Sixty-Eighth Regular Session of the United Nations General Assembly
28 September 2013 New York, NY

Mr. President:
Permit me at once to congratulate you on your election as President of this Assembly. As a member of the Caribbean community, The Bahamas takes special pride in the election of one of our region's own - the third such person to be so elected over the years. Be assured, Mr. President, of our full support as you attend to the duties of the high office to which you have been elected and for which you are, if I may say so, superbly qualified.

Mr. President:
Permit me also to express my condolences and that of The Bahamas to the President and people of Kenya following the tragic attack on innocent civilians in Nairobi just last week.

On September 30, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman and Lieutenant Commander Doug Jannusch, the Coast Guard Liaison Officer to The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, officially recognized award-winning Bahamian flagged vessels and their companies for their strong participation during 2012 in the United States Coast Guard's (USCG) Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) system.

AMVER is a USCG managed search and rescue program in which merchant ships make themselves available for maritime emergency response on a volunteer basis.

Two little girls, ages seven and nine and a five year old boy; these are some of the children in The Bahamas whose lives have been touched by the RBC Caribbean Children's Cancer Fund. Osteogenic Sarcoma, Burkits Lymphoma and Maxillary Sinus Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma are the big diseases these little children are battling. This week, RBC launched its annual Children's Cancer Fund Initiative. RBC invites the public to once again partner with them in providing hope, support and strength to these and other brave children around the region fighting cancer.

The RBC Caribbean Children's Cancer Fund was established five (5) years ago. The Children's Cancer Fund was established to provide support for children in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean suffering from cancer. Towards achieving this goal RBC partnered with the Cancer Treatment Foundation and committed $1 million to the fund.

On Saturday, September 28, U.S. Chargé d'Affaires John Dinkelman hosted the Fourth Annual Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Day at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence under the theme, "Play Unified to Live Unified!".

The event, held in partnership with Special Olympics Bahamas, brought together more than 250 volunteers including members of the U.S. Embassy family, Special Olympics Bahamas coaches and athletes, as well as volunteers from local organizations for a day of inclusive sport and play. Activities included bocce, tennis, the egg and spoon race, and the sack race.

If you're searching for proof of a rebound in the real estate market, look no further than Palm Cay where the Nassau beachfront and marina community that announced its first condominium offering less than two months ago today revealed the first phase is oversubscribed with 16 reservations for 12 of its 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath condos.

"I think we hit the market just right -- the right location, the right product and the right price at the right time," said Palm Cay Sales & Marketing Director Zachary 'Zack' Bonczek.

Generations Junior Angler has been postponed. Due to unforseen scheduling conflicts the Generations Junior Angler Tournament has been postponed. We expect to reschedule the tournament for the end of October or early November. The date will be forthcoming.

Fishing report as of September 26:
Nassau: Captain Adam Russell reports catching wahoo and some decent mahi off of the ledge.

North & Central Andros: There have been lots of mahi caught at the bouy at the end of last week.

At the Grand Bahama Shipyard (GBS), as they improve on efficiency and the quality of their work from time to time there is less wastage of materials, resulting in a surplus. Recently the Shipyard decided to donate some of their materials, namely welding rods, to a local government school and two welding programmes in Grand Bahama.

"When we started the process to donate these welding rods, we discovered that the only government school that still has a welding programme was St. George's High School," said Don Forbes, Training Manager at GBS. "We also included BTVI and Total Education Centre in Hawksbill in our donation, because the students they train will be the same pool of students we can choose apprentices from for the Shipyard training programme."

It is the responsibility of all of us to keep our environment clean, as residents of the third rock from the sun. In addition, it is our responsibility to pass this spirit of accountability for our planet on to the next generation. The Earth is not disposable as many of the things in our lives today.

Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic School sixth graders, as well as members of the school's civic groups, (Guides and Scouts), along with their teachers and parents have hit the ground running by being a part of the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup.

Visitors from Carnival Cruise Lines and various hotels on the island are flocking to Bahamian Brewery and Beverage for the fun brewery tours, giving a much needed boost to tourism activities in Grand Bahama.

The brewery tours, which are guided by Ashford 'Ash' Bain, provide an alternative to the more common excursions, which may include sea, sun and sand. Persons on the tour get the opportunity to see how Sands beer products are made, they tour the bottling process, plus see how the beer is fermented, stored, and cooled.

There's optimism in the air as Bahamas Airport Advertising's sister company Airport Advertising Freeport (AAF), has signed a contract with Grand Bahama International Airport, making them the exclusive advertising firm for both the international and domestic terminals at the Grand Bahama International Airport. The launch of AAF will enable local and national advertisers to enhance their exposure at multiple airports while raising their profile throughout the archipelago.

After having great success in Nassau Bahamas Airport Advertising (BAA) has decided to take its dynamic advertising strategy to the nation's second city. The exclusive advertising company and Wi-Fi provider for the capital's Lynden Pindling International Airport felt that now was the right time to expand to Grand Bahama to take advantage of the new traffic proposed for the international and domestic terminals, like Sunwing's direct flights to and from Canada starting this winter.

Another multi-million dollar construction project is on tap, after The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) held a successful bid process for construction of a new Grand Bahama Highway Bridge. The project seeks to build an alternative link across the Grand Lucayan Waterway.

Presiding over the bid presentation was GBPA's Honourary Chairman, Sir Jack Hayward who thanked the various contractors in attendance, as well as The Grand Bahama Development Company (DEVCO) for their support of the project. The new causeway will provide a direct route from McLean's Town into the downtown area.

Another week, another mix of happy and sad stories at the Humane Society of Grand Bahama shelter. One highlight has to be featured prominently due to the sheer joy and pleasure it brought to so many shelter dogs.

Acquiring more pea rock to fill in the courtyard was a real necessity as the summer's heavy rains caused a lot of erosion, which in turn caused heavy flooding in the courtyard. Bahama Rock agreed to donate one truckload and we were so happy. We were even happier when that one truck load turned into two on Tuesday! We are so grateful to Bahama Rock, and to Waugh Construction for hauling services

What we did not anticipate, however, was the sheer joy those mounds of pea rock would engender in so many of our shelter dogs. Our dogs had so much fun playing and digging!

The ability to sustain an eco-tourism product on Grand Bahama is highly dependent on the number of visitors to the island. We all know that when the cruise ships are in we flourish and when they are not our tourist based businesses struggle to even stay open. More of a balance is struck when a product or service is offered that appeals to the local community and visitors alike.

But true success comes when a business not only serves as an attraction for visitors and locals but also provides an ongoing purpose in the community. Garden of the Groves has achieved this delicate balance of success and they are doing it in a very eco-friendly and highly sustainable way. Garden of the Groves not only offers an obvious tourist attraction, but they provide a beautiful place where locals can enjoy a bite to eat or a quiet walk through pathways that are filled with abundant beauty and sounds that satisfy the senses.

The Sandals Foundation collected 390 lbs of garbage in 39 bags, picked up by more than 49 volunteers across New Providence and Great Exuma last Saturday during International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2013.

Sandals Foundation Volunteers from Sandals Emerald Bay and community volunteers cleaned up Farmers Hill Beach, clearing it of trash, oil canisters and other debris. Sandals Royal Bahamian volunteers tackled the shoreline in the Stokes Cabana area, near the boat ramp. Both groups were surprised by the amount of litter deposited along the shoreline.

By sustaining the habitats of mangroves and Important Bird Areas (IBA), the Bahamas Government wishes to provide legislative protection that supports the socio-economic and biological importance of the Joulter Cays.

The Audubon Society, a bird watching organisation in Washington D.C., has tagged and tracked birds throughout the Caribbean and Latin American region. Audubon scientists have partnered with the Bahamas National Trust to propose that the Joulter Cays be legislated by an Act of Parliament as a National Park, and designated as a Marine Protected Area (MPA), to protect the new habitat of the elusive Piping Plovers; Bahamian birds that spend nine months of the year in the Joulter Cays, in The Bahamas, and the other three months in the Northeastern United States.

EARTHCARE is very concerned by the revelations in the press regarding the development plans for Bimini. Several Environmental Organizations have been trying to find out if there is an Environmental Impact Assessment completed for the proposed development. The most recent entity to assume control of the former "Bimini Bay Resort", the Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate has renamed the project, Resorts World Bimini.

EARTHCARE is a proponent of Sustainable Development. The proposed plans for the cruise ship terminal are not sustainable by any stretch of the imagination. EARTHCARE Founder, Gail Woon said, "Who begins operating a cruise ship without a place to dock it, in place first? The plans are to build the 1,000 foot long jetty along with a 6 acre island for a cruise ship terminal over a very sensitive ecological oceanic habitat. The cruise ship is operating and the developer is in a hurry to have the terminal constructed.

The Ministry of Tourism was very excited to welcome legendary championship golfer Greg Norman and a group of superstars to the Sandals/Access Hollywood Celebrity Tournament & Weekend Getaway at the Sandals resort from September 26-29, 2013. And according to Petherina Hanna, general manager of the Exuma Tourism Office, the economy of Exuma will certainly benefit from the level of publicity the event will bring.

"The entire destination is excited about the celebrity golf tournament held here at Sandals. It is going to bring benefit for many years. The idea of celebrities coming here to play golf; we have 15 or 20 of them going back to their various shows and programmes talking about their weekend here at Sandals, and golfing," she said.

Coaching a mother to "bear down (push)" in Stage II before she has an urge to do so is nonproductive and exhausting. Allowing a mother to rest as her baby "labors down" until she has the uncontrollable natural urge to "bear down" reduces the time mothers spend pushing by as much as 50%.

Effective bearing down occurs when the mother spontaneously responds to the urge to push naturally by bearing down efforts that last 5-7 seconds and that come and go like waves during contractions.Delayed pushing may contribute to a longer second stage of labor over-all but mothers push for a shorter time.

S.L. Sheppard's latest play, now in rehearsal, is a tragi-comedic slice of Bahamian life with all the characters that we've encountered about us through the years. The play centers on Daddy's two families and their reaction to his death.

Daddy, a manly Bahamian, had many children and a few wives. All of the relatives are brought together by his untimely death to mourn, to grieve, to argue, to resolve old and festering wounds. To complicate matters even further, Daddy made quite a bit of money investing in property all over the Bahamas and since he was helping the population to grow through the year, everyone is looking to get a large slice of the pie for their own nefarious purposes.

As the dates for the 2013 Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival on Location: Grand Bahama Island (FLIFF), are quickly approaching, sponsors and organizers are busy promoting the event within local and national high schools throughout the country. As The Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited (GBPA) is participating as a major sponsor for the High School Film Competition, Corporate Affairs Officer for GBPA and Project Liaison, Kendra Clarke, made visits to several local high schools recently, encouraging student participation for the upcoming competition.

Schools visited included St. George's High School, Grand Bahama Academy, Tabernacle Baptist Academy and numerous others. Age requirement, film categories, and entry criteria were some of the details discussed, as students were encouraged to be creative with the delivery of their submissions for the festival.

When Toby Smith set out to help his daughter with a school project; he had no idea that it would turn into restoring iconic sculptures. While helping his daughter Bianca with a school project, Smith decided to restore Stephen Burrows' iconic sculptures, which are recognised throughout the islands of The Bahamas.

The conch sculpture is one of several sculptures made by Stephen Burrows in the 80s and 90s to highlight Bahamian culture. His works can be found in Nassau, Exuma, San Salvador and Abaco. It was created into its iconic conch shell shape in 1980, and was displayed on the roundabout near the Nassau International Airport, but was moved once construction began on the roads. The conch started to rust due to rain seeping into the welding holes and it had been placed behind the Ministry of Works until Smith began his restoration project.

The NBA Champions Miami Heat thanked The Bahamas and specifically the Ministry of Tourism Sports Department for the warm welcome and providing first class facilities for the team's pre-season training camp. The Atlantis Imperial Ballroom was transformed into a basketball court with added equipment to enhance the training regimen of the players from October 1 to 3, 2013.

The team arrived Monday, September 30, to warm Bahamian hospitality complemented by a contingent of the Junkanoo group, the Commandos. LeBron James, a forward at 6ft 8 inches, observed that the court created at Atlantis is the same they are used to and that the reception received upon their arrival was great.

The Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC) recently gave financial assistance to the Special Olympics program in Grand Bahama. The goal of the organization is to provide year round sports training and athletic competition, in a variety of sports, for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

According to Fundraising Coordinator Donna Laing-Jones, the program seeks donations to support the weekly door to door bus transportation, so that the special athletes in the community can train and compete year round. "Special Olympics is most appreciative of the continued support of the GBPC. Without their funding we would be unable to continue our programs which mean so much to our special athletes," said Laing-Jones.

There were five bids for the 2022 FIFA World Cup; Qatar, USA, Japan, South Korea and Australia and it was announced that Qatar will be hosting the FIFA World Cup Finals. Soccer was brought to Qatar in the 1940s and 50s and Qatar formed the Qatar Football Association in the 1970s.

Since then Qatar has only passed the group stages once in a continental cup and they have never represented Asia in a FIFA World Cup. They qualified to the Asian cup in 1980,1984,1988,1992,1996 and 2000 however this country does not have a great soccer history.

This is the first time an oil rich Middle Eastern nation has hosted a world cup and there has been a lot of talk about whether this country should have been given a world cup bid in the first place.

Bahamas, recognize what is being done to you by your government through its current process of introducing and implementing Value Added Tax (VAT). The end of September has now become the third self-imposed deadline the government has failed to meet to release its VAT Bill & Regulations to the Bahamian people.

First it said it would release this critical information before Parliament broke for summer recess. Then it said it would do so by the end of August. Then it said it would do so by the end of September - nothing materialized. If the government is not meeting its own deadlines, it suggests that it does not have its act together with what it is getting ready to do to the country in a very short space of time.