening celebrating the exciting and dramatic 'Roaring Twenties' to benefit our children," explained Mrs. Geneva Rutherford, Grand Bahama Children's Home (GBCH) Executive Committee. "The committee is very honoured that Mrs. Christie accepted our invitation to be the patron of our cocktail reception and is helping us bring much needed awareness to the needs of our Home - for which we are very grateful," added Mrs. Rutherford.

The Humane Society of Grand Bahama has always welcomed the public to sponsor a dog or cat - it's a way to keep that animal safe, for one thing, and it's a great way to help a shelter pet for those who cannot adopt. Over the last few years a few kind people have faithfully sponsored pets they either rescued themselves or felt an affinity with. Thanks to new board members Letitia Parker and Siobhan Antoni Bates, our sponsorship program has been given new life. Letitia is sponsoring two dogs herself, and Siobhan started with one, but then found another to fall in love with so she will be sponsoring our Plum also.

Two of our sponsors do not even live here. You can be as involved with your sponsoree as you want to be. We welcome people to come visit, take their sponsored dogs for walks or outings, or spend time cuddling their sponsored kitty. We realize it's hard for some folks to form a close attachment to a pet they can't adopt, so the only requirement for sponsoring a dog or cat is a very affordable donation of only $1/day or $30/month, which is what we figure our average cost of care to be.

2000 Mercedes 230SLK, 55,000 miles, automatic transmission, hard top convertible.
Duty Paid - $9,000 OBO.
Located in Freeport. Call 727-0112.

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Fort Lauderdale-based Tropic Ocean Airways, which re-instituted regular seaplane service in 2012, has announced the addition of an eight- passenger seaplane.

The FAA certified Part 135 on-demand charter company currently offers scheduled flights to Bimini (Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday) and charters seven days a week to anywhere in the Bahamas, the Florida Keys and Florida.

The historic Transfiguration Baptist Church is located on Market and Vesey St. It was organized by the late Rev. Charles H. Thompson in 1927, along with Rev. Alfred Poitier and the late Fealy Demeritte. During the month of September Transfiguration Baptist typically celebrates the church's anniversary. This year is no different. Under the theme "Restoring Spiritual Worship", the pastor, officers and members of Transfiguration Baptist Church will celebrate the church's 86th anniversary with services of thanksgiving and praise to The Almighty God throughout the month.

Activities in celebration of Transfiguration Baptist Church's 86th Anniversary, during the month of September, include: 15th - 20th - Pre-Anniversary Services, 22nd - Anniversary Service, 27th - Youth Jamboree, and 29th - Youth Anniversary Service. The Public is invited to participate in these events. One of the highlights of the Church's Anniversary celebration is "A Lifetime of Faithfulness", Gala Ball.

Grand Bahama's hottest chefs, caterers, mixologists and restaurants are being invited to showcase at the second annual Meeting of Minds expo focusing this year on 'culinary fusion'. The Meeting of Minds II: Culinary Fusion Expo will be held November 9th at the Canal House, Pelican Bay Hotel, and will provide a platform to bring together the island's diverse food and beverage industry, providing the ultimate venue to promote products and/or services.

"Grand Bahama tourism relies heavily on the culinary experiences we provide, and part of that is our food quality and presentation, and courteous service," said Sean Johnson II, the creative director of Meeting of Minds. "We want Grand Bahama businesses to show us what they've got!"

The Grand Bahama Sports Hall of Fame Committee and the City of Freeport Council pay tribute to sports icon Coach Errol Bodie and urge all G.B. Sports Hall of Famers to attend his funeral service at 10:00 am this Saturday, September 14 at Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, and to wear their gray Hall of Fame blazer.

Coach Bodie who was inducted into the Grand Bahama Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 made huge contributions to track & field in the Bahamas and was a legendary coach for the former Hawksbill High School Senior Boys Basketball team which, under his leadership, captured multiple high school national championships.

Last weekend, on Sunday afternoon, a very exciting and action pack season began as the Miami Dolphins defeated the Cleveland Browns 23 -10.

Overall Miami's defense looked solid as they forced four interceptions from Brown's second year quarterback Brandon Weeden. In the first half the Browns started with a running based offensive game plan, second year running back Trent Richardson was very quick and unpredictable making him very hard to stop. With only 10 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Brandon Weeden threw a deep ball, which was overthrown causing an interception by Brent Grimes. Then Weeden threw a strike to Travis Benjamin but cornerback Brent Grimes caused him to drop the ball.

NASSAU: Captain Teddy Pratt reports that he has been successfull trolling double hooked ballyhoo for kingfish off the ledge of Salt Cay. catian Adam Russell has also picked up a few wahoo with this method. Don't forget the "Lords of the Deep" fishing tournament next week-end.

GRAND BAHAMA, Freeport: Offshore fishing for dolphin has been quite good this week.

SOUTH ELEUTHERA, Cape Eleuthera: There have been a few wahoo caught off of The Bridge. Most anglers have been reef fishing.

It's on the move, and no one knows for certain the extent of the Cane Toad's invasion on New Providence Island. Recent news reports say that the exotic creature was confined to Lyford Cay.

We know different now. On Tuesday September 10, 2013 - a Cane Toad was found to be in the Mount Pleasant Village community. The Lyford Cay police was notified, and action was taken to eliminate the venomous toad. The Cane Toad undertakers quietly took the remains away.

The question now is: Where will we find the next Cane Toad on our island?